The Government of eastern Indian Province of Bihar has decided to start research on Buddhist stupas (dome-shaped structures erected as a Buddhist shrine) visited by Hiuen Tsang (also known as Xuanzang; April 6, 602 – February 5, 664), the 7th Century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller and translator who has left behind an account about India. The Provincial Government has also decided to conduct excavations at the recently discovered remains of a 2,600-year-old structure in Banka District of Bihar. As most of the Buddhist stupas visited by Hiuen Tsang are in Vaishali District of Bihar, research work shall also be carried out there.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) recently granted permission to the Bihar Heritage Development Society (BHDS), a wing of the Art, Culture and Youth Department of the Provincial Government, to work in Banka and Vaishali Districts. The BHDS has issued a statement, saying that the excavation work will be carried out in Bhadaria Village of Banka District, situated near the Chandan River. Incidentally, residents of Bhadaria recently discovered the 2,600-year-old structure near this river.

Talking to the Press Trust of India (PTI) in the third week of December 2023, Harjot Kaur Bamhrah, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Art, Culture and Youth Department, stressed: “It has been established that Bhadaria is a historical place. As per initial studies, the remains found there are 2,600-year-old.” She informed the press that the concerned authorities recently conducted a Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey, a geophysical method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface, in Banka and surrounding areas in order to trace ancient structures that are buried beneath the ground. Bamhrah added: “A team of experts from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur conducted the survey at Bhadaria Village, where ancient-age brick structures were found under the ground, both in the bed and on the bank of Chandan River.“

There are many references of Banka District’s Mandar Hill in Hindu mythology. Bijoy Kumar Choudhary, the Executive Director of BDHS, has stated: “This hill was used for churning the ocean to extract the nectar from its bosom, as per Hindu mythology.” According to Choudhary, Bhadaria is mentioned in ancient Buddhist literature, too, as a place where Lord Buddha himself visited and one of his chief disciples, Visakha (a nun), used to dwell. It may be noted that Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar had visited the site in December 2020.

Choudhary told PTI: “Hiuen Tsang came from China and travelled to places in India between 629 and 645 CE to obtain Buddhist scriptures during the reign of King Harsha Vardhana. His travelogue helped Sir Alexander Cunningham in the 1860s and 1870s identify famous sites, such as Nalanda and Vaishali.” Sir Alexander (January 23, 1814 – November 28, 1893) was a British Army Officer and an Archaeologist who excavated many sites in India, including Sārnāth and Sānchi. He had also served as the first Director of the ASI.

According to Choudhary, there has been no systematic archaeological work in the places visited by Hiuen Tsang. He has said that the Provincial Government would soon start the excavation work, as it has received a nod from the ASI in this regard. The BHDS has already explored several sites visited by the Chinese traveller in the southern part of Bihar. Hiuen Tsang had spent several years in Nalanda and Vaishali. Hence, the Government of Bihar has planned to conduct new research in those places.

Meanwhile, Bamhrah told the press: “Buddhist pilgrim sites visited by Xuanzang in South Bihar have already been discovered in Patna-Jehanabad-Gaya-Nawada-Nalanda Sector by the BHDS. In this process, all major hills falling in the region have been explored, and its sculptures, antiquities and archaeological features scientifically documented and studied.” Now, the BDHS will start exploration work in the Vaishali area, she said, adding: “Exploration of these sites would help us discover and piece together our great heritage.“

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das