Seven places in Lakhisarai to be included in ‘protected sites’ list

PATNA: The state government has decided to include seven places in Lakhisarai in its list of protected sites.
Director at state archaeological directorate, Atul Kumar Verma, said on Tuesday the seven sites include Bhosi Kundi, Bichuwey, Baal Gudar, Non Garh and Jainagar Lal Pahadi. “We surveyed 17 archaeological places in Lakhisarai district in February and selected seven sites to include in the list of protected sites of the state government.Principal secretary of art, culture and youth affairs department has recently nodded the list,” Verma said. The archaeological directorate functions under art, culture and youth affairs department.
Verma said the Lakhisarai district administration has recently been asked to furnish revenue details of the sites, following which the selected sites would be notified. “Objections would be sought on the proposed sites following the first notification. The final notification would be issued after 60 days of the first notification,” he said.
Archaeologists claim that Lakhisarai was an important political and religious centre from early medieval (AD550-1200) to Pala period (AD 8th-12th century).
“Lakhisarai is situated at the confluence of Ganga, Keul and Harohar rivers and there are approximately 50 archaeologically rich sites spread over 50 square kilometres. It was also one of the political capitals of Pala empire,” said Anil Kumar, associate professor at Visva-Bharati University at Santiniketan.
Anil was a member of the high-level team which surveyed the 17 sites in Lakhisarai.
Deliberating on the historical significance of few of the sites to be included in the protected list, Anil said: “British archaeologist Alexander Cunningham had mentioned in his archaeological reports about a Kushan period stupa at Non Garh. He had also reported about the discovery of a relic stupa at Bhosi Kundi where ashes of Lord Buddha were kept. Other historical texts and Buddhist literature have confirmed that Buddha had spent three rainy seasons at Bhosi Kundi.”
Anil said he had personally found a hill mound at Bichuwey in October last year. “Bal Gudar was an administrative centre in the early medieval period. Jainagar Lal Pahadi was one of the political capitals during Pala period,” he said.
At present, there are 40 places in the state archaeology directorate’s list of protected sites and 70 in the list of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).