Nelakondapalli was a major town in ancient history. This is evidenced by one of the largest Buddhist stupas discovered in the Deccan (
Dakhina,
Dakhinapatha) region about 2 kilometers northeast of the contemporary village location, along with Satavahana era sites scattered around the village. Situated midst the farm fields and next to a large ancient manmade lake, this maha-stupa (mahachaitya) is co-located with brick lined vihara complex, wells,
cisterns. Near this site, archaeological excavations have also unearthed
terracotta figurines, hundreds of coins from early Hindu dynasties, a bronze statue of
Buddha and a small model
stupa carved in limestone. Most of the historic Buddhist and Hindu structures were missing by the 19th-century, including the Hindu temples mentioned in various inscriptions. A survey commissioned by the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1934 reported scattered temple ruins and a beheaded Nandi in Nelakondapalli. Archaeological excavations began after local farmers reported finding buried reliefs and statues. This initiative began in the 1970s and were completed in stages through the 1990s.
Buddhist archaeological site About 2 kilometers northeast of Nelakondapalli village is a large ancient manmade lake. Along it, midst the farms, are three sites locally known as Viratrajgadde, Erradibba and Byragulagutta. In the 1970s, the villagers accidentally stumbled upon portions of limestone panels and broken parts of a Buddha statue. They reported their findings to the state archaeological department – then under Andhra Pradesh, now Telangana. The state archaeology department undertook excavations between 1976 and 1985, over several seasons given the state's budget constraints. One of the inscribed votive stupa discovered during these excavations is dated by Himanshu Prabha Ray between the 3rd to 4th-century CE. According to Ray, the site should be dated to a bit later era based on the epigraphical evidence and the fact that ancient coins tended to remain in circulation for an extended periods of time. The Nelakondapalli site, states Ray, is of historic significance, and was one of many located along the trans-peninsular trade route of ancient Greater India, connecting the Krishna river valley to other parts of the Indian subcontinent. The other sites that traders and monks likely frequented via Nelakondapalli were Kondapur, Dhulikatta on their way to Ter and Paithan.
Satavahana site Additional though limited excavations in and around Nelakondapalli has unearthed wares, coins, brick foundations, and similar evidence of a much larger ancient town where Buddhist and Hindu panels and artwork were produced. The discovery of hundreds of Satavahana coins which are commonly found in Deccan sites and of Ikshavaku coins that are rare in Telangana – southwestern parts of Nalgonda district being only other site – attests to Nelakondapallu's importance to the regional trade networks, economy and its ancient prosperity. ==Temples==