Cultural and Religious Aspects of Sculptures Discovered from Somapura Vihara, Naogaon: a Case Study of Sculptures Displayed at Paharpur Site Museum

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Cultural and Religious Aspects of Sculptures Discovered from Somapura Vihara, Naogaon: a Case Study of Sculptures Displayed at Paharpur Site Museum Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh (Hum.), Vol. 61(1), 2016, pp. 1-37 CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS ASPECTS OF SCULPTURES DISCOVERED FROM SOMAPURA VIHARA, NAOGAON: A CASE STUDY OF SCULPTURES DISPLAYED AT PAHARPUR SITE MUSEUM Maliha Nargis Ahmed* and Nurul Kabir** Abstract Paharpur Buddhist Vihara is the largest vihara discovered in Bangladesh. The excavation work which started during the British colonial period is still going on around the central temple area and its vicinity. This paper discusses the problem of dating of the 63 stone sculptures which were originally attached on the surface of the central temple area. Most of these sculptures are now housed in different museums of India, while only a few of them are located in the Paharpur site museum. The paper highlights the problems of dating stated by different scholars based on execution style and suggests that further exploration should be conducted on these sculptures to set a firm chronology of these sculptures. The authors also takes an attempt to find out the reason for placement of Brahmanical sculptures on a Buddhist temple. Introduction The Somapura Vihara, popularly known as Paharpur Vihara is the largest ancient Buddhist settlement discovered in Bangladesh. Located in the midst of the flat alluvial plain of north Bengal, this vihara belongs to Badalgachhi upazila of Naogaon District of Bangladesh. The Mahavihara, consisting of a large cruciform central temple, is surrounded by a quadrangular monastery which houses 177 cells. Two inscriptions, one on a copper plate grant and the other on a set of terracotta sealing, mention the existence of two vihara belonging to two different religions in this area. The copperplate grant mentioned the Jaina Vihara of Guhanandin at Vatagohali during 478-479 CE (Gupta reign). It may be worth mentioning that the actual position of the Jaina vihara has not yet been determined by the researchers and excavators. * Associate Professor, Department of Archaeology, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh ** Associate Professor, Department of Archaeology, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh 2 Maliha Nargis Ahmed and Nurul Kabir Most of the terracotta sealings mention the name of two persons, Dharmasena and Simhasena who must be some important dignitaries in the first phase of Pala Empire. These seals were also discovered from Nalanda Vihara. Several specimens of the sealing refer to the ‘community of monks’ from the great vihara of Dharmapala at Somapura which means these monks lived in this vihara. These sealings show representation of the Buddhist ‘wheel of law’ flanked by two deer in the upper register and the legend in the lower. The big lumps of charcoal recovered from one of the rooms appear to be remains of palm wood probably used as rafter for roofing and was destroyed in a fire. An inscription from Nalanda states that the forces from Vangala once attacked and set fire to the monastery of Somapura1. The present structure of vihara along with main temples, stupas in and around the courtyard and a separate temple of Tara just outside of the vihara compound clearly represent the existence of a Buddhist settlement. Buchanan Hamilton first mentioned about the site during a survey in 1807- 1812. Later Westmaccott visited the site. Both of them clearly mentioned that a vast architectural ruin (the central mound was a solid temple) is covered under this mound (Paharpur).2 Sir Alexander Cunningham visited the site in 1879, he tried to connect the Gowalbhitar Pahar and the textual documented place called Paharpur, which was located in the village Dharmapuri. The name ‘Dharmapuri’ may preserve an echo of the name of the founder of this vihara. He attempted to make some extensive excavation on the mound but could not succeed as the Zamindar of Balihar; the owner of the land did not allow him to conduct any activities. However; he made some superficial excavations on the top of the central mound. He thought it to be a square tower of 22’ side with a projection in the middle of each side. Cunningham thought it to be a large Brahmanical temple (based on a terracotta plaque which he wrongly identified as the representation of the goddess Kali). The Paharpur mound and its enclosure came into the hands of Archaeology department after it was declared to be protected under ‘Ancient Monuments Preservation Act’ in 1919. It may be mentioned that in 1917 an inscribed stone pillar was discovered by a villager in 1 K.N. Dikshit, Memoirs of Archaeological Survey of India, no 55. (Delhi: Swati Publications1991 Reprint) p.2 2 Ibid. Cultural and Religious Aspects of Sculptures 3 course of brick hunting at the south western part of the monastery. This inscription was brought to notice of Varendra Research Museum, Rajshahi. It was found to contain a record of the installation of the pillar by one Dasbalagarbha for the satisfaction of three jewels. This event led to the first preliminary attempt of excavation of the site in 1923. Kumar Sarat Kumar Roy of Dighapatia, founder and president of Varendra Research Society, Rajshahi offered to make a grant to the Archaeological Survey Department to conduct the excavation work at the site. A combined team of Calcutta University and Varendra Research Society started the excavation work under the supervision of Dr. D. R. Bhandarkar. Later R. D. Banerjee, G. C. Chandra and K. N. Dikshit continued the excavation work during British period. The Monastery and other structures in the courtyard (Figure 1) The monastery is laid in a quadrangle which measures 822 feet on each side externally. The exterior wall of the monastery was more than 12feet in height. The cells are generally 13 feet and 6 inches in length, opens at a spacious verandah which is 8 to 9 feet broad. In the middle of each of the four sides except the north wing, there is a special block which consists of 3 cells and a passage around them. Excluding the cells of the central block in each direction, there are 45 cells on the north and 44 cells on other 3 sides each (south, east and west). The highest part of the monastery mound was the main entrance hall at the north gate. No other entrance can be seen on the west and south wings of the vihara, the east wing shows a small passage most probably used for private entrance. Outside the main entrance hall on the north wing a number of structures were exposed in excavation. One of these structures in the east was probably a waiting hall or accommodation for the guards of the vihara. Among other structures, there are two circular structures on a square base, which were probably the votive stupas. The broad staircase leading to the main entrance hall was built of brick on edge over flat bricks. Though the entire monastery was made of bricks stone pillars and pilasters were used to support the roof. The east and west walls of the hall indicated a band of bricks on edge at a height of 6feet 9 inches from the stone bases (pillar) to relieve the monotony of the ashlar courses. The inner hall leads through the main verandah to a ruined flight of steps leading to the courtyard exactly in front of the temple. On the southern part of the monastery not far from room 73 and 74, a group of shrines 4 Maliha Nargis Ahmed and Nurul Kabir can be traced on the courtyard. These 5 shrines with a highly ornamented super structure and a plan with a number of projections are an interesting example. The south eastern structure exhibits the shape of a 16 sided star; on the north of it another shrine showing two rectangular projections on a square plan (battlement cornice and the knob indicate the date to 11th century CE). The other 3 shrines are simpler in plan with one projection and earlier than the two on the east. All these shrines were subsequently enclosed within a compound wall which touches a stepped approach from the verandah. A well is located on the north of this group. At a short distance to the west is a large hall which was no doubt the dining hall and the well was dug to serve its purpose. The Central Temple (Figure 1) The colossal brick central temple is located in the center of the courtyard of the monastery. The cruciform shape with angles of projection between the arms, three raised terraces and complicated scheme of decoration of wall with carved brick cornices, friezes of terracotta plaques and stone sculptures at the basement wall are interesting example of temple architecture. The cruciform shaped temple measures 356feet 6 inches north to south and 314 feet 3 inches east to west with angles of projection between the arms. The temple rises in a number of receding terraces with an ambulatory passage, enclosed by a parapet wall. The north side of the temple provides the flight of steps to lead the first and second terraces. In the center there is a square hollow central shaft and around the shaft there are projections on each face of the shaft. The terraces of these projections consist of an antechamber leading to a pillared hall (mandapa), facing each cardinal point (north, south, east and west) and surrounded by a continuous processional path which is enclosed by a short wall. This way the whole ground plan takes the shape of a pancharatha type of ground plan. On the north side it is a saptaratha, because of the flight of steps, one more projection enhanced. The central square hollow shaft had a brick paved floor at the level of the floors of garbhagriha and mandapa. The central shaft has no entrance.
