BHARATPUR BUDDHIST MONASTERY COMPLEX - ART AND CULTURE
News:
Of a bygone era: excavations reveal Buddhist monastery complex at Bharatpur of
Bengal
What's in the news?
● 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.
Key takeaways:
Unique Stupa:
● According
to experts, what makes the site unique in terms of Buddhist sites in the State
is 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 stupa:
● A
Buddhist stupa is a commemorative monument usually housing sacred relics associated
with the Buddha or other saints or priests, whereas votive stupas have similar
significance but are smaller structures originating in eight cylindrical
structures.
● The
most important and well known stupas come from Bahrut, Sanchi, Nagarjunakonda and Sarnath.
● It is perhaps only in
Buddhism that a particular structure has been recommended by its founder for
worship and salvation, for the Stupa enables the worshiper to not only think of
the Buddha as an imminent reality but also epitomizes his enlightenment and
nirvana.
● In
this way the Buddhist Stupa transcends its predecessor, the burial mound or
tumulus, by shifting the emphasis from a particular relic to a higher
transcendental actuality as realized by the Buddha, i.e. the Buddha's
attainment and the worshiper's goal.
Parts of the Stupas:
● Anda:
It is the Hemispherical dome.
● Harmika:
Top of dome is 'Harmika', square balcony in decorative form enclosing a
pedestal.
● Chattra:
A 3 tiered stone / wooden umbrella chhatrayasti raised over pedestal which was
the vedic alter of sacrifice and represented the village shrine.
● Vedica: Stupa is enclosed
with a wooden / stone railing called vedica.
● Toranas:
They were ceremonial gateways placed at cardinal point similar to Aryan village
gates.
● Medhi:
Medhi (pedestrian Path) for devotees to wave in homage to stupa. Medhi was
approached by a double staircase sopana.
● Example:
Sanchi Stupa
Viharas:
● The
viharas served as monasteries for the monks
to reside. The rectangular hall had small cells on either sides with a
circular chamber in the centre of the hall which housed the relics or even the
image of the Buddha.
● These
viharas could be either rock cut set in caves or even structured. Ultimately
some of the most important viharas
transformed into universities like Nalanda and Takshashila.
Chaityas:
● Chaityas
were prayer halls used by monks for various spiritual and religious purposes.
● These
were rectangular shaped halls consisting of many pillars and often enclosed a
stupa or an image of Buddha.
● Chaityas
were carved either as rectangular halls with an apsidal vault-roof.
● The
chaitya halls embodied the same metaphysical symbolism that was attached to the
stupa form.