Draft bye-laws released for three monuments in Bihar

The three centrally protected sites and monuments are “Vapiyaka cave” and “Vada Thika cave” (Nagarjuni hill, Jehanabad), “Buddhist Stupa” (Kesariya, East Champaran) and “excavated remains of the stupa on 18 plots in two villages Harpur Basant and Chakramdas” (Vaishali).

The National Monuments Authority (NMA) has released draft heritage bye-laws for three more Centrally protected monuments and sites in Bihar for their conservation and periphery development, an official said on Wednesday.

Remains of a stupa found at Ghosikund mound of Lakhisarai district of Bihar. (HT FILE)

The three centrally protected sites and monuments are “Vapiyaka cave” and “Vada Thika cave” (Nagarjuni hill, Jehanabad), “Buddhist Stupa” (Kesariya, East Champaran) and “excavated remains of the stupa on 18 plots in two villages Harpur Basant and Chakramdas” (Vaishali).

The three ancient sites are being protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The NMA has invited suggestions and objections on the draft bye-laws of three protected monuments from the general public in writing.

“There has been a need for monument and site specific bye-laws because different monuments have different sizes, shapes and heights. Any construction or development work in regulated area of that monument or site deserves to be considered on the basis of these factors,” said Bhaskar Verma, member secretary, NMA, which is part of the union ministry of culture .

“For any construction and development activities, the area within a 100-metre radius from a monument is restricted area where no construction is allowed. Up to 200- metres is prohibited area where construction is allowed only for during any emergency and up to 300 metres is a regulated area within which construction is allowed in certain cases,” he saod.

“But different kinds of constructions are required at different locations, and hence specific bye-laws have been prepared on the basis of a field survey conducted by the ASI, Patna Circle,” the official said.

The protected sites in Jehanabad district are located atop the Barabar and Nagarjuni hills. In the Nagarjuni range, there are three excavated caves, containing the inscriptions of Asoka’s grandson Dasaratha ( 214 BC). These are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in the country, dating from the Mauryan Empire, during the reign of Ashoka and his grandson Dasaratha.

The Stupa at Kesaria in the East Champaran district of the state is the world’s tallest Buddhist Stupa ever excavated. The British archaeologist, General Cunningham, was of the opinion that it dated back to AD 200 to 700, and that it was built upon the ruins of a much older and larger stupa.

In Vaishali, the draft bye-laws say, “The date of construction of the monument is ascribed to 5th Century BC to 2nd Century AD. Lichhavis, Mauryan and Kushana rulers have all contributed towards the construction and development of this monument. This is one among the eight relic Stupas built over the corporal remains of Buddha. The remains were distributed among eight claimants, one being the Lichhavis of Vaishali. The excavation has yielded a number of antiquities among which the relic casket containing ashes mixed with earth, a punch marked coin, some beads and gold objects are the most remarkable discovery”.