Recommended publications
  • Nalanda University: a University for the 21St Century
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE Nalanda University: A University for the 21st Century Anjana Sharma The name Nalanda is an icon for cross-cultural interactions and intra-regional connectivity around the globe. Located in Bihar, India, near the site where the Buddha attained enlightenment, the centre of learning at Nalanda was a major hub for educational and intellectual exchange and the creation and dissemination of knowledge among Asian societies from the fifth to the twelfth centuries CE. It received students from across Asia, stimulated intellectual, scientific, and religious dialogues, and dispatched missionaries and scholars to the leading Buddhist centres of Asia. Later generations have called this centre of learning “Nalanda University” and described it as the world’s first educational institution of higher learning. When after an eight hundred year existence it was destroyed by an act of war, Nalanda lived on for another eight hundred years only in the shared cultural memory of India and Asian countries. It stood as a living symbol of a time of an inter connected Asia, of an Asia that did not then define itself against the paradigms of the emergent and monolithic model of higher education that holds sway today. Uncomfortable though this fact may be, what we have to accept today is faultlines created by the overwhelming force of multiple colonialisms—across Asian countries—that have altered the way we establish universities and has given to us today, what can only be decribed unflatteringly, as an imitative Asian model of the university.
    [Show full text]
  • The Case of the Grand Monuments of Paharpur, Bangladesh
    Revisiting the Past through Virtual Reconstruction: The Case of the Grand Monuments of Paharpur, Bangladesh Md Mizanur Rashid Hafizur Rahaman (International Islamic University Malaysia) (National University of Singapore) This study aims at developing a virtual model of the lost architecture of the Buddhist Monastery of Sompur Mahavihara in Paharpur, Bangladesh. The eighth-century monastery is one of the earliest examples of monumental architecture in Bengal and in 1985 its ruins were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From the very discovery of its ruins the monument drew the attention of architectural historians of South and Southeast Asia because of its unique architectural features and strategic location in space and time. The monument’s architecture, however, is scantily doc- umented, because after a millennium of amnesia first-hand resources are unavailable. The archi- tectural historian’s main sources are therefore the fragmentary archaeological remains, literary evidence, and epigraphic records. This study attempts to develop a virtual model of Sompur Ma- havihara that can accommodate different contesting narratives regarding its architecture. It looks into history in a dynamic way and uses virtual reconstruction as a flexible tool to reconstruct the lost monument. The aim of this paper is therefore twofold. First, it develops a methodological framework for retrieving and commemorating both tangible and intangible aspects of the monastery, perusing a critical theoretical construct, and then applies this knowledge to elaborate a conjectural virtual reconstruction. Second, it presents an online interactive platform that was created to collect pub- lic comments and contributions on the past culture and history of Sompur Mahavihara, so as to reinvent and renew the previous model.
    [Show full text]
  • Report on Mainamati- Zinat Afrose
    Mainamati: Greatest Assemblage of Ancient Buddhist Settlements Zinat Afrose Introduction: The Mainamati-Lalmai range, an isolated low, dimpled range of hills dotted with more than 50 ancient Buddhist settlements from the 8th to 12th centuries A.D., runs through the heart of the Cumilla district. The wealthiest region of Bangladesh is Mainamati, Cumilla, which is home to the majority of the country's heritage sites. Shalban Bihara, located almost in the middle of the Mainamati Lalmai hill range, is made up of 115 cells arranged around a spacious courtyard with a cruciform temple in the centre facing its only gateway complex to the north which is similar to that of Paharpur Monastery. Kutila Mura is a charming Buddhist establishment located on a flattened hillock about 5 km north of Shalban Vihara within the Cumilla Cantonment. Three stupas stand side by side, symbolizing the Buddhist 'Trinity,' or three jewels, which are the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Charpatra Mura is a small oblong shrine located 2.5 kilometres northwest of the Kutila Mura stupas. The shrine is approached from the east via a gateway that leads to a large hall. Copper plates, gold and silver coins, and 86 bronze artefacts are among the many items on display at the Mainamati site museum. About 150 bronze statues, mostly from monastic cells, bronze stupas, stone sculptures, and hundreds of terracotta plaques have been found, each measuring 9" high and 8" to 12" wide on average. https://steemit.com/walkwithme/@boishakhitripty/walkwithme-to-moinamoti-buddhists-settlement Mainamati, an isolated ridge of low hills on the eastern margins of deltaic Bangladesh, about 8 excavations have uncovered important materials.
    [Show full text]
  • Washington Buddhist Vihara Winter2008
    Quarterly Newsletter of the Washington Buddhist Vihara Winter2008 -Dedication- This issue of The Washington Buddhist is dedicated to commemorate Arahant Sanghamitta, whose day we celebrated on Sunday March 23, 2008. When Emperor Asoka (3rd Century B.C.) was crown prince, he married a beautiful princess and had two children: Prince Mahinda and Princess Sanghamitta. Both of these royal children joined the Sangha. Emperor Asoka sent his own son, Ven. Mahinda, as a missionary to Sri Lanka, where his mission was very successful. Among his new converts was Princess Anula (Sotapanna) who requested ordination. Ven. Mahinda sent for his sister, Ven.Sanghamitta. King Asoka cordially sent Ven. Sanghamitta with ten other learned bhikkhunis to give ordination to the Sri Lankan princess and her retinue. Ven.Sanghamitta is considered the first bhikkhuni to carry the ordination lineage to Sri Lanka, where the lineage was well established. In 433 A.D. the Sri Lankan lineage went to establish the bhikkhuni lineage in China; this lineage has been kept alive up to present. History tells us that Ven. Sanghamitta carried a branch taken from the south side of the Bodhi tree, the tree under which the Buddha achieved enlightenment, to Sri Lanka. This tree has the longest recorded history of any tree in the world. The Bodhi tree can still be seen in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka today, and is one of the most valued and respected Buddhist treasures. 2 N E W S The L E T T E R Vol. 40. Issue 1. Spring 2008 Table of Contents The Washington Buddhist Dedication 2 The Washington Buddhist is Table of Contents 3 published bi-annually at the Vihara Schedule 4 Washington Buddhist Vihara, 5017 Notes and News 5 16th St., NW, Washington, DC Silence in Buddhism 20011,Vihara U.S.A.
    [Show full text]
  • Lion Symbol in Hindu-Buddhist Sociological Art and Architecture of Bangladesh: an Analysis
    International Journal in Management and Social Science Volume 08 Issue 07, July 2020 ISSN: 2321-1784 Impact Factor: 6.178 Journal Homepage: http://ijmr.net.in, Email: [email protected] Double-Blind Peer Reviewed Refereed Open Access International Journal Lion Symbol in Hindu-Buddhist Sociological Art and Architecture of Bangladesh: An Analysis Sk. Zohirul Islam1, Md. Kohinoor Hossain2, Mst. Shamsun Naher3 Abstract There is no lion animal in Bangladesh still live but has a lot of sculptors through terracotta art in architecture, which are specially used as decorative as religious aspects through the ages. The lion is the king of the animal world. They live in the plain and grassy hills particularly. Due to these characteristics, the lion has been considered through all ages in the world as a symbol of royalty and protection as well as of wisdom and pride, especially in Hindu- Buddhist religion. In Buddhism, lions are symbolic of the Bodhisattvas. In Buddhist architecture, lion symbols are used as protectors of Dharma and therefore support the throne of the Buddha’s and Bodhisattvas. The lion symbol is also used in Hindu temple architecture as Jora Shiva Temple, Akhrapara Mondir of Jashore. In Bangladesh, there are various types of lion symbol used in terracotta plaques of Ananda Vihara, Rupbhan Mura, and Shalban Vihara at Mainamati in Comilla district, Vashu Vihara, Mankalir Kundo at Mahasthangarh in Bogra district and Somapura Mahavihara at Paharpur in Naogaon district. This research has been trying to find out the cultural significance of the lion symbol in Hindu-Buddhist art and architecture of Bangladesh.
    [Show full text]
  • Reclaiming Buddhist Sites in Modern India: Pilgrimage and Tourism in Sarnath and Bodhgaya
    RECLAIMING BUDDHIST SITES IN MODERN INDIA: PILGRIMAGE AND TOURISM IN SARNATH AND BODHGAYA RUTIKA GANDHI Bachelor of Arts, University of Lethbridge, 2014 A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of the University of Lethbridge in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS Department of Religious Studies University of Lethbridge LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, CANADA ©Rutika Gandhi, 2018 RECLAIMING BUDDHIST SITES IN MODERN INDIA: PILGRIMAGE AND TOURISM IN SARNATH AND BODHGAYA RUTIKA GANDHI Date of Defence: August 23, 2018 Dr. John Harding Associate Professor Ph.D. Supervisor Dr. Hillary Rodrigues Professor Ph.D. Thesis Examination Committee Member Dr. James MacKenzie Associate Professor Ph.D. Thesis Examination Committee Member Dr. James Linville Associate Professor Ph.D. Chair, Thesis Examination Committee Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my beloved mummy and papa, I am grateful to my parents for being so understanding and supportive throughout this journey. iii Abstract The promotion of Buddhist pilgrimage sites by the Government of India and the Ministry of Tourism has accelerated since the launch of the Incredible India Campaign in 2002. This thesis focuses on two sites, Sarnath and Bodhgaya, which have been subject to contestations that precede the nation-state’s efforts at gaining economic revenue. The Hindu-Buddhist dispute over the Buddha’s image, the Saivite occupation of the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, and Anagarika Dharmapala’s attempts at reclaiming several Buddhist sites in India have led to conflicting views, motivations, and interpretations. For the purpose of this thesis, I identify the primary national and transnational stakeholders who have contributed to differing views about the sacred geography of Buddhism in India.
    [Show full text]
  • Lesser Known Capitals of Bengal Before Calcutta: Geo-Historical Aspects of ‘Tanda’
    International Bilingual Journal of Culture, Anthropology and Linguistics (IBJCAL), eISSN: 2582-4716 https://www.indianadibasi.com/journal/index.php/ibjcal/issue/view/3 VOLUME-2, ISSUE-1, ibjcal2020M01, pp. 1-10 1 Lesser Known Capitals of Bengal Before Calcutta: Geo-Historical Aspects of ‘Tanda’ Samir Ganguli Email: [email protected] ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: Tanda was the capital of Sultan Sulaiman Khan Karrani, ruler of Received : 26.07.2020 Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, who shifted his capital from Gaur to Received (revised form): Tanda in 1565. It was the capital of Bengal Sultanate till 1576, till 01.09.2020 Sulaiman’s son Sultan Daud Khan, declared independence from the Accepted : 10.09.2020 Mughals which cost him his kingdom and life in 1576. Tanda Paper_Id : ibjcal2020M01 continued as the capital of Bengal Subah of the Mughals till Raja Man Singh shifted the capital to Rajmahal in 1595, except for a short period when the capital was shifted by Munim Khan to Gaur. Keywords: Tanda was located at the juncture of Padma and Bhagirathi, about Tanda 15 miles from Gaur. As happened with many cities of Bengal Bengal Sultanate located on the banks of rivers, Tanda also suffered the same fate. Sulaiman Karrani Tanda does not exist today. It is said that in about 1826, the city Daoud Karrani was destroyed by floods and disappeared into the river. Capitals of Bengal Lesser known capitals 1.0 Introduction Bengal has a rich history over hundreds of years and there have been many capitals in this part of the country over this period.
    [Show full text]
  • Inscriptions of Early Āndhradeśa: Results of Fieldwork in January and February 2016
    Inscriptions of Early Āndhradeśa: Results of fieldwork in January and February 2016 Stefan Baums, Arlo Griffiths, Ingo Strauch and Vincent Tournier* This is the accepted version of a forthcoming article in Bulletin de l’École Française d’Extrême-Orient 102: http://www.efeo.fr/base.php?code=643 Accepted version downloaded from SOAS Research Online: http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/23279/ [Please do not quote or circulate without permission from the authors] Introduction From 2015 through 2017, the EFEO is administering an international collaborative research project entitled “From Vijayapurī to Śrīkṣetra: the beginnings of Buddhist exchange across the Bay of Bengal.” This project aims to investigate the early phases of Buddhist exchange across the Bay of Bengal based on a comprehensive study of the epigraphic record of the site of Nagarjunakonda (on the border of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states) in India, and Śrīkṣetra (near the modern town of Pyay) in Myanmar, as well as related sites in both countries.1 It will in due course deliver publications of the two epigraphic corpora in question, as a basis for comprehensive interdisciplinary investigation of the early history of Buddhist exchange between the east coast of India and the Pyu civilization of the Irrawady river valley in Burma. As members of this larger project, we recently undertook fieldwork in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh—an area we shall henceforward refer to as Āndhradeśa—with the principal aim to document inscriptions dating from the Ikṣvāku period (3rd–4th centuries CE). We recorded the present locations of known inscriptions as well as recent discoveries and took photographs, as a first step towards the publication of a corpus of the inscriptions of this period.
    [Show full text]
  • Discovering Buddhism at Home
    Discovering Buddhism at home Awakening the limitless potential of your mind, achieving all peace and happiness Special Integration Experiences Required Reading Contents The Eight Places of Buddhist Pilgrimage, by Jeremy Russell 3 (Also available on Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive Website – www.lamayeshe.com) Further required reading includes the following texts: The Tantric Path of Purification, by Lama Thubten Yeshe Everlasting Rain of Nectar, by Geshe Jampa Gyatso © FPMT, Inc., 2001. All rights reserved. 1 2 The Eight Places of Buddhist Pilgrimage by Jeremy Russell Jeremy Russell was born in England and received his degree in English Literature from London University. He studied Buddhist philosophy at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, for four years. Jeremy currently lives in Dharamsala, India, editing Cho-Yang, the Journal of Tibetan Culture, and translating other material from Tibetan. Lord Buddha said: Monks, after my passing away, if all the sons and daughters of good family and the faithful, so long as they live, go to the four holy places, they should go and remember: here at Lumbini the enlightened one was born; here at Bodhgaya he attained enlightenment; here at Sarnath he turned twelve wheels of Dharma; and here at Kushinagar he entered parinirvana. Monks, after my passing away there will be activities such as circumambulation of these places and prostration to them. Thus it should be told, for they who have faith in my deeds and awareness of their own will travel to higher states. After my passing away, the new monks who come and ask of the doctrine should be told of these four places and advised that a pilgrimage to them will help purify their previously accumulated negative karmas, even the five heinous actions.
    [Show full text]
  • Artuklu Human and Social Science Journal
    Artuklu Human and Social Science Journal ARTICLE http://dergipark.gov.tr/itbhssj The Formation of Bengal Civilization: A Glimpse on the Socio-Cultural Assimilations Through Political Progressions Key words: in Bengal Delta 1. Bengal Delta Abu Bakar Siddiq1 and Ahsan Habib2 2. Socio-cultural Abstract assimilation The Bengal Delta is a place of many migrations, cultural transformations, invasions 3. Aryan and religious revolutions since prehistoric time. With the help of archaeological and historical records, this essay present the hypothesis that, albeit there were multiple 4. Mauryan waves of large and small scale socio-cultural assimilations, every socio-political 5. Medieval period change did not brought equal formidable outcome in the Delta. The study further illustrates that, the majority of cultural components were formulated by Indigenous- Aryan-Buddhist assimilations in early phase, whereas the Buddhist-Aryan-Islamic admixtures in relatively forbearing and gracious socio-political background of medieval period contributed the final part in the formation of Bengal Civilization. INTRODUCTION one of the most crowed human populations in the world The Bengal Delta (i.e. present Bangladesh and West with a density of more than 1100 people per square mile. Bengal in India) is the largest delta in the world (Akter The physiological features of Bengal delta is completely et al., 2016). Annual silt of hundreds of rivers together river based. River has tremendous effect on the with a maze of river branches all over this Green Delta formation of landscape, agriculture and other basic made it as one of the most fertile regions in the world. subsistence, trade and transport, as well as cultural Additionally, amazing landscape, profound natural pattern of its inhabitants.
    [Show full text]
  • Elemental Analysis of Old Mortar Used in Various Archaeological Sites of Bangladesh by Sem and Edax
    J. Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 38(2): 145-153, December 2012 ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS OF OLD MORTAR USED IN VARIOUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES OF BANGLADESH BY SEM AND EDAX ACHIA KHANOM1,*D. K. SAHA2, S. M. RAHAMAN1 AND AL MAMUN2 1Department of Archaeology, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka 2Materials Science Division, Atomic Energy Centre, Dhaka-1000 Abstract Morphological characterization and mineralogical studies were performed on fifteen mortar samples collected from three ancient archaeological sites (Wari-Bateshwar, Lalmai-Mainamati, and Paharpur) of Bangladesh. Many cracks and pores were found in the mortar samples of Buddhist Lotus temple of Wari-Bateshwar. Energy dispersive analytical x-ray analysis confirmed the presence of C, O, P, K, Al, Fe, Na, Mg, Mn, Si and Ti in the mortar samples. The absence of Ca in the samples indicates that the clay was used in the architecture as binding materials. In the clay mortar, Si played an important role and with the presence of O2, SiO2 was formed, which strengthened the binder. K, Al, Fe, Na, Mg, Mn, Si and Ti might form compounds like SiO2, Fe2O3, K2O, +2 Al2O3, MgO, MnO, Na2O3, and TiO2 with O2. The oxidation of Fe produced Fe2O3 which was responsible for breaking down the bonding of mortars. Key words: Archaeology, Mortar, Deterioration, SEM and EDAX Introduction Mortar analysis is an essential domain for conservation of architectural remains of Bangladesh. Mortar, a workable paste, generally formed by the mixture of cement, sand and water, is a fine aggregate to fill the gaps between construction bricks and stones. Aziz (1995) classified the types of mortar as follows (i) mud mortar (ii) lime mortar (iii) surki mortar (iv) lime surki mortar and (v) cement mortar.
    [Show full text]
  • Copper Parchment & Stone
    COPPER PARCHMENT & STONE Edited by John Reuben Davies & Swapna Bhattacharya Copper, Parchment, and Stone Studies in the sources for landholding and lordship in early medieval Bengal and medieval Scotland edited by John Reuben Davies and Swapna Bhattacharya University of Glasgow Ionad Eòlas na h-Alba is na Ceiltis| Centre for Scottish and Celtic Studies GLASGOW 2019 © The Contributors 2019 All rights reserved The moral rights of the authors have been asserted ISBN-10: 085261957X ISBN-13: 9780852619575 Published by Centre for Scottish and Celtic Studies, University of Glasgow, 1 University Gardens, Glasgow, G12 8QQ Contibutors Swapna Bhattacharya Professor, Department of South and South East Asian History, University of Calcutta (retired 2017) Dauvit Broun Professor of Scottish History, School of Humanities, University of Glasgow John Reuben Davies Research Fellow in Scottish History, School of Humanities, University of Glasgow Suchandra Ghosh Professor, Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture, University of Calcutta Sayantani Pal Associate Professor, Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture, University of Calcutta Rajat Sanyal Assistant Professor, Department of Archaeology, University of Calcutta Joanna Tucker Arts and Humanities Innovation Researcher (History), School of Humanities, University of Glasgow Contents Foreword 1 I Comparative diplomatic in the Latin West and early medieval Bengal: a brief overview Swapna Bhattacharya 15 II The forms and format of the copper-plate inscriptions of early Bengal Sayantani Pal 53 III The development of the charter in Scotland John Reuben Davies 69 IV Boundary clauses in Bengal inscriptions: revisiting sources Rajat Sanyal & Suchandra Ghosh 99 V Recording boundaries in Scottish charters in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries Joanna Tucker 151 VI Praśastis or panegyrics in early India: case studies from Bengal Suchandra Ghosh & Sayantani Pal 193 VII The genealogy of the king of Scots as charter and panegyric Dauvit Broun 209 Foreword When I was at sea last August, on my voyage to this country ..
    [Show full text]