Ekangarsarai is a

census town In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics. India In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...

and corresponding

community development block In India, a Community development block (CD block) or simply Block is a sub-division of Tehsil, administratively earmarked for planning and development. The area is administered by a Block Development Officer (BDO), supported by several technic ...

Nalanda district Nalanda district is one of the thirty-eight districts of the state of Bihar in India. Bihar Sharif is the administrative headquarters of this district. The districts contain the ancient Nalanda Mahavihara a UNESCO World Heritage site. Nalanda is ...

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

state,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. As of 2011, its population was 6,672.

Geography

It is located at at an elevation of 55 m above MSL. This small city is very close to Rajgir pahari.

Demographics

As of 2011, the

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species devia ...

of the town of Ekangarsarai was 897 among the general population and 811 among 0-6 year olds. Members of

scheduled castes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

made up 9.59% of the town's population, and members of

scheduled tribes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

made up 0.19%. The

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

was 79.15% (86.56% among men and 71.01% among women), the highest in Nalanda district.

Archaeology

There are a number of archaeological sites in Ekangarsarai block, of which the most widely documented is the former Buddhist monastery of

Telhara Telhara is a town and a municipal council in Akola district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Telhara is called the Cotton City; it is one of the largest cotton-producing subdistrict in Vidarbha Region. It is located 54 km towards North ...

(Telhāḍa), 4 km west of Ekangarsarai. Most of the extant sculptures found in the block have been stylistically dated to the

Pala Pala may refer to: Places Chad *Pala, Chad, the capital of the region of Mayo-Kebbi Ouest Estonia * Pala, Kose Parish, village in Kose Parish, Harju County * Pala, Kuusalu Parish, village in Kuusalu Parish, Harju County *Pala, Järva County, vi ...

period, in the 9th-13th centuries CE, and they represent a mixture of Buddhist and Brahmanic elements. Such a mixture, also noted at the ruins of

Nalanda Nalanda (, ) was a renowned ''mahavihara'' (Buddhist monastic university) in ancient Magadha (modern-day Bihar), India.

Telhara

Chief among the archaeological sites in the block is the Buddhist monastery of

(Telhāḍa), 4 km west of Ekangarsarai. Mentioned by

Xuanzang Xuanzang (, ; 602–664), born Chen Hui / Chen Yi (), also known as Hiuen Tsang, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making contributions to Chinese Buddhism, the travelogue of ...

as ''Telādhākkā'', and also visited by

Yijing The ''I Ching'' or ''Yi Jing'' (, ), usually translated ''Book of Changes'' or ''Classic of Changes'', is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. Originally a divination manual in the Western Zhou ...

, Telhara was a historically important settlement. It later formed a Mughal-era

pargana Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...

. Most other archaeological sites in Ekangsarai block historically formed part of its

catchment area In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

. Excavations here began in 2009. A number of stone and bronze Buddhist sculptures from the

and Sena periods have been found here, along with some Brahmanic icons.

Mandhachh

12 km northwest of Telhara and 6 km northwest of Ekangarsarai. This site contains a 3 acre mound, known locally as a ''garh'', located on the southeast side of the village and bearing artifacts identified with the

Northern Black Polished Ware The Northern Black Polished Ware culture (abbreviated NBPW or NBP) is an urban Iron Age Indian culture of the Indian Subcontinent, lasting c. 700–200 BCE (proto NBPW between 1200 and 700 BCE), succeeding the Painted Grey Ware culture and Blac ...

culture, the

BSW British Standard Whitworth (BSW) is an imperial-unit-based screw thread standard, devised and specified by Joseph Whitworth in 1841 and later adopted as a British Standard. It was the world's first national screw thread standard, and is the basis ...

Black and red ware culture Black and red ware (BRW) is a South Asian earthenware, associated with the neolithic phase, Harappa, Bronze Age India, Iron Age India, the megalithic and the early historical period. Although it is sometimes called an archaeological culture, the ...

, and others, indicating an origin of at least the 1st-2nd centuries CE. Sculptural remains, often damaged or fragmentary, include depictions of Uma-Maheshvara, of

Vamana Vamana (), also known as Trivikrama (), Urukrