Archaeological sites in Burdwan (Sadar North and Sadar South)

The south and central parts i.e., Burdwan Sadar North and South subdivisions, of this district are included in this zone. These particular regions with their unique geomorphological variants have fostered this region to acquire a regional persona particularly during the early medieval period. These areas within the limits of the Gangetic delta may be further divided into the northern inland tract of a fairly well raised land of old formation and the low lying region towards the south, besides, high grounds bordering the river channels. We have explored these areas extensively and able to identify some archaeological sites/settlements, “find spots” closely associated with Jain ideology. Sat Deuliya is the main site in this area.

149. Sat Deuliya:

The site is popularly known for its brick-built rekha-type temple. At present one can easily locate a renovated deula at the site (Pl.VI.D). This temple site is situated along the national highway no 2, within a large village known as Ajapur under the jurisdiction of Memari Police Station of District Burdwan, West Bengal. This well-known village is about 25 kms south-east of Burdwan town and one can reach the site by walking about a 2 kms to the east from Masagram, another important archaeological site in the present study region.

This temple site was first noticed by N.G. Majumdar and in his report he briefly mentioned about the brick temple (ASI, AR: 1934-35: 43). Later on S.K. Saraswati (1943: 500-501) studied this temple in details and he records that the body of the sanctum is otherwise plain; however the śikhara is profusely decorated with scroll work and caitya-window pattern. The temple is generally assigned to the 11^th century CE. No idol was found within the shrine.

P.C. DasGupta (1973: 130-32) was the first scholar who reported a unique Jain antiquity from this village in 1972 and this discovery acquired significance since the temple is sometimes regarded as a Jain monument. This antiquity was a black basalt sculpture and identified as a representation of the Jain aṣṭapādatīrtha image.

P. Banerjee (1974: 154), in his small report in A. Ghosh edited volume of Jain Art and Architecture, also illustrated some more Jain antiquities from this site. Among the Jain images from this village, mention may be made of caumukha with Ṛṣabhanātha, Candraprabhu, Neminātha, Pārśvanātha and two other Ṛṣabhanātha figures presently housed in the Asutosh Museum of Indian Art, Calcutta University. In 1984, K.K. Ganguli (1984: 134) in his article on Jain Art of Bengal mentioned the iconographic details of this Jain caumukhi. In recently, some more unnoticed Jain antiquities from this site were reported by C. Gupta (1999: 405-409). I personaly explored this site and documented several Jain sculptural remains from different localities.

Archaeologically, the neighbourhood of Sat Deulia region has much potential and there are other habitational mounds, stray occurrences of sculptural as well as architectural fragments and a few find-spots that underline its ancient character. In this context, it is worth mentioning that the earliest village settlements found at Hatipotar Danga (Raigram), not far from Sat Deulia, confirm the same. Beside the Black and Red and Black Burnished wares, the site also possesses some early historic potteries. R.D. Banerji records the find of a gold coin of Candragupta I from the village of Masagram and this discovery suggested that the region was also very popular and well connected during the Gupta period. The recent field investigation at the site and the nearby region resulted in the discovery of more archaeological findings thereby suggesting that the region has a long archaeological sequence ranging from Black and Red Were associated village settlements to the Islamic period.

150. Sanchara:

The present village is about 3 kms west of Sat Deulia and situated on the right bank of river Damodar. It is a large and ancient settlement near Sat Deulia. The modern habitation lies atop the older one as indicated by the low mound (Pl.VI.E) and the stray occurrences of earlier habitational debris from the different parts of the village. A beautiful image of Tīrthaṅkara Pārśvanātha, measuring 35x20x5cm and presently housed in the Ashutosh Museum of Indian Art, Calcutta University, was originally discovered from this village. Discovery of this Jain antiquity suggest that the site had a relation with Jain ideologies during the early medieval period and must have survived as one of the satellite sites of Sat Deulia temple complex.

151. Masagram:

The site is located at a distance of about 5 kms from this temple site on the eastern bank of the river Damodar. During our exploration we observed that a miniature Jain tutelary couple is kept in a modern Śiva temple of the present village. This temple stands over an old low structural mound. Though the nature of this mound is not very clear but the scattered brick bats and potsherds indicate that the mound carries early medieval and medieval occupational debris. In different areas of the village, we also noticed other habitational remains mainly in from of potsherds and brickbats assignable to the early medieval to medieval period. The temple ruins and Jain antiquities of the village show close association with Jain ideology during the early medieval period and this site also belonged to the Sat Deulia temple satellite sites cluster.

152. Raina:

Close to Masagram, Raina is another important site. One small tablet collected from Raina and now in the Ashutosh Museum of Indian Art shows figures of two Tīrthaṅkaras side by side. This is the Dvi-tīrthika (two joined image) type of Jain image. Among the two, one of the figures represents Candraprabhu as is evident from the crescent moon shown upon his pedestal.

153. Malla Sarul:

This well-known archaeological site situated 16 kms south of Galsi under Galsi Police Station. It is a large village encompassing a number of large and small tanks and has much archaeological potential. In 1929, Dr. Sureswar Roy discovered the one of the important copperplate inscriptions of West Bengal i.e., the Malla Sarul copperplate from the section of Jalahari tank of this village. The plate is dated in the third or thirty-third regnal year of Mahārājādhirāja Gopacandra. At the centre of the village there is a modern Śiva temple known as Malleswar situated over the ruins of an old habitation (Pl.VI.F). During our exploration, we collected some coarse potsherds of Black and Red Ware along with other early historic potteries from the mound. An image of a miniature Jain Tīrthaṅkara was documented from inside the Malleswar temple along with some Śaiva images.

154. Kaitara:

The site is located about 3 kms south of Adrahati along the right bank of the river Damodar. Apart from the discovery of a few BRW potsherds, the flat mound named Burirdanga contains habitational remains in form of potteries. At the eastern outskirts of the village there is an ancient low structural mound presently known as Bisalakshir sthan. Here an image of Ṛṣabhanātha is presently under worship. The site needs further detailed exploration as well as scientific clearence for the better understanding the religious nature of this site which was most probably Jain in character.

155. Gohagram:

This is a large village south-west of Malla Sarul and 12 kms south of Galsi Police Station. Re-excavation of a tank named Turukgore in the Bhagabatitala sector of the village yielded fragments of typically early historic terracotta figurines and balls and hopscotches. The whole area is strewn with potsherds (Pl. VI.G). Some minature Jain and Brahmanical images are now preserved in a medieval temple in the village. The area demands further extensive exploration.

156. Sirarai:

This is another site in the Malla Sarul complex containing Jain antiquity. The present village is situated about 3 kms west of Adrahati and 10 kms south of Galsi Police Station. In the central part of this village there is a modern Śiva temple and a Jain Tīrthaṅkara image is kept inside this temple.