| Thursday , January 16 , 2014 |
Varsity ruins near Nalanda | ||||
| SHUCHISMITA CHAKRABORTY | ||||
Patna, Jan. 15: Archaeologists have found remains of another ancient university at Telhara, near the ruins of Nalanda. According to historians, Telhara University’s reference has been found in the account of Chinese travellers Hiuen Tsang and Ithsing. Atul Kumar Verma, director, archaeology, said the directorate of archaeology had got firm evidence of the Telhara University, about 40km from Nalanda. “We have found the same monastery seal, which was found during the excavation carried out at the Nalanda University site. While we had discovered only two-three monastery seal then, we have found seven-eight similar seals this time. The monastery seals are made of terracotta and are in round shape. There is a wheel sign, flanked by two deer, on the seal also. The monastery seals, which we have found at Telhara, date back to thousand years and it is totally similar to the seals, which were found at the ruins of Nalanda University,” he added. He said the team, including conservator S.K. Jha, senior technical assistant Nand Gopal among others, had been carrying out excavation work at the site since 2009. The directorate runs under the state, art, culture and youth affairs department. “What makes us more confident about our claims is the finding of three Buddhist temples, which Hiuen Tsang briefed in his account. Besides, we have also discovered a huge platform, which has the seating capacity of nearly thousand people. This platform has also got mention in Hiuen Tsang’s account. He has written that around a thousand monks used to sit for prayer on this platform. Our another important discovery is the teacher compartments. This has also got mention in Hiuen Tsang account,” said Verma. The directorate has also got evidence that the varsity was equally popular in the Gupta period. “We have found sculptures made of red sandstone, which proves that the university was quite popular in the Gupta period. We have found pottery of different shapes and seals from the site of the Gupta period. There is a complete influence of the Gupta period in the strokes of writing, which we have found on the earthen pots. Another important finding is the 1ft layer of as — something similar found from the Nalanda University site. It is believed that Nalanda University was set on fire by Turkish Muslim army under Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193. We have got evidence that Telhara University was also burnt by Khilji on his way,” Verma said. Verma added that the finding of directorate of archaeology is important as it acknowledges the fact that Bihar was once the centre of education. “After discovering the ruins of Nalanda and Vikramshila University, we have been able to discover the remains of another university in Bihar. It is definitely one of our big achievements and it also establishes the fact that Bihar was once the centre of excellence,” said Verma. Verma added that it would take the directorate at least 10 years to properly conserve the university. “It would take quite some time for conservation. At present, our directorate is facing manpower shortage. Most of the important posts, including assistant director, technical assistant, surveyor among others, are lying vacant. We have asked the Bihar Public Service Commission to fill up the vacant post. So far as my knowledge goes, they have initiated the process of recruitment,” said Verma. Chief minister Nitish Kumar, who hails from Nalanda district, had visited the site several times to keep himself abreast about the progress of the excavation. He announced that relics from the site would be housed in the proposed International Museum coming up in Patna. Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen also made a trip to the site last week on request of the chief minister to have a first-hand view of the excavations. Sources said the directorate of archaeology has recently been quite active. It is soon going to set up a pre-historic park at Chirand in Saran district. The pre-historic park would be set up at a cost of Rs 7 crore. |
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140116/jsp/bihar/story_17827039.jsp#.UwnMZuOSzCc
A university under a mound
Written by Santosh Singh | February 23, 2014 9:57 am
SUMMARY
Recent excavations show that Telhara, which is a few kilometres from the Nalanda ruins, could be a very old university as old as Nalanda.![]()
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The excavation at the Telhara mound has revealed 11 cells that are believed to have been faculty quarters. (IE Photo: Ravi S Sahani)
It was a useful mound, no doubt. A good vantage point where villagers occasionally relieved themselves. But who would have thought that deep beneath its golden brown earth would be stories of dynasties and empires that now suggest that this — Telhara, a village 33 km from the ruins of the more famous Nalanda University — could be ‘Tilas-akiya’ or ‘Tiladhak’, the place Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang visited and wrote about during his travels through India in 7th century AD? So far, there were only vague references but recent excavations at the mound suggest that Telhara was indeed an ancient university or seat of learning with seven monasteries.
The Bihar government has been calling the Telhara project one of its biggest after the excavations that unearthed Nalanda and Vikramshila universities. The excavation at Telhara should have happened earlier, say experts, but the site lost out to the more famous Nalanda.
