Chandravalli is an archaeological site located in the Chitradurga district of the state of Karnataka, India.The region is a valley formed by three hills, Chitradurga, Kirabanakallu and Cholagudda.It is a semi-arid region with scrub vegetation with a stream running through it. Excavations at Chandravalli have revealed earthen pots, painted bowls and coins of Indian dynasties like Vijayanagar, Satavahana and Hoysalas as well as denarii of Roman emperor Augustus Caesar and a coin of the Chinese Han dynasty Emperor Wu Ti belonging to 2nd Century B.C.

Excavation history

Chandravalli was first excavated by R. Narasimhachar who was the Director of Department of Archaeology and Museums of the Mysore state. Further excavations were carried out by H. M. Krishna in 1928-29 and finally by Mortimer Wheeler under the guidance of the Archaeological Survey of India in 1947.

Findings

Two distinct periods; megalithic and Satavahana were noticed during the excavations. It was found that Chandravalli was inhabited from Iron Age onwards. The inscriptions found in the nearby hillocks belonged to the Chalukya and Hoysala period, with one belonging to the king Mayurasharma, the founder of the Kadamba dynasty.

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