HYDERABAD: State Minister for Tourism and Culture V Srinivas Goud and Principal Secretary of Tourism, Culture, and Archaeology department, Sandeep Kumar Sultania, will deliver a presentation on the historical significance of the Phanigiri Buddhist site located in Suryapet district and three selected sculptures at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
The presentation, titled “Tree and Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India 200 BCE-400CE,” is scheduled for July 17. The three sculptures, discovered during excavations at the Phanigiri site, will be exhibited at the New York Metropolitan Museum from July 17 to November 13. They will then be showcased at the National Museum in Seoul, South Korea, from December 22, 2023, to April 14, 2024.
Principal Secretary Sultania recently visited the Nagaram site in Suryapet district, which dates back to the 1st Century BC to 3rd Century CE. During the exploration, various structures such as the Mahastupa, Votive Stupas and Bouddha Viharas were examined. The sculptures selected for the exhibition include the Ayaka (courtyard enclosure lime panel) from the Ikshvakus period, a Torana lintel with a lion-makara terminal, and a Torana lintel with an elephant-makara terminal, from the same period.