Excavations reveal Buddhist monastery complex at Bharatpur of Bengal
- January 22, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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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.