Ancient Buddhist Monastery Found in Jharkhand

• 26 Feb 2021

Why in News

The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has unearthed a Buddhist monastery, believed to be at least 900 years old, buried under a mound in a village near Juljul Pahar of Sitagarhi Hills in Jharkhand.

• Earlier an ancient Buddhist shrine, buried under a similar mound was found, close to this site.

Key Points

• Artifacts Unearthed:
  
  • Four statues of deity Tara in Varad Mudra (gesture of hand showing dispensing of boons).
    
    • Nagri Script on Tara Statue: Nagri was a previous version of Devnagri script and the words indicate Buddhist religious affiliation.
  • Six statues of the Buddha in Bhumisparsha Mudra (gesture of hand showing five fingers of right hand towards the earth symbolising the Buddha’s enlightenment).
  • A sculpture which appears to be that of Shaivite deity Maheswari - with a coiled crown and chakra - indicating cultural assimilation in the area.

• Significance of the Findings:
  
  • The findings are significant since the monastery is on the old route to Varanasi, 10 km from Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon.
  • The presence of statues of deity Tara shows possible proliferation of Vajrayana form of Buddhism in this region.

Vajrayana

• Vajrayana means “The Vehicle of the Thunderbolt”, also known as tantric Buddhism.
• This Buddhist school developed in India around 900 CE.
• It is grounded on esoteric elements and a very complex set of rituals compared with the rest of the Buddhist schools.

Source: IE