News from Northern India - Archaeology Magazine Archive


News from Northern India	November 28, 2000
by M. Kumar

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Monastic complex frequented by the Buddha at Vaishali (Archaeological Survey of India)

Archaeologists in the northern Indian state of Bihar have been busy. In the city of Rajgir, excavations have exposed the remains of a fifth-century B.C. brick stupa (domed temple) beneath which, based on Buddhist texts, some believe relics of the Buddha (ashes, bones, hair, and nail clippings) are buried. The location of this stupa, one of several reportedly built over the Buddha's relics, has long been contested, and another structure has also been suggested. The traditional description of the holy site in the Atta Katha, a book of tales associated with the Buddha's life, seems to better match the newly excavated stupa in terms of both location and building materials.

Meanwhile, excavations at Vaishali have exposed a monastic complex frequented by the Buddha. The Archaeological Survey of India found a nunnery with attached latrines in this town where the Buddha, at the request of his foster mother and a female disciple, first permitted an order of nuns. A number of terra-cotta latrine pans and an enormous communal bathing tank that, according to legend, was dug for the Buddha by monkeys attest the Vaishalian concern for hygiene.

Left, Sher Shah's tomb [LARGER IMAGE] Right, the illegal temple (white structure) within the protected area [LARGER IMAGE] (Archaeological Survey of India)

In the city of Sasaram, a fundamentalist Hindu group gunning for political mileage has embarked on an unfortunate building project. The group has dedicated itself to building a temple within the premises of the 450-year-old tomb of the ruler Sher Sha Suri. Construction encroaching on ancient monuments defies India's Ancient Monuments Act, but initial attempts by a government archaeologist to stop the building met with police indifference. Finally, at the urging of a district magistrate and in response to an article in a major Indian newspaper, a formal police report was filed and construction halted.