Nalanda University team finds 11th century sculpture at Rajgir

PATNA: In a significant historical discovery, researchers from Nalanda University (NU), in collaboration with the Bihar Heritage Development Society (BHDS), found a unique and beautifully refined sculpture dating back to 11th century at Vaibharagiri hills — one of the five hills of Rajgir — on Saturday.
The sculpture is of a male and a female. The male figure is holding a vajra in his left hand while the female is holding a baby in her right hand.Both are sitting above a lotus pedestal in Lalitāsana mudrā.
There are also five attendees or devotees sitting in sukhāsana mudra. The faces are slightly blurred. A Jain or Buddha image in Padmāsana Mudrā is on top of the image. The face is difficult to identify.
The discovery was made under one of the ongoing projects titled Rajgir Archaeological Survey Project (RASP), a joint initiative of NU and BHDS.
Lauding the team for discovery of the sculpture, NU vice-chancellor Sunaina Singh said: “For centuries, Nalanda was a beacon of learning, which attracted scholars from all over Asia. It was a symbol of intra-Asia wisdom and interaction. It is now poised to embark on a similar journey on an expanded scale. If the world’s future lies in multipolar system, it is necessary that an institution such as Nalanda charts the course of new knowledge system for the 21st century.”
Mayank Shekhar, the faculty at School of Historical Studies at NU and project head at RASP, claimed that the sculpture is likely to be about Lord Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jain religion.
“Mahavira’s father Siddhartha is seated on the left side on the lotus pedestal while his mother Trishala is on the right. The young Mahavira is in his mother’s right hand. This sculpture may be the part of an ancient Jain monastery nearby and might have been stolen in the past. The dimensions of the discovered sculpture are around 63cm in height, 35cm in width and 13cm in thickness. The sculpture is made of granite stone. The image possibly belongs to the 10th-1th century AD,” Mayank said.