The Telhara project that started on December 26, 2009, has so far come across over 1,000 priceless finds from 30-odd trenches — seals and sealing, red sandstone, black stone or blue basalt statues of Buddha and several Hindu deities, miniature bronze and terracotta stupas and statues and figurines that go back to the Gupta (320-550 AD) and Pala (750-1174 AD) empires. But the 2.6-acre mound has now thrown up the most tantalising find yet — evidence of a three-storeyed structure, prayer hall and a platform to seat over 1,000 monks or students of Mahayana Buddhism.
The terracotta monastery seals — a chakra flanked by two deers — unearthed at Telhara are similar to those at Nalanda, suggesting Telhara or Tiladhak was another great seat of learning besides Nalanda and Odantpuri during the Gupta and Pala reigns. It was the discovery of a similar monastery seal that clinched it for Nalanda university.
Former Archaeological Survey of India director B S Verma, who between 1971 and ’81 supervised the excavation at the site of the ancient Vikramshila university, says, “Telhara or Tiladhak has much more convincing epigraphical proofs — monastery inscriptions — than Vikramshila. The findings that match Hiuen Tsang’s account do more to convince that the place was a university or mahavihara similar to Nalanda.”
In his book, The Antiquarian Remains in Bihar, historian D R Patil writes about Hiuen Tsang’s description of Telhara. “Hiuen Tsang describes Telhara or Tilas-akiya as containing a number of monasteries or viharas, about seven in number, accommodating about 1,000 monks studying in Mahayan. These buildings, he says, had courtyards, three-storeyed pavilions, towers, gates and were crowned by cupolas with hanging bells. The doors and windows, pillars and beams have bas relieves (sculptures in guilded copper). In the middle vihara is a statue of Tara Bodhisatva and to the right (is) one of Avlokiteshwar”.
Other history books too talk of Tiladhak monastery, on the western side of Nalanda, as having four big halls and three staircases. It is said the mahavihara or university was built by one of the descendents of Magadha ruler Bimbisara. The monastery was decorated with copper and also had small copper bells that gently chimed in the breeze.
For months now, the excavation has been unearthing these stories. Apart from the mound that is now being dug up, Telhara has six other mounds — five of which have settlements and one which is partially elevated.
Atul Kumar Verma, director (archaeology) of the Bihar government’s Department of Art and Culture, says, “Since the excavations suggest that Telhara might have been a contemporary of Nalanda, it is quite possible that it was either an independent university for specialised education or that students graduating from Nalanda University would come here for specialised study. It is a great feeling to see the place emerging as the next big find after Nalanda. It has also aroused great curiosity and attracted even the likes of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen.” Sen, who visited the site this January, wrote in the visitors’ book: “What a wonderful site, really thrilling! And so skillfully excavated and restored.”
“We have found the courtyard that might have been an extension of the platform Hiuen Tsang had described,” Nand Gopal, camp in-charge at the Telhara site, says, peering into his optical line meter that’s mounted on a tripod.
In more recent times, it was A M Broadley, then magistrate of Nalanda, who in 1872 wrote about “Tilas-akiya” as a university and site of learning. British army officer and archaeologist Sir Alexander Cunningham, who visited the place between 1872 and 1878, wrote about inscriptions describing “Teliyadhak” as a place that had seven monasteries and which matched Hiuen Tsang’s account. A statue of the 12-armed Avlokiteshwar Buddha found from a Tiladhak site is at the Indian Museum in Kolkata. Perhaps the best known Pala sculpture from Telhara is now in Rietberg Muzeum, Zurich.
Though there was this and more proof that Telhara could be sitting on a glorious past, it wasn’t until December 2009 that the excavations finally began. Telhara panchayat head Awadhesh Gupta claims to have been the one who got things started. “We all knew Telhara was once a great seat of learning, but nobody did anything to prove it. In 1995, I approached the Congress government requesting that the place be excavated but got no assurance. When Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar visited the site in 2007, I put up this demand once again. The villagers were not happy with me. They thought I should have demanded something more concrete than just the digging of a mound.”
But the mukhiya may have had the last laugh. Villagers now talk about Telhara being part of the Nalanda-Rajgir circuit and how that could bring them jobs and better opportunities. “We hope the site is conserved and clubbed with Nalanda to attract tourists. The site has already given temporary jobs to 70 villagers,” says Anil Kumar, a villager.
It was a useful mound, no doubt.
MAJOR FINDINGS
SEALS AND SEALING
The recovery of over 100 terracotta seals and sealings from the Gupta and Pala periods provides strong evidence of this being a Buddhist university. Besides seals of the chakra flanked by two deers, other seals have inscription of Buddhist mantras. Seals of Gaj-Lakshmi and flying birds were also found. Some inscriptions that have not yet been deciphered would be sent to Mysore for deciphering.
