Treasure hunt begins after gold ornaments unearthed in Karnataka's Lakkundi village
Gadag (Karnataka)(PTI): The Karnataka government on Friday went on a treasure hunt following the discovery of gold ornaments during the construction of a house in the historic Lakkundi village known for its architectural heritage in Gadag district.
The government decided to launch a full-scale excavation on the premises of the Kote Veerabhadreshwara Temple at Lakkundi.
The project is being undertaken jointly by the Department of Tourism, the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage, the Lakkundi Heritage Development Authority and the district administration.
The JCBs, trucks and tractors were moved in to carry out excavation on the temple premises. A 10 metres by 10 metres area has been demarcated for excavation. The area has been notified for excavation.
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"We have roped in 15 women and five men for this job," an officer engaged in the work said.
Lakkundi was once ruled by the Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, Kalchuris and the Vijayanagara kings, and associated with the famed philanthropist Danachintamani Attimabbe.
This was also the place where gold coins were minted in the ancient time, sources in the archaeology department said.
The treasure hunt began after a boy accidently discovered a small copper pot filled with gold ornaments weighing 470 grams. The ornaments are said to be 300 to 400 years old.
The boy handed over the treasure to the district administration, for which he was felicitated.
Officials said the region is believed to be rich in buried valuables, including gold, silver, diamonds, pearls, rubies, corals and cat's eye stones.
"Lakkundi has historically been a prosperous centre, and evidence suggests that immense material wealth may still be concealed underground," sources involved in the excavation said.
During an exploration conducted in November 2024, thousands of ancient artefacts were unearthed at Lakkundi.
More recently, the discovery of jewellery has further heightened interest in the site. Even now, precious stones such as sapphires, pearls, gems, diamonds and cat's eye are reportedly being found in different parts of the area.
Archaeologists said the fresh excavation is of high historical importance and is expected to yield inscriptions, monuments, sculptures and ornaments linked to Karnataka's medieval history, potentially adding significantly to the understanding of Lakkundi's rich heritage.
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Rupee hits all-time low for second time in a week
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 31 paise to settle at 91.99 against the US dollar on Wednesday, touching the lowest closing level for the second time in less than a week, amid increased month-end demand for the greenback.
Forex traders said the rupee opened higher as the US dollar index softened and a long-awaited trade breakthrough with Europe offered quiet reassurance. However, increased month-end demand for the American currency as well as the ongoing geopolitical tensions dented investors' sentiments.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 91.60 and touched an early high of 91.50, but pared all the gains to touch an intra-day low of 91.99 against the greenback.
The domestic unit settled 31 paise down, revisiting its lowest-ever closing level of 91.99 against the greenback. The Indian currency previously ended at this level on January 23 when it also hit its all-time intraday low of 92 against the US dollar.
On Tuesday, the rupee rebounded from its all-time low levels and gained 22 paise to close at 91.68 against the US dollar.
Analysts said the rupee opened higher as the US dollar index softened and a long-awaited trade breakthrough with Europe bolstered investor sentiment.
India and the European Union on Tuesday announced the conclusion of negotiations for the free trade agreement (FTA), under which a number of domestic sectors such as apparel, chemicals and footwear will get duty-free entry into the 27-nation bloc, while the EU will get access to the Indian market at concessional duty for cars and wines, an official said.
The deal has been dubbed the "mother of all deals" as it will create a market of about 2 billion people.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.07 per cent lower at 96.14.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.43 per cent lower at USD 67.28 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex jumped 487.20 points to settle at 82,344.68, while Nifty surged 167.35 points to 25,342.75.
Foreign Institutional Investors turned net buyers and purchased equities worth Rs 480.26 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
