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.