March 3 was Sunday again, so Rani arranged a day-trip to sites to the north.
Rani and her sister picked us up at the school at 6:45 and we went a long distance until we arrived at the site of Salihundam at 9:00. We saw the major early Buddhist remains there and then went to the site museum.
We then went through the town of Kalingapatnam on the coast, but with other things to do today, we chose not to spend much time, so we saw little beyond modern funerary monuments.
We proceeded on to Srimukhalingam, where there is a cluster of major historic Hindu temples. We first passed by a crudely-built temple outside the town.
We then went to a historic temple with ornate carvings on the outskirts of the town.
We then went to the main temple in the town center. We met Venkateshwara Rao there. The carvings on the walls are remarkably well preserved.
Venkateshwara showed me remnants of a brick wall from an early Buddhist site underlying the temple.
We drove outside the town and had lunch that Rani had brought.
We then drove to a dolmen site at Dannanapeta, which Venkateshwara Rao, an amateur archaeologist, had discovered a few years ago. Around the dolmen for some distance are clusters of post holes cut into the bedrock
There were no journalists with us on this trip, but I did have a telephone interview with a reporter about the project. We were back at the school at 7:15 in time for dinner. Afterwards Ilse and I gave a repeat of our presentations to some of the other students who had not attended our presentations on Thursday.
Rani and her sister picked us up at the school at 6:45 and we went a long distance until we arrived at the site of Salihundam at 9:00. We saw the major early Buddhist remains there and then went to the site museum.
Early Buddhist structures at Salihundam
More early Buddhist structures at Salihundam
We then went through the town of Kalingapatnam on the coast, but with other things to do today, we chose not to spend much time, so we saw little beyond modern funerary monuments.
An overgrown monument in a modern Christian cemetery
We proceeded on to Srimukhalingam, where there is a cluster of major historic Hindu temples. We first passed by a crudely-built temple outside the town.
The temple outside the town
We then went to a historic temple with ornate carvings on the outskirts of the town.
The first temple
A detail of the carvings
We then went to the main temple in the town center. We met Venkateshwara Rao there. The carvings on the walls are remarkably well preserved.
The main temple
The group at the temple
A detail of the carvings showing a battle scene
Venkateshwara showed me remnants of a brick wall from an early Buddhist site underlying the temple.
The brick wall
We drove outside the town and had lunch that Rani had brought.
Lunch
After lunch we saw another temple in the town.
The third temple
The group at the temple
Venkateshwara Rao and me inside the temple
We then drove to a dolmen site at Dannanapeta, which Venkateshwara Rao, an amateur archaeologist, had discovered a few years ago. Around the dolmen for some distance are clusters of post holes cut into the bedrock
The dolmen
The group at the dolmen
Venkateshwara and Rani in the dolmen
Postholes near the dolmen
There were no journalists with us on this trip, but I did have a telephone interview with a reporter about the project. We were back at the school at 7:15 in time for dinner. Afterwards Ilse and I gave a repeat of our presentations to some of the other students who had not attended our presentations on Thursday.
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