Excavations reveal Buddhist monastery complex at Bharatpur of Bengal

Subject: Art and Culture

Section: Jainism and Buddhism

Concept:

Recent excavations at Bharatpur in West Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman district have revealed the presence of a Buddhist monastery.
The Kolkata Circle of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) started excavating the site in the second week of January and a structural complex of a monastery has now been partially exposed.
The site was initially excavated almost fifty years ago between 1972 and 1975 when archeologists from ASI and from Burdwan University found a Buddhist stupa at the site.
A Buddhist stupa cannot exist in isolation, and the recent excavations have revealed the presence of an extended monastery complex, according to ASI officials.

Significance of the excavation

This site is an early village settlement on the bank of the river Damodar which could date to around 2000 BCE; and also, a Buddhist monastery complex.
This site is unique in terms of Buddhist sites in the State, because of the presence of a large stupa along with a monastery complex and black and red ware pottery from the Chalcolithic or Copper Age.
In other sites across West Bengal, such as Karnasubarna in Murshidabad, Moghalamari in Paschim Medinipur and Jagjivanpur in Malda, archeologists have found only smaller votive stupas.

Buddhist Monastery

A monastery is a community of men or women (monks or nuns), who have chosen to withdraw from society, forming a new community devoted to religious practice. The word monk comes from the Greek word monos, which means alone.
Buddhism, the first Indian religion to require large communal and monastic spaces, inspired three types of architecture.
Stupa, vihara and chaitya are part of Buddhist and Jaina monastic complexes but the largest number belongs to the Buddhist religion

Stupas

The older stupas were enlarged during the time period between Mauryas and Guptas
The famous amongst these are- Sanchi, Bharhut and Amaravati.
Stupa has a cylindrical drum or a circular anda over which one can see harmika and chhatra. The circumambulatory path, Pradakshina path, is enclosed by railings called vedika.

Viharas

It was the ancient Indian term for a Buddhist monastery.
Originally, viharas were dwelling places used by wandering monks during the rainy season but eventually they evolved into centers of learning and Buddhist architecture through the donations of wealthy lay Buddhists.
Life in “Viharas” was codified early on. It is the object of a part of the Pali canon, the Vinaya Pitaka or “basket of monastic discipline.”
Typical large sites such as the Ajanta Caves, Aurangabad Caves, Karli Caves, and Kanheri Caves contain several viharas.
A rock-cut viharas at Ellora

Chaityas

It refers to a shrine, sanctuary, temple or prayer hall in Indian religions.
Most early examples of chaitya that survive are Indian rock-cut architecture
Chaityas have a gigantic hall with high vaulted roof, with a lot of sculpture work on the pillars and the entrance
The largest Chaitya-Griha among all Buddhist monuments in India is the Karle caves.
Many Chaityas show a stupa at the back. Chaityas were carved either as rectangular halls or apsidal vault-roof or apsidal vault pillarless halls.