PLATFORM, TEMPLES
Just above the ashen layer — said to be proof of Turkish general Bakhtiyar Khilji having destroyed the monastery — is the sanctum sanctorum of three Buddhist shrines, each measuring 3.15 square metres. A big platform, found just below this ashen layer, is said to have accommodated over 1,000 monks.
CELLS FOR TEACHERS
The excavation has so far revealed 11 cells of 4 square metres each. It is believed that these were faculty quarters. There is evidence of bricks from the Gupta and Pala periods.
COPPER BELL CHIMES
The excavation revealed several broken pieces of small bells. Parts of molten copper also suggest that the monastery was well-decorated.
CAUTION INSCRIPTION
A stone inscription in Sanskrit (early Nagari script), probably written just before the destruction of the Tiladhak mahavihara, says, “He who tries to destroy this monastery is either a donkey or a bull”. Below the stone inscription are images of the two animals.
FASTING BUDDHA AND VOTIVE STUPA
A miniature terracotta image of a fasting Buddha from the Pala period is a rare find. A six-foot-tall votive stupa from the Pala period suggests the prevalence of Buddhism.
MAURYAN PERIOD
Bone tools and pottery shards of Northern Black Polished Ware points to this being a settlement in the Mauryan period.
STONE SCULPTURES
Among the over 15 stone sculptures found at the site are a red sandstone sculpture of Bodhisatva, Avlokiteshwar, Manjusri and the Buddha in his ‘earth witness’ mudra. A black stone statue of Buddha in abhay mudra (fearless mode) from the Pala period has been found. The red sandstone Bodhisatva sculpture is believed to be from the Gupta period. Some sculptures of Hindu deities such as Uma Maheshwar and Ganesh and Vishnu from the later Pala period were also found. The presence of a Yamantaka sculpture is evidence of Tantric Buddhism at the monastery.
Telhara, in the early 19th Century, was a large town with a population of about 10,000, mostly Muslim families. During the reign of the Moughals, this place was recorded as the Capital of one of the largest parganas of the region. As mentioned earlier that Broadley was the first person to point out that the site 'without doubt' could be identified with the Tilas-akiya ( Ti-lo-tse-kia) vividly mentioned by Huien Tsang who visited it and stayed there while travelling from Patliputra or Patna on his way to Nalanda. He recorded that there were seven Monasteries at Tilhara accommodating about a thousand monks studying the Mahayana texts. He described these buildings as; 'consisting of court-yards, three storeyed pavilions, towers, gates that were crowned by cupolas with hanging bells.' He mentions about the interior of the Monastery, " The doors and windows, the pillars and the beams are faced with bas-reliefs in gilded copper, mingled with rare ornaments. In the middle Vihara there is a standing image of Bodhisattva Tara, and to the right, one of Avalokitesvara. The images are beautiful and made of brass." From his description of the Monastery, one gets the impression that it was an important seat of Buddhist learning, as he observes that, 'eminent philosophers flocked here in large numbers.' The history of this Monastery could safely be dated to the beginning of the 7th Century or even earlier.
During the partial excavation of the site, Cunningham discovered an inscription which clearly mentions the name of the place as Telyiadhaka or Teladhaka as will be seen below. It may also be added that the well-known Nalanda inscription of Baladitya of the 11th regnal year of Mahipaladeva also refers to Baladitya, a Jyavisa of Teladhaka. (cf. R.D.Banerji, Memoirs ASB, V, p.75). Along with his report, Cunningham gave a site plan of the ancient ruins. In the plan one can distinctly see the marked area covering about half a mile square with high mounds towards the south-east of the village, which itself is situated on a mound. Unfortunately, on visiting the village, I was not able to see only one mound which the people claim to be the palace of Baladitya. The rest of the mounds have been cut away by the villagers, flattened and are now fields used for cultivation of food grain etc.
THE MOUND AT SOUTH-WEST OF THE VILLAGE:
In his site-plan Cunningham shows a group of six mounds with the highest or largest of then at the centre, locally known as 'Bulandi' or 'high mound.' In his report in 1872, Broadley described this mound as an "enormous mound of irregular shape
about fifty feet high." On the other hand Cunningham differs with his measurement of the mound, and during his visit between 1875-8, refers to the height as only 24' high and 350' at the base. Another strange situation brought to light by Broadley was that Bulandi mound was literally covered with Muslim graves and thus it was impossible to undertake any kind of excavation whatsoever. But he continues to say that whenever Muslim died, the family members would have to dig a number of times as in the process of digging they would unearth numerous images of brass or basalt. It is only when they found a spot in which no images were found, would they bury the dead. This goes to show that Telhara had a great number of images both in brass and basalt. In spite of trying to procure some of the images from the villagers, he failed in the process as the local villagers had the brass images melted down to make ornaments. "The mound," Broadley wrote, "Is so rich in finds of this nature that there are few places in India that would yield more archaeological treasures than this great Tilhara mound." Cunningham in his report does mention observing some images inscribed with the Buddhist Creed. With reference to the mosque and the Dargha to the north- east of the village, Broadley mentions that these two buildings were built over the remains of a Buddhist temple.
