Lal Pahari Unearthed Buddhist Monastery- Bihar

Address

Lal Pahari Unearthed Buddhist Monastery- Lal pahari, Lakhisarai, Bihar 811310

Diety

Buddha

Introduction

The ruins of a unique 11th- or 12th-century Buddhist monastery were unearthed at the site of Lal Pahari in Bihar State. While there are other monasteries in the region, this is the only one built on a remote hilltop, where residents could practice their religion in peace. It was also unusual because its leader was a woman. Unlike other known monasteries.

Puranic Significance

The burnt sealings recovered from the site records: śrīmaddharmahāvihārik āryabhikṣusaṅghasya which translates into “this is the sealing of the council of monks of the Srimaddhama vihara.” The inscription on the sealings is written in Sanskrit and the script is Siddhamātṛkā dating around the 8th-9th century. Researchers say the discovery is evidence to the fact that the excavated area atop the red-soiled hill was a Buddhist monastery of the early medieval period. The geographical location of the site also makes it the first such hilltop monastery in the entire Gangetic valley. Artifacts extracted from the site also substantiate a nearly 140-year-old clue that the monastery was run by a woman monk named Vijayshree Bhadra. The excavation at Lal Pahari is yet another clue found in recent years as part of a larger effort by researchers and government officials to resurrect a long-forgotten, prosperous city called Krimila, which has been identified in and around the present-day town of Lakhisarai. The ancient city of Krimila is said to be a religious-cum-administrative centre in eastern India during the early medieval period. A flourishing urban settlement, Krimila is said to have been famous for the manufacture of stone sculpture, particularly Tibetan-Buddhist sculptures. The region drew the attention of ancient scholars, travelers and was explored from time to time by British and later by Indian scholars. Cunnigham first surveyed the area in 1871 and again visited it in between 1879-80. During his visit, the archaeologist identified several stupas and the recorded presence of ancient stupas in the region in his reports.