1,300-YEAR-OLD BUDDHIST STUPA DISCOVERED IN ODISHA

1,300-YEAR-OLD BUDDHIST STUPA DISCOVERED IN ODISHA   I   RACE IAS : Best IAS Coaching in Lucknow  I  Current Affairs

 

1,300-YEAR-OLD BUDDHIST STUPA DISCOVERED IN ODISHA

 

Mains General Studies:1

(Acient History: Art & Culture)

Why in news:

  • Recently the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found a 1,300-year-old Buddhist stupa at the Khondalite stone mining site in Odisha.

Key points:

  • According to the information received from the sources, this stupa is 4.5 meters tall and the initial assessment has shown that this stupa may be of 7th or 8th century.
  • Khondalite stones were supplied from this mine site located in Odisha's Jajpur district for the beautification project around the 12th century Shri Jagannath Temple in Puri.
  • This stupa was discovered from Prabhadi site of Odisha. PrabhadiSthal is located near Lalitagiri, a major Buddhist complex.
  • ASI can take over the site for the purpose of preserving the archaeological finds. ASI has already taken possession of many sites like Sukhuapada.
  • The problem is that Khondalite stones are mined from these areas on a large scale to fulfill the ABADHA scheme.

About ABADHA Scheme:

  • The full name of ABADHA in English is Augmentation of Basic Amenities and the Development of Heritage and Architecture.
  • Under this scheme Odisha government is implementing projects like Math Development Initiative, Atharnala Heritage Project, Puri Lake Development, JagannathBallavTirtha Kendra etc.
  • Odisha government has also allocated Rs 3,208 crore for this.
  • In such a situation, the implementation of Abadha scheme will be affected if these sites are taken over by ASI.

Ancient Historical Sites of Odisha:

  • Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri and Udayagiri among the Udayagiri hills in Odisha are famous sites for Buddhist architecture.

Lalitgiri

  • Lalitgiri Buddhist site is famous for many stupas, Buddha images and monasteries.
  • The Lalitgiri Buddhist site is considered the holiest of the three sites (Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri and Udayagiri) because of the discovery of a huge stupa of Buddha inside a stone sarcophagus.
  • Lalitgiri of the first century is the oldest site among these three.
  • Recent excavations at Lalitgiri have yielded important archaeological material, indicating that it was a great center of Buddhist interest.
  • The meeting of Ratnagiri and Udayagiri hills has formed the 'Diamond Triangle' form in Lalitgiri. Together these three hills protect the ruins of Buddhist monasteries.
  • There is a huge statue of Lord Mahavira built during the Buddhist period, which is situated on the Pushpagiri hill.

Udayagiri

  • This is the largest of these three historical sites, which is located on the banks of Birupa river (extinct).
  • Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang saw this region as a flourishing Buddhist university named Pushpagiri.
  • This place was probably the biggest center of Buddhist craft in the post-Gupta period. A Buddhist monastery named MadhavpuraMahavihara has been found here in recent excavations.

Ratangiri

  • The most important of these hills is Ratnagiri, the district is considered to be a remarkable Buddhist center of that time.

About Khondalite Rock :

  • Khondalite is a type of metamorphic rock found in the Eastern Ghats of India, especially in the state of Odisha.
  • It is named after the Khondalite group of rocks.
  • These rocks are believed to be of Proterozoic era, about 1.6 billion years ago.
  • These rocks are mainly composed of feldspar, quartz and mica and are pinkish-grey in colour. These rocks are commonly used as an ornamental stone in construction.
  • These rocks are very valuable because of their special durability and weathering nature.
  • These Khondalite stones were widely used in the construction of ancient temples.
  • The Government of Odisha has proposed to use these stones extensively for maintaining the aesthetics of Heritage Protection Area, JagannathBallabh Pilgrimage Center etc.

About Stupa:

  • Stupas were specially shaped mounds built to cover burials in India from the Vedic period. Stupa means heaps in Sanskrit language.

Stupa Structure

  • Stupa is a circular mound shaped structure. It is made on a base. Which is a platform called Vedika.
  • Stupa is built on top of this. A semi-oval shape is made just above the altar, which is called the egg itself.
  • Below it and above the altar there is a wall like shape, it is called Medhi.
  • Inside the Vedika, there is a path called Pradarshika. This is the circumambulation path.
  • There is a square shape above the playing part, it is called harmika. It contains residues. Three umbrellas are made over it. Which are also called umbrellas.
  • It has four entrances. The gate through which they enter is called Torana.

There are four types of stupas:

  • Bodily Stupa: Its Harmika contains the bodily remains of Lord Buddha or the disciples.
  • Transcendental Stupa: In its harmika, objects used by Lord Buddha or disciples are kept.
  • Purposeful Stupas: These stupas were built wherever Lord Buddha traveled. Its harmonica is empty.
  • Sankalpit Stupa: This type of Stupa can be built by the devotees at any place. It is not mandatory to have a harmika in it.

Stupas related to Buddha:

  • The Sanchi stupa in Madhya Pradesh is the most famous of all the stupas of Ashoka.
  • Piprahwa Stupa is the oldest stupa in Uttar Pradesh.
  • Rajagriha, Vaishali, Kapilavastu, Allakappa, Ramagrama, Vethapida, Pava, Kushinagar and Pippalivan Stupaswere built after the death of Buddha.
  • A grand stupa with a circular mound and a circumambulatory path exists at Bairat, Rajasthan.
  • Sanchi, Sarnath, Amravati and Bharhutcome in the famous stupas of India.

Significance of the Stupa:

  • If any symbol has the most importance in Buddhism today, then it is Stupa. Stupa is a symbol of faith for the followers of Buddhism which is directly linked to Lord Buddha. They believe that Lord Buddha resides in those stupas and shows them the way to liberation.
  • Ashoka got the maximum publicity of Buddhism. He carried the relics of Gautam Buddha to distant countries. These stupas are found not only in India, but also in many other countries. Buddhist monks not only circumambulate these stupas considering them as symbols of Buddhism, they also meditate sitting here.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Mains Exam. Question:

What are stupas? Mention the importance of important stupas built in India.