Bhikkhu Sumanapal
INTRODUCTION
Moghalmari or Mogolmari is
a village and an archaeological excavation site at Datan II CD Block in the Kharagpur subdivision of the Paschim(West) Medinipur district of West Bengal. Moghalmari is
located on the left bank of the Subarnarekha River in the district
of West Medinipur, 3.2 miles north of Dantan. Since the turn of the
millennium, an extensive excavation has revealed the remains of an ancient Buddhist
Monastery at Danton. Moghalmari is a village adjacent to the West Bengal and Odisha
state border that recently drew a lot of attention for the continuous findings
that dates back to similar monasteries comparable to the likes of Vikramshila,
Nalanda, Paharpur, Mainamati and others. This was the hub of Buddhist
settlement in India and continued to remain so even around 9th/ 10th CE.
The long lost history
of Mogalmari which, according to some historians, is also known as Amaravati. King
Vikramkesari was the ruler of this land whose daughter Sakhisena used to study here.
Sakhisena was reported to have an affair with Ahimanik, a fact supported by the
folklore penned in Fakir Ram’s “Sakhisona”.
Illustrious Bengali writer Subodh Ghosh narrated this story as ‘Sakhisenar Pathshala’ (The School of
Sakhisena) in his book “Kingbodontir Deshe”
(In the Land of the Legends). All that remains of that history is just the
shadow of its past glory. It is interesting to mention here that the name
Mogalmari has given rise to a number of debates among scholars and researchers.
Some believe that the name came from a series of deaths of the erstwhile Mughal
army in the Mughal-Pathan warfare. Some tend to convey a linguistic analysis of
this name claiming that the word ‘mar’
means track or road. As Mughal army used to tread this road in the past, the
name may have originated to mean the road walked upon by the Mughals.
Moghalmari, a
non-descript village on the south-west border of West Medinipur in the state of
West Bengal, has been recently brought to light as a vast archaeological site
of early medieval Buddhist settlement having a gigantic Buddhist monastery,
most likely of a pre-Pala era by the Department of Archaeology, Calcutta
University, under the supervision of Dr. Asok Datta. However, the
archaeological importance of the area of Dantan, which became a forgotten
remnant of a (Danda) ‘bhukti’ and ‘mandala’ from the early medieval period,
was earlier understood by the British historians and by Nagendranath Basu. One
such British surveyor H. L. Harrison reported in 1873: “On the occasion of excavating earth to get out bricks and stones for
the use of Rajghat Road under construction several magnificent remains of the
old buildings have been discovered at Satdeula and Moghalmari, and bricks and
stones, it is estimated have been dug out, numbering about 26 lakhs, and some
crores yet lie buried under the ground.”
Today, lying at
one end of the village, the sprawling site is a testimony of a flourishing
Buddhist enclave dating back to 6th to 7th century
(post Gupta period/pre Pala period). Excavations so far have unearthed a
Buddhist monastery, several stupas, bronze idols of Buddha, Bodhisattva and a
Buddhist goddess, decorated stucco plastered wall and images, terracotta
tablets, seals bearing post-Gupta Brahmi scripts, mixed metal coin bearing the
name of King Samachardeva, gold pendant and part of the crown to mention a handful
of priceless findings. After deciphering
some of the seals, experts suggteded that the monastery was called the
Sribandaka Vihara Aryabhikkhu Sangha. According to the late Prof. Datta, the
monastery likely continued until the 12th century.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDINGS
Archaeology proves
that this place contains a variety of historical documents which support the
existence of the largest Buddhist monastery in the state of West Bengal. In
1999, Prof (Dr.) Ashok Dutta, from the Department of Archaeology, Calcutta
University, came to Danton in West Medinipur to study the trade track by the
side of the River Subarnarekha. There he met Sri Narendranath Biswas, the retired
Head Master of the Danton High Schoo who first informed him about Mogalmari. In
this village there is a mound named after Sakhisena which is situated in the South-East
corner of the village under supervision of a local club and library. But the
survey revealed that not only the mound; but, the entire village is located on
the rich archaeological field. In due course the discovery of the relics of
three rounded heap of bricks found in front of the house of Mr. Kalipada Misra
and a dedicated plaque inscribed with “E
dharma hetuprabhaba” (caused by this religion) inmixed Sanskrit-Prakrit
language of 6th century AD ignited the interest of Dr. Dutta to
initiate excavation of the mound.
The excavation
unearthed a huge complex with massive walls, which dates back to the 6th – 7th
century CE. The excavation also suggests that the structure was built over two distinct
phases with the later one being built over the previous structure. The
structure consisted of decorative bricks along with stucco work. The southern
wall richly decorated with combination of decorative bricks and stucco works. The
stucco includes floral motifs mostly predominated by lotus flower and petals.
Human figures occupied the shallow niches of the decorative south wall. The
excavation continues today with restoration work being carried out on the
exposed structure.
First phase
(2003-2004):
In the North-West
corner and the Southern part of the mound, a square ditch was dug up having a
shape of 6 m X 6 m. Entire mound was dissected into several ditches and named
accordingly. At the North-West side, a square altar was found with a guard of
three walls. The outer surface of those walls was decorated with a design made
by bricks. Surveyors believe that the place earlier had been treated as a
temple. The southern part of the mound revealed four small cubicles having
areas of 3.20 m, 2.80 m, 2.35 m and 1.45 m. These places were treated as the
residence of Buddhist Bhikkhus. Another survey conducted in the village brings
out three rounded Buddhist stupas having the circumferences of 2.80 m, 2.00 m
and 1.25 m. Smaller ones were connected with a track made of bricks. An earthen
pot was also found that is red on the outer side and black on the inner side.
Second phase
(2006-2007):
About 20 ditches
have been dug up on the East and West sides. On the East-decorated walls,
stucco walls and residences for the Bhikkhus to live in have been discovered.
Survey down to 0.96 meter revealed a distorted statue of Buddha (24 cm x 14
cm). Several burnt objects from the Middle Ages, iron and stoneware seals
inscribed in Siddhamatrika script of 6th century AD were also
discovered.
Third phase
(2007-2008):
In this phase
almost 12 ditches have been dug up in Northern, Eastern and central parts. A 58
meter long wall with a decorated gallstone has been discovered there. A wide
path of bricks outside the wall has also been discovered. Within the wall
residence of Bhikkhus, Buddhist stupas made of bricks, stucco, statue of stone,
copper coins, design of stucco and lot of pots have been unearthed.
Fourth phase
(2009-2010):
Fourteen ditches
have been dug up in the Northern side of the mound. The main entrance of the
Buddhist vihara had been discovered. On both sides of the gate cubicles of same
size had been found. This discovery is an important part of this excavation
process.
Fifth phase
(2010-2011):
The excavation was
done in the middle and the right parts of the mound. On the right side a
boundary wall with stucco and lime gallstone was found. Designs of lotus and
Bodhi tree (Bo-tree) made of stucco admit the presence of vihara there. A track
encompassing this boundary wall has been discovered which was used by the Bhikkhus
while paying homage to Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. In this path at the base of a
rounded stupa has been found which might have been worshipped by laity.
Stoneware seal with a perimeter of 3.5 cm has also been discovered.
Furthermore, a dedicated plaque with a statue of meditating Buddha along with
Bodhisattas on both sides was successfully excavated. Some seals were inscribed
with stupas, statues and teachings of Buddha.
Sixth phase (2011-2012):
This phase of
excavation has been carried in two levels, and this was the last one under the
leadership of Prof. Dutta. This excavation was conducted in the Southern and
South-Western sides. In this phase the discovered vihara comprised 3600 sq m in
area. The most important interesting discovery has been the excavation of 13
statues of stucco stuck on the west facing wall. Prof. Dutta suggested that this vihara belonged to
6th century based on critical analysis of the art forms. Noteworthy
among the statues are Kuber, Janguli, Avalokiteshwara, Lokeshwara, Gandharva,
dancing men and women to mention a hanfull. The wall was ornamented with
impression of lotus made of stucco, Dhammachakka and several unique geometrical
designs.
In the second
level excavation led to the discovery of stoneware seals comprising words of
the Buddha, lantern of stoneware, attar pots, designed bricks, pots and so on.
Prof. Dutta then concluded that vihara of this second phase was built on the foundation
structure of the ruined vihara that was discovered in the first phase. The
monastery from the second phase was supposedly built etween 9th to
10th century. Based on the instances of this excavation conducted by
the Department of Archaeology, Calcutta University and the report of State
Archaeological Museum; the Information and Cultural Affairs of the Government
of West Bengal has declared ‘Sakhisenadhibi’ a heritage site.
Seventh phase
(2013-2014):
The seventh phase
of excavation has been initiated by the heartfelt effort of Sri Amal Roy,
Deputy Director of State Archaeological Museum since 24th November,
2013. Total 36 ditches have been dug up on the Western, Northern and South-Western
sides of the mound. A task of preservation also went side by side with excavation.
In the west of the mound a boundary wall, sacred place, track, residence of
Bhikkhus has been revealed. In the field 4, stucco statues were unearthed.
Furthermore, 13 stucco statues were excavated including the highly significant statue
of Manjushree along with ten differently designed bricks. Excavation on the
entrance in the Northern side exposed a staircase to go down to the vihara,
flag staff, and water sewage system.
From the residence of the Bhikkhus, the torso of the statue of the Buddha with
an inscription in Brahmi script of the 6th century and several
golden lockets and dedicated plaque of terracotta have been excavated.
The important
discovery of this phase of excavation is the name plate of the vihara found in
the same ditch that gave lockets. Surveyors and researchers primarily opined
that the name plate carry the words “Sribandak
Mahavihare Aryabhikkhu Sangha” that leads to further expectation of several
viharas. They also opine that this is a ‘mahavihara’
or grand monastery. They have also been trying to decode some seals found
therein during excavation. The otherwise non-descript village during the last
half of January 2016 saw a lot of excitement as around 40 bronze artefacts,
dating back to 5th and 6th centuries, tumbled out of the earth, as the state
archaeology department re-launched the excavation of the Buddhist monastery
after a gap of two years. A bronze Buddha statuette, measuring 7cm X 6 cm,
first surfaced in the middle trench of the site; several more statues of varying
sizes also started showing up.
CONCLUSION
Apart from
structural finding the excavation also unearthed several statues of Buddha,
Bodhisattva and a Buddhist gods and goddess, including a few bronze statues.The
finding also included terracotta tablets, seals bearing post-Gupta Brahmi
scripts, mixed metal coin bearing the name of King Samachardeva, gold pendant
and part of the crown, etc., the deciphering the inscription on the seals it
was confirmed that Moghalmari actually consists of two monasteries.
The two monasteries were Mugalayikaviharika and Yajñapindikamahavihara. Presence of two same period monasteries on the same compound is unique in eastern India. It is really a joyful fact that the history so long earthed for 1500 years has been read out by Prof. Ashok Dutta. Tourists and researchers find this monastery as a specimen to study history. This discovery adds a new chapter to the pages of history and history of Buddhism gets enriched with the inclusion of this episode. Monks from across the country, who have converged on Moghalmari for special prayers and seminars at a festival that coincided with the excavation believes that these places could be a site of early Buddhist settlement in India. We are hopeful that successful completion of this process of excavation will lead Mogalmari to an unique place itself in world history.
REFERENCES
1. Kumar
Datta, Asok (2008). Excavations at Moghalmari: first interim report
2003-04 to 2007-08. Kolkata: Asiatic Society.
2. "Mogalmari excavations unveil West Bengal’s Buddhist past", The Hindu. 5 April 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
3. "Mogalmari excavation to start again", The Telegraph. 1 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
4. Sarkar, Sebanti (13 January 2014). "Buried in a village heap, history of Buddhist Bengal", The Telegraph. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
5. Shankar Chattopadhay, Suhrid (22 February 2013), "Unearthing a culture", Frontline. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