The village most definitely deserves a through survey and if possible an extensive excavation. The site has immense value and could easily be converted to a potential pilgrimage site provided the Government of India made radical changes in its laws pertaining to conservation of sites. At present the Archaeological Survey is governed by rules made by the British in 1861 and hardly any amendments have been made in these laws. There should also be an awareness campaign to educate its citizens to respect religions other than their own and if Cultural heritage properties are in their possession, they should easily give it up so that the site may be conserved and created into a venue for pilgrimage/tourism. Even if such a law was to be enacted, it would take decades before it would become a reality. I know that in my lifetime I will not see Telhara as a pilgrimage site having the same popularity as Nalanda has.
Apart from Telhara, in the neighbouring villages there are sites where Buddha images dating from the 4th to 12th Century still exist. The sites I saw were; Ongari, Islampur, Dapthu and a few other sites of minor importance. These sites only go to show that Buddhism had a large establishment in the area and royal patrons who generously supported the cause.
Ref: Broadley, JASB, 1872, pp. 250-53; Cunningham, ASI XI, p.65 and plate XLII
IMPORTANT FINDINGS
A large number of antiquities, including the basalt image of Yamantak, with seven faces and a stone figurine of Marichi have been found. A unique piece of Terracotta seals with inscription having the symbol of Chakra flanked by deer have been found indicative of monastic seals, besides this more seals with inscriptions, on top of which are the symbol of bull & lions are found. After decipherment of the seals, the date regarding monastery remains can be determined with exact chronology of the site.
However, during the course of current excavation some copper coins have also been
encountered.
Tentative Chronology of the site:
1. N.B.P. - (3rd Century B.C.)
2. Kushan (1st Century A.D.
3. Gupta Pd. (5th to 7 Century A.D)
4. Pala Pd. (7th Century to 11th Century A.D)
This site is going to be popular & famous like Vikram Shila & Nalanda University after the completion of the excavation.
Site Name: Telhara Alternative Name: Teliadhaka, Bulandi Mound
Country: India Type: Ancient Temple
Nearest Town: Patna Nearest Village: Telhara
Latitude: 25.226000N Longitude: 85.183000E
Country: India Type: Ancient Temple
Nearest Town: Patna Nearest Village: Telhara
Latitude: 25.226000N Longitude: 85.183000E
2000 year Buddhist Monastery at Bulandi Mound, Telhara, Bihar State.
This Buddhist monastic study centre excavated at Bulandi mound, Telhara in Bihar State is thought to be almost 2,000 years old. It comprises a 34 metre long three storey building with a prayer hall containing numerous statues of the Buddha, one in basalt standing 4 feet tall. There are also residential cells for monks. Other finds include pottery, a stone plaque with an inscription in proto-Nagri, and a black terracotta seal. It is thought that this site may be the same prayer hall mentioned by Hiuen Tsang, the Chinese traveller who visited India around 630 AD. He recorded that it was home to nearly a thousand monks at the time.
Excavated at a lower level a brick paved floor has been found and is estimated to date back to 100 AD which suggests it originated in the Kushan era.
Telhara is located some 45 kilometres south of Patna on NH110.
Reference:http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfeed/india/Unearthed-2-000-yr-old-study-centre/Article1-532997.aspx
This Buddhist monastic study centre excavated at Bulandi mound, Telhara in Bihar State is thought to be almost 2,000 years old. It comprises a 34 metre long three storey building with a prayer hall containing numerous statues of the Buddha, one in basalt standing 4 feet tall. There are also residential cells for monks. Other finds include pottery, a stone plaque with an inscription in proto-Nagri, and a black terracotta seal. It is thought that this site may be the same prayer hall mentioned by Hiuen Tsang, the Chinese traveller who visited India around 630 AD. He recorded that it was home to nearly a thousand monks at the time.
Excavated at a lower level a brick paved floor has been found and is estimated to date back to 100 AD which suggests it originated in the Kushan era.
Telhara is located some 45 kilometres south of Patna on NH110.
Reference:http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfeed/india/Unearthed-2-000-yr-old-study-centre/Article1-532997.aspx