Lakkundi unites to unearth its 10th century treasures Premium

Lakkundi, also called ‘Lokki Gundi’ in some inscriptions, a village in Gadag district which was a town of economic importance in the 10th century for its minting operations, is now making a resurgence for its historical relevance.  

Lakkundi, also called ‘Lokki Gundi’ in some inscriptions, a village in Gadag district which was a town of economic importance in the 10th century for its minting operations, is now making a resurgence for its historical relevance.  

For the first time, the Karnataka State Tourism Department, along with the district administration and Archaeology Department, recently took up a three-day exploration to conserve and protect historically important material available in Lakkundi. The ambience of the village was celebratory, with the entire village contributing to the Department’s move. With Mangalavaadya and Dollu Kunita on the streets, residents dressed in their best attire, houses and streets decorated, the entire village came together to celebrate the move by the Tourism Department. 

The initiative comes right after the department, in September, proposed five destinations – Lakkundi, Anjanadri (in Koppal district), Saundatti Yellamma Gudda (in Belagavi district), Aihole (in Bagalkot district), and Roerich and Devika Rani Estate (in Bengaluru) – to be developed under the Central Government’s Special Assistance Scheme for development of iconic tourist centres at a total cost of ₹447 crore. Four of these five projects are in north Karnataka.   

The initiative was started toward the end of November, by the Karnataka State Tourism Department Corporation (KSTDC), along with the Archaeology Museums and Heritage Department. The initiative was taken to restore the historical significance of Lakkundi and nominate it for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

The department, experts and some residents say that the rich archaeological treasures of Lakkundi have been neglected for years, with many being repurposed for daily use by villagers due to indifference by the authorities concerned. 

To address this, Karnataka’s Tourism Minister H.K. Patil issued a letter to residents of the village, highlighting Lakkundi’s archaeological heritage, and embarked on a door-to-door visit on November 24, along with MLA C.C. Patil and officials concerned to convince the residents to donate historical articles for conservation. The people of Lakkundi were found giving away statues, ancient relics, pillars and stones joyfully to the palanquins brought to their doorstep by the Department.  

According to the Tourism Department, a total of 1,050 historical relics and 13 inscriptions were identified in the three days of the exploration. The Minister and others from the department went around the village collecting historical relics from several households and concluded the event with a procession of the relics on palanquins and tractors.