Sankaram

Etymology

The name of the village Sankaram is understood to be a corruption of Sangharam. Archaeologist K. Chitti Babu describes the site as being similar to Takṣaśilā and relates the name Sankaram to Sangrama, which he attributes to Buddhist influence as the word was not used in Andhra Pradesh.

In his initial description of the site Alexander Rea refers to it as Śaṅkaram and the eastern hill (and the hills collectively) as Bojaṅṅakoṇda. He additionally notes that the western hill is named for its many monoliths, being known as liṅgala mitta or kōḷiliṅgam; he translates the latter as "lull of the crore of the liṅgams". Debala Mitra states Lingalakonda as meaning "the hill of liṅgas".

K. R. Subramanian calls the site Sanghārāma and refers to the hills interchangeably as Lingālakoṇda and Bojjanakoṇda. He claims that the latter name is a corruption of Buddhannakoṇda. Similarly, G. Babulu of the Maha Bodhi Society claims the name was originally Buddhuni konda, meaning "hill of the Buddha".

K. Chitti Babu ascribes the name as coming from the Telugu word bojja, meaning "tummy", owing to a misidentification of one the Buddha figures as Ganesh.

Excavation

The site was excavated under the aegis of Scottish archaeologist Alexander Rea, who presented his findings in the Archaeological Survey of India's 1907-08 Annual Report. Prior to excavation most of the stupas adorning the eastern hill were buried by the earth, with only a few of the larger ones being visibly present on the hill's surface. The residential buildings to the east of the central stupa were also entirely covered by loose bricks and a large amount of earth, giving few indications as to their presence; Rea was unable to offer a satisfactory explanation for this accumulation.

Rea noted that the eastern hill was considered the more significant site, and that the hills were collectively referred to by its name. He noted the site to be older than the Seven Pagodas, and contain some of the earliest Buddhist monuments in southern India. He suggested that the site may date to before the 1st century CE and that the earliest parts may be contemporary with Ashoka, offering his belief that the site was among those that had been founded by him.

Between the hills is a figure of the goddess Hariti, who Rea identifies as "Palakamma Devi", a local goddess. He noted that at the time of his excavation the statue was almost entirely covered in stones.

Rea reported finding approximately 70 coins, mostly copper, with one gold and one lead; this was notably different to the coins found at Amaravati, which were almost all lead. The gold coin bears the image of the 4th century Emperor Samudragupta, which V. Venkayya noted to be unusually far south for such a find. Copper coins found at the site were tentatively identified by Walter Elliot as being from the Pallava dynasty. According to John Faithfull Fleet some of these coins bore markings pertaining to Kubja Vishnuvardhana, the first king of the Eastern Chalukyas; Venkayya suggests that these may have been altered by the Pallavas for continued circulation. A further copper coin dated to the 4th-5th century and bearing the word "Śrikaṁsa" remained unidentified.

Mitra indicates that the slope where most of the antiquities were found was used as dump.

Rea states that the monastery would have originally been situated on the bank of the Sarada River prior to its course changing.

Bojjannakonda

The hill is covered in rocky outcrops. The larger outcrops have been carved into stupas, creating an irregular distribution of monuments about the hill. Rea suggests these were cut in honour of donors.

The primary feature of the site is a large central stupa atop a platform, which Mitra terms the "Main Stūpa". She describes it as "definitely post-Christian" and dates it as potentially as late as the 3rd century AD. The stupa was primarily fashioned from rock, with incomplete parts of the rock filled with brick.

Nine brick stupas line the southern edge of the platform of the central stupa, all of which are missing their domes. These lie alongside the foundations of a rectangular building.

There is another brick stupa to the east of the platform, accompanied by a miniature chaitya to the south of the platform. The structures would have been covered in plaster, though only traces of this remain.

To the east of the Main Stupa is a residential complex, which Rea considered unique in form.

Lingalametta

In his initial description, Rea noted that the hill contained more than two hundred lingas.

Hariti figure

Sited between the two hills in a narrow passage is a statue of Hariti. The historian and archaeologist Sree Padma Holt notes the popularity of the goddess in the region and suggests this was a form of religious syncretism. Archaeologist and art historian K. Krishna Murthy confirms the identification of the figure as Hariti rather than the local goddess Palakamma, and dates it to the 4th century CE on stylistic grounds. Holt further notes that the presence of the Hariti figure is indicative of the transition to Mahayana Buddhism.