Kotilingala has an archaeological site that was excavated by
V. V. Krishna Sastry. The site has a mud fort with several gates and running 1054 metres long and 330 metres wide. A watch tower located in the south-eastern corner measures 11.5 * 10.55 m. Ancient pottery, beads, bricks
querns, and other artifacts have been found at the site. Two hoards of punch-marked coins attributed to 2nd and 3rd centuries BCE have been found at the site. Based on these discoveries, Kotilingala is believed to be a town of the ancient
Asmaka (also Andhra or Assaka)
Mahajanapada. The mud fortification, protected by a stream on its east and the Godavari river on its west, indicate its high political and commercial significance. However, others such as P. L. Gupta and
I. K. Sarma have disputed this identification, arguing that the Kotilingala coins belonged to a later ruler with a similar or same name.
P.V.P. Sastry, who first discovered these coins and attributed them to Simuka in 1978, also changed his view and later stated that Chimuka or Chhimuka of Kotilingala was not same as the Simuka mentioned in
Naneghat inscription. Other coins include those issued by
Kanha and
Satakarni. The inscriptions of the early Satavahanas have been found only in present-day
Maharashtra (at
Nashik and
Naneghat), based on which western
Deccan has been proposed as the original home of the Satavahanas. However, the discovery of coins at Kotilingala and other sites in present-day
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana has prompted some historians such as M. Rama Rao to theorize that the eastern Deccan was also a part of the early Satavahana territory. V. V. Krishna Sastry theorized that the site was once a stronghold of the early Satavahanas. S. Chattopadhyaya argues that coins can travel via trade, and this is not conclusive evidence of the early Satavahana presence in eastern Deccan. The archaeological evidence at Kotilingala suggests existence of long-distance trade. == Developments ==