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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U-19 World Cup: India start favourites against Bangladesh
Bulawayo (PTI): Seeking to continue their confident start to the tournament, a well-balanced India will begin as firm favourites despite facing a tricky Bangladesh in their second match of the ICC U-19 World Cup here Saturday.
Five-time champions India started their campaign on expected lines, registering a six-wicket win over USA after bundling the opponents out for a paltry 107 in a rain-hit match, with right-arm pacer Henil Patel returning exceptional figures of 5/16 in seven overs and the other bowlers also doing a fine job.
The star-studded Indian batting line-up will hope to get an extended run at the crease against Bangladesh, who are likely to pose a greater challenge to the Ayush Mhatre-led side after a rather comfortable win against the USA.
The opening duo of Mhatre and the incredible 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi will again lead the batting in the company of vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra, all-rounders Aaron George and Vedant Trivedi and wicketkeeper Abhigyan Kundu.
D. Deepesh, RS Ambrish, Henil Patel, Kishan Kumar Singh and Udhav Mohan offer the team pace bowling options, while the likes of Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel and Mohamed Enaan shoulder the spin bowling responsibility.
Champions in five of the 16 editions, India are by far the most dominant team in the history of the competition, which started back in 1988 with Australia emerging winners in the inaugural event.
Raising their prospects further is the team's form in the last one year, having won series in England, Australia and South Africa. The victory against USA was India's 14th in last 17 matches, and the side is backing itself to continue the excellent run of form against their next opponents.
As far as Bangladesh are concerned, they have captain Azizul Hakim who has a fair bit of experience, and a lot will depend on how he marshals his side in the tournament in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
With his deputy Zawad Abrar, Hakim will spearhead the Bangladesh batting. The duo have been prolific at the under-19 level, having scored over 1000 runs in Youth ODIs since the last edition of the tournament in 2024. Kalam Siddiki, with 857 runs in this period, is another prolific run-getter in the side.
Bangladesh also carry a potent bowling attack, with pacers Iqbal Hossain and Al Fahad expected to get plenty of support in pace-friendly conditions in Zimbabwe.
These two are the most successful bowlers since the last U19 World Cup with 45 and 43 wickets to their names respectively. Not too far behind is left-arm spinner Samiun Basir, who had 29 wickets in this period, at an economy of under four.
Teams (from):
India: Ayush Mhatre (c), R.S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, D. Deepesh, Mohamed Enaan, Aaron George, Abhigyan Kundu, Kishan Kumar Singh, Vihaan Malhotra, Udhav Mohan, Henil Patel, Khilan A. Patel, Harvansh Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Vedant Trivedi.
Bangladesh: Azizul Hakim Tamim (c), Zawad Abrar, Samiun Basir Ratul, Sheikh Parvez Jibon, Rizan Hossan, Shaharia Al Amin, Shadin Islam, Md Abdullah, Farid Hasan Faysal, Kalam Siddiki Aleen, Rifat Beg, Saad Islam Razin, Al Fahad, Shahriar Ahmed, Iqbal Hossain. Reserves: Abdur Rahim, Debashis Sarkar Deba, Rafi Uzzaman Rafi, Farhan Shahriar, Farzan Ahmed Alif, Sanjid Majumder, Md Sobuj.
Match starts 1.00 pm IST.
