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Ancient Buddhist monastery found in Jharkhand

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    History & Culture
  • Published
    1st Mar, 2021

Context               

The Archaeological Survey of India has unearthed a Buddhist monastery buried under a mound in a village situated in a hilly area of the Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand.

About the newly found monestry

  • The findings are made in Burhani village near JuljulPahar of Sitagarhi Hills located around 12 km from district headquarters
  • The monastery is believed to be at least 900 years old.
  • It seems to be built during the Pala period.

Key Findings

  • Four statues of deity Tara in Varad Mudra
    • Varad Mudra is the gesture of hand showing dispensing of boons
  • Six statues of the Buddha in Bhumisparsa Mudra
    • Bhumisparsa Mudra is the gesture of hand showing five fingers of right hand towards the earth symbolizing the Buddha’s enlightenment.
  • The sculptures each stand two to three feet tall.
  • Tara is known as a deity in Hinduism and a female bodhisattva—central figures who delay personal enlightenment to offer earthbound worshippers salvation—or Buddha in different Buddhist traditions.

Contribution of Pala dynasty to Support Buddism

  • The Pala dynasty ruled the regions of Bengal and Bihar for about 400 years, from the 8th century until the end of the 11th century.
  • Gopala, the first Pala king, was a Buddhist.
  • They used the revenue from the new tax collection methods to fund initiatives all across the region that would spread Buddhism. 
  • The Pala rulers followed an approach of religious tolerance, granting land for Hindu temples and allowing Hindu Brahmins to hold high official posts in the Pala court. 

Monasteries

  • Monastic complexes were created for the monks for meditation and residing purposes.

Three types of architecture: 

Stupa

  • The first was the stupa, a significant object in Buddhist art and architecture.
  • On a very basic level, it is a burial mound for the Buddha.
  • The original stupas contained the Buddha's ashes.
  • Relics are objects associated with an esteemed person, including that person’s bones (or ashes in the case of the Buddha), or things the person used or had worn.
  • 6 Buddist Stupas in India
    • Mahabodhi Stupa, Bodh Gaya.
    • Sanchi Stupa, Madhya Pradesh.
    • Shanti Stupa, Leh.
    • Dhamekh StupaSarnath.
    • Kesaria Stupa, Bihar.
    • Maha Stupa, Thotlakunda.

Vihara

  • This is theBuddhist monastery that also contained a residence hall for the monks.

Chaitya

  • This was an assembly hall that contained a stupa.
  • The central hall of the chaitya was arranged to allow for the circumambulation of the stupa.
  •  Famous Chaityas and Viharas
    • Karle Chaitya. It is a complex of ancient Buddhist Indian rock-cut caves at Karli near Lonavala, Maharashtra.
    • Nasik Chaitya. There are 16 Viharas and one Chaitya situated in Nasik of Maharashtra.
    • Junnar Vihara.

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