Kakinada MP Vanga Geetha, Visakhapatnam Post Master General M. Venkateswarlu, and Buddhist monks on Wednesday released a special postal cover on a 3 rd century Buddhist stupa at Kodavali in Gollaprolu mandal in Kakinada district.
This is the 60 th special postal cover released by the Department of Posts on various themes such as arts, culture and heritage, cuisine diversity, personalities, and places of Andhra Pradesh.
The Buddhist stupa, spread over 1.8 acres of land, is facing threat due to proposed laterite mining in the region. Falling in Survey No. 133/1, the stupa is part of Turakula Konda on which the mining proposal was cleared by the Revenue Department in 2021.
In late 2021, environmental activists, historians and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) waged a battle against the mining proposal for the protection of the monument. The Kodavali Buddhist stupa is a protected monument under the Archeological Survey of India.
Buddhist circuit
Addressing the gathering, Ms. Geetha said that she has been working on a proposal to develop a Buddhist circuit around Kakinada city with the support of ASI and the State government.
“The stupa was explored in 1880. One of the rock-cut cisterns contains an inscription in Brahmi script which mentions the name of Satavahana king Vasistaputra Siri Chandasata who patronised Buddhism,” claims the Department of Posts that printed the description on the special postal cover.
Buddhist monk Andhra Analayo and Buddha Dharma Peetham of Undrajavaram spoke on the importance on the site. Kakinada Postal SP D.S.U. Nageswara Reddy, Anakapalli Postal SP J. Prasad Babu, and Kodavali sarpanch Burra Naga Ramachandra were present.
