Kumhrar
Kumhrar | |
---|---|
Neighbourhood | |
![]() Ruins of Arogya Vihar, ancient city ofPataliputra,Kumhrar | |
Coordinates:25°35′56″N85°11′5″E/ 25.59889°N 85.18472°E | |
Country | ![]() |
State | Bihar |
Metro | Patna |
Languages | |
• Spoken | Hindi,Magadhi |
Time zone | UTC+5:30(IST) |
PIN | 800026 |
Planning agency | Patna Regional Development Authority |
Civic agency | Patna Municipal Corporation |
Website | patna.nic.in |
KumhrarorKumraharis the area ofPatnawhere remains of the ancient city ofPataliputrawere excavated by theArchaeological Survey of Indiastarting from 1913. It is located 5 km east of Patna Railway Station.[1]
Archaeologicalremains of theMauryanperiod (322–185 BCE) have been discovered here,[2]this include the ruins of ahypostyle80-pillared hall[3][4]Theexcavationfinding here dates back to 600 BCE,[5]and marks the ancient capital ofAjātasattu,ChandraguptaandAshoka,and collectively the relics range from four continuous periods from 600 BCE to 600 CE.[5]
Assembly Hall of 80-pillars
[edit]Following the excavation of nearbyBulandi BaghbyL.A. Waddellin 1895,[6]American archaeologistDavid Brainard Spoonerexcavated in 1912–1913 in Kumhrar one pillar of polished stone, and a very large number of fragments. The excavators were able to trace 72 'pits' of ash and rubble on the site which marked the position in which other pillars must once have stood. During the subsequent excavation, done by K P Jaiswal, 1951–1955, eight more such pits were found, giving the hall its present name – "Assembly hall of 80 pillars"...
The pillars are arranged in 8 rows of 10 pillars each. The pillars are separated with each other by a distance of 4.57 meters. Each pillar is made of black spotted buff sandstone monoliths, and was 9.75 meters in height, of which 2.74 meters were below the surface for grounding. Since no other stone works were recovered, it is thought that the pillars sustained a wooden roof, and that there were no surrounding walls, making it an open-air hall. South of the pillared hall, seven wooden platforms were excavated, which are thought to have supported a staircase going into the canal to welcome guests.[7]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Kumhrar_Maurya_level_ASIEC_1912-1913.jpg/220px-Kumhrar_Maurya_level_ASIEC_1912-1913.jpg)
All the ruins are attributed to theMauryanperiod, though historians vary regarding the use of the 80-pillar hall, some suggest that it was in this hall thatThird Buddhist Councilwas held,[4]in 250 BCE, atAshokaramain Patiliputta (Pataliputra), under the reign ofMauryanEmperor,Ashoka(r. 273-232 BCE). The pillared hall seems to have been located about 350 meters south of the wooden palisades of the city of Pataliputra (discovered in the area ofBulandi Bagh), and was standing by the banks of the formerSon river,and therefore cannot have been the Mauryan palace, but probably only "a pleasure hall outside the city walls".[8]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Mauryan_Hall_pillar.jpg/220px-Mauryan_Hall_pillar.jpg)
Spooner initially thought that the pillars that were not found had sunk into the ground, but later research by Indian archaeologistAltekarshowed that instead they had been removed by locals and reused for construction purposes. Altekar also thought that the compound was an isolated structure outside the city of Pataliputra, with not much around it, and that it had been burnt down during the time of theSunga.[9]
-
Mauryan ruins at the Kumhrar site of Pataliputra. The unique pillar that was found can be seen in the middle of the photograph.
-
Ruins of the pillared hall at the Kumhrar site of Pataliputra.
-
Wooden platforms just south of the hall, thought to have supported a staircase to the canal.
-
Locations of Kumhrar andBulandi Baghrespective to ancient Pataliputra and modern Patna.[8]
Other structures
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Kumhrar_Gupta_level.jpg/220px-Kumhrar_Gupta_level.jpg)
Anand Bihar:The foundations of the brickBuddhist monasterywere excavated, apart from wooden beams and clay figures, which are now kept for public display in the surrounding park.[5]
Arogya Vihar:Also found during the excavations, are the presence of anArogya Viharheaded byDhanvantari,an early Indian medical practitioner, considered the source ofAyurveda.[4]
Durakhi Devi Temple– Excavations in 1890s, byLaurence Waddell,revealed a detached piece of a carved stone railing of astupa,with female figures on both the sides, giving it the name, 'Durukhi' or 'Durukhiya' (double faced) Devi, a specimen ofShungaart 2-1st century BCE. The figures are shown grabbing and breaking branches of trees, areShalabhanjikas(the breaker of branches), the young women under a fertility ritual. These images were later brought to their present location, at Naya Tola (Kankarbagh), a kilometer west to the site, where they are presently worshipped in a temple-like structure; a replica of these figures has also been kept inPatna Museum.
Kumhrar is going to have a[10]metro station under[11]thePatna Metroplan.[12]
See also
[edit]- Agam Kuan(Ashoka's Hell chambers)
- Barabar Caves
- Bulandi Bagh(location of the city palisade, and thePataliputra capital)
- Zoombla
Further reading
[edit]- Altekar, A. S.Coins in Kumrahar and Bulandibag (Pataliputra) Excavations in 1912–13. (1951).
- Stewart, M. (1993) "D. B. Spooner at Kumrahar: The Persepolitan Legacy",Bulletin of the Asia Institute,pp. 193–201.JSTOR24048442
- Altekar, A. S. and Mishra, V. (1959)Report on Kumrahar Excavations 1951–1955,Historical Research Series vol.III. Patna: K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute. Available at:https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.28541.
References
[edit]- ^"Destinations:: Patna".Archived fromthe originalon 18 September 2014.
- ^"Experts' meet to preserve Kumhrar on Dec 29 - Times of India".The Times of India.26 December 2006.Archivedfrom the original on 30 July 2016.Retrieved17 October2015.
- ^Devise plan to save Kumhrar site:HCArchived21 October 2012 at theWayback MachineThe Times of India,1 February 2002.
- ^abcExperts' meet to preserve KumhrarArchived21 October 2012 at theWayback MachineThe Times of India,26 December 2006
- ^abcAncient city of PataliputraArchived10 April 2009 at theWayback MachinePatnaOfficial website.
- ^"It took 40 yrs to find first traces of Ashoka's Pataliputra. Now, we must find the rest".ThePrint.18 September 2023.
- ^Museum notice on the location of the remainsArchived26 November 2016 at theWayback Machine
- ^abFortified Cities of Ancient India: A Comparative Study, p.11 p.40-43 Dieter Schlingloff, Anthem Press, 2014Schlingloff, Dieter (December 2014).Fortified Cities of Ancient India: A Comparative Study.Anthem Press.ISBN9781783083497.Archivedfrom the original on 22 November 2016.Retrieved23 November2016.
- ^A. S. Altekar and V. Mishra, Report on Kumrahar Excavations 1951-1955 (Patna, 1963), pp. 14-15.
- ^Metro RouteArchived2013-11-05 at theWayback Machine
- ^Patna MetroArchived25 October 2013 at theWayback Machine
- ^An overview of archaeological importance of BiharArchived3 March 2016 at theWayback MachineDirectorate ofArchaeology,Govt. ofBihar.