The block of stone unearthed on the second day of the excavation exercise at Kote Veerabhadreshwara temple at Lakkundi in Gadag district.
Credit: Special arrangement
Gadag: The excavation around the Kote Veerabhadreshwara temple in the historic Lakkundi village in Gadag district started on a promising note with a huge block of stone believed to be part of a larger structure being unearthed on only the second day of the exercise on Saturday.
Lakkundi Heritage Area Development Authority Commissioner Sharanu Gogeri said that further excavation would result in remaining parts of the stone structure being unearthed. “It resembles the receptacle into which the anointments poured over idols flow into. It is a one-and-a-half-foot long stone,” said Gogeri.
Pointing out that they had only dug till a depth of around 2.5ft, Gogeri added, “We have to proceed in a phased manner. We will probably unearth the remaining sections of the stone structure on Sunday.”
Meanwhile, locals are upset with the district administration’s order prohibiting entry to the excavation site. “The Kote Veerabhadreshwara temple fair has been held without fail annually for the past 47 years. How will we hold the fair if the district administration restricts access to space around the temple,” asked members of the temple committee.