10th century ‘Buddha Vihar’ discovered in Hazaribagh
Two huge structures with links to Buddhism found at two sites on Juljul hill in Hazaribagh; five sculptures of Gautam Buddha and one of Tara discovered in ongoing excavation
RANCHI: A 10th century structure resembling a small “Buddha Vihar” (Buddhist shrine-cummonastery) has been discovered during an excavation being carried out by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on foothills of Juljul hill at Sadar block of Hazaribagh district, ASI officials said on Tuesday.
Last year, the ASI had identified three mounds having links to Buddhism on the foothills. The excavation of the first mound last year led to the discovery of a complete shrine with a central and two subsidiary shrines, just two metres below the surface. However, the excavation work was suspended after two months due to the lockdown triggered by Covid-19 pandemic apart from other reasons.
In the second round of excavation, which began in January this year, the second mound, around 40m away from the first mound or central shrine, was excavated and a small “Buddha Vihar-like structure” was discovered.
“We started excavation in the second mound of the area in January last week, where a huge structural mound, similar to a small Buddha Vihar, was found with three cells (rooms). In the west corner, we found five sculptures of Gautam Buddha in seated position and one of Tara,” said Dr Neeraj Mishra, assistant archaeologist at ASI.
RANCHI: A 10th century structure resembling a small “Buddha Vihar” (Buddhist shrinecum-monastery) has been discovered during an excavation being carried out by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on foothills of Juljul hill at Sadar block of Hazaribagh district, ASI officials said on Tuesday.
Last year, the ASI had identified three mounds having links to Buddhism on the foothills. The excavation of the first mound last year led to the discovery of a complete shrine with a central and two subsidiary shrines, just two metres below the surface. However, the excavation work was suspended after two months due to the lockdown triggered by Covid-19 pandemic apart from other reasons.
In the second round of excavation, which began in last week of January this year, the second mound, around 40m away from the first mound or central shrine, was excavated and a small “Buddha Vihar-like structure” was discovered.
“We started excavation in the second mound of the area in January last week, where a huge structural mound, similar to a small Buddha Vihar, was found with three cells (rooms). In the west corner of the structure, we found five sculptures of Gautam Buddha in seated position and one sculpture of Tara, which indicates that it might also be a centre of Vajrayana,” said Dr Neeraj Mishra, assistant archaeologist at ASI.
Spread over a 50m long and 50m wide area, three cells and hoards of artefacts, including statues of Gautam Budha and Tara, the female Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism, who appears as a female Buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism, were discovered.
“As per the evidence found here, it appears that the structures had been built during the Pala period. During excavation, we found an inscription on a stone slab. The palaeographic dating of the inscription suggests that it was of 10th century AD, meaning the Pala period,” said Dr Mishra.
It might have been a big religious centre then, as it is located on the side of the old Grand Trunk road, connecting Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh to Bihar, home to the historic Bodh Gaya, where Buddha attained salvation, he added.
He recalled that a shrine and two subsidiary shrines, spread over an area 30m long and 50m wide, were discovered last year. “It was a single storey temple. An entry gate and stairs were also found there.”
Historians and archaeologists find the discovery of great importance, as it will help understand history and influence of the dynasty in Jharkhand.
Historian Dr DN Ojha, dean, social sciences department at Ranchi University, said ancient history talks about arrival of Buddhist monks in this area and the extension of reach of Buddhism here. “However, there was also a debate on this. The recent discovery in Hazaribagh would work as a huge evidence to support the theory of extension of Buddhism and arrival of monks here,” he added.