Kumhrar
Encyclopedia
Kumhrar or Kumrahar is the remains of an ancient city of Pataliputra, located 5 km from Patna
Railway Station, on Kankarbagh Road, Patna, Bihar
.
The archaeological remains of the Mauryan period (322–185 BCE), has been discovered here, this include the ruins of a hypostyle
80-pillared hall The excavation finding here dates back to 600
B.C
, and marks the ancient capital of Ajatshatru, Chandragupta
and Ashoka, and collectively the relics range from four continuous periods from 600 BC to 600 AD. .
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
Railway Station, on Kankarbagh Road, Patna, Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
.
The archaeological remains of the Mauryan period (322–185 BCE), has been discovered here, this include the ruins of a hypostyle
Hypostyle
In architecture, a hypostyle hall has a roof which is supported by columns, as in the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak. The word hypostyle comes from the Ancient Greek hypóstȳlos meaning "under columns"...
80-pillared hall The excavation finding here dates back to 600
600
Year 600 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 600 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Smallpox arrives in Europe for the first...
B.C
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
, and marks the ancient capital of Ajatshatru, Chandragupta
Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya , was the founder of the Maurya Empire. Chandragupta succeeded in conquering most of the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta is considered the first unifier of India and its first genuine emperor...
and Ashoka, and collectively the relics range from four continuous periods from 600 BC to 600 AD. .
Excavations
- Assembly Hall of 80-pillars: During the excavation work, carried out, 1912 -1915, by D B Spooner, one pillar of polished stone, and a very large number of fragments were found. The excavators were able to trace 72 'pits' of ash and rublle 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”. All the ruins are attributed to the Mauryan period, though historians vary regarding the use of the 80-pillar hall, some suggest that it was in this hall that Third Buddhist CouncilThird Buddhist councilThe Third Buddhist council was convened in about 250 BCE at Asokarama in Pataliputra, supposedly under the patronage of Emperor Asoka. The reason for convening the Third Buddhist Council is reported to have been to rid the Sangha of corruption and bogus monks who held heretical views...
was held , in 250 BCE, at Asokarama in Patiliputta (PatliputraPatliputraPāṭaliputra , modern-day Patna, was a city in ancient India, originally built by Ajatashatru in 490 BC as a small fort near the River Ganges, and later the capital of the ancient Mahājanapadas kingdom of Magadha....
), under the reign of Mauryan Empereor, AshokaAshokaAshok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...
(r. 273 BC-232 BC).
- Anand Bihar: The foundations of the brick Buddhist monastery were excavated, apart from wooden beams and clay figures, which are now kept for public display in the surrounding park .
- Arogya Vihar: Also found during the excavations, are the presence of an Arogya Vihar headed by DhanvantariDhanvantariDhanvantari is an Avatar of Vishnu from the Hindu tradition. He appears in the Vedas and Puranas as the physician of the gods , and the god of Ayurvedic medicine...
, an early Indian medical practitioner, considered the source of AyurvedaAyurvedaAyurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...
.
- Durakhi Devi Temple – Excavations in 1890s, by Wadell, revealed a detached piece of a carved stone railing of a stupaStupaA stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
, with female figures on both the sides, giving it the name, 'Durukhi' or 'Durukhiya' (double faced) Devi, a specimen of ShungaShunga' is a Japanese term for erotic art. Most shunga are a type of ukiyo-e, usually executed in woodblock print format. While rare, there are extant erotic painted handscrolls which predate the Ukiyo-e movement...
art 2-1 century B.C. The figures are shown grabbing and breaking branches of trees, are Shalabhanjikas (the breaker of branches), the young women under a fertililty 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 in Patna MuseumPatna MuseumPatna Museum is the state museum of the Indian state of Bihar. Built in 1917 during the British Raj to house the historical artefacts found in the vicinity of Patna, it is in the style of Mughal and Rajput architecture and is known locally as the Jadu Ghar.Items on display in the multipurpose...
.
Further reading
- Altekar, A. S.Anant Sadashiv AltekarAnant Sadashiv Altekar was a historian, archaeologist, and numismatist from Maharashtra, India. He was the Manindra Chandra Nandi Professor and Head of the Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India, and later the director of the Kashi Prasad...
Coins in Kumrahar and Bulandibag (Pataliputra) Excavations in 1912-13. (1951)