Gold found in Lakkundi village in Karnataka is 'not treasure': ASI official

Gadag (Karnataka), Jan 11 (PTI) Gold found while digging earth to lay the foundation for the expansion of a house in Lakkundi, a village known for its architectural heritage here, is "not treasure", a senior ASI official said on Sunday.

Superintending Archaeologist, ASI -- Dharwad circle, Ramesh Mulimani visited the spot, a day after a copper pot containing the gold was found.

"This is not a treasure... many ornaments found are broken. They were found in the kitchen area of the house. In the past, our ancestors used to hide ornaments by burying them beside the kitchen stove area, as they had no treasury. This was a practice in the past and what has been found now also seems to be the same thing," Mulimani said.

"It needs to be ascertained the age of the ornaments. Many are broken. If coins were found, we could have assessed to which period they belonged," he said, adding that the gold has now been kept into safe custody at the treasury.

The government has taken possession of the 470 grams of gold comprising various forms of ornaments, including necklace, bangle and earrings.

According to police, an eighth standard student spotted the ornaments in a copper pot.

"The boy honestly told the senior members of the village. Soon after getting information, the officers and evaluators from various departments reached the spot. There were 22 items kept in the pot, which have been taken into possession," Gadag SP Rohan Jagadeesh had told reporters on Saturday. PTI KSU KH