Banavasi is one of the celebrated ancient cities not only of Karnataka but also of our country. It had attracted the attention of the great ruler Aśoka more than two thousand years ago and Buddhist monks from Banavasi were invited to attend the inauguration of the Mahastûpa at Ceylon. Even the Greek writer Ptolemy had a good knowledge of this city. Attracted by the natural beauty, fertile soil, fine climate and rich resources, the successive Karnataka dynasties like the Sätavahanas, the Kadambas, Chuțus, Chalukyas, Hoysaļas, Sēvuņas, Vijayanagara rulers and Söndă chiefs ruled here. This land became sacred because of the presence of Madhukēśvara, the presiding deity of Banavasi.
It is natural that such a glorious and religious place attracted Sanskrit and Kannada poets alike. To the great poet Pampa, Banavasi epitomised the finest aspects of Karnataka culture and he expressed a desire to be reborn here atleast as a bee. Due to natural and historical reasons, most of the early structures, houses and temples lay buried under the mother earth. The archaeologists under the guidance of late Dr. M.Seshadri conducted excavations here and brought to light the ancient glory through the brick structures, inscriptions, terracottas, coins, beads, pottery and other antiquities. I congratulate the team of archaeologists from the Directorate of Archaeology and the Mysore University, particularly Dr. D.V.Devaraj and Prof. A.V.Narasimha Murthy for planning and publishing the report in an excellent manner. It is the endeavour of our government to enrich the culture of Karnataka by bringing out publications on different aspects of the heritage of Karnataka. I am sure that the present publication is one more step forward in that direction.
The Government feels happy and satisfied if the present work is received with warmth by scholars and the general public alike
Mysore University has been in the forefront in encouraging archaeology, epigraphy, excavations and ancient Indian History for the past half a century and more, at the undergraduate, post-graduate and research levels. M.H.Krishna, K.A.Nilakantha Sastri, S.Srikantha Sastri, M.Seshadri and others built up this tradition. I am happy to note that this tradition is being continued by the younger scholars under the guidance of Dr. A. V.Narasimha Murthy and Dr. D.V.Devaraj. I am particularly happy that most of the staff members of the department of Ancient History and Archaeology have contributed various sections to this report.
Sometime ago, Mysore University conducted archaeological excavations at Banavasi in collaboration with the Karnataka State Department of Archaeology under the guidance of late Dr. M.Seshadri. I am delighted to learn that the excavation was a great success as it revealed two huge brick structures in addition to a silver punch marked coin of the Mauryan type and an early Brähmi inscription. Thus it has contributed significantly to the study of early history of Karnataka. I congratulate the staff members of both the Departments and Dr. A.V.Narasimha Murthy and Dr. D.V.Devaraj for planning and publishing this report. I hope both these institutions would continue this type of collaboration to enrich the personality of Karnataka and India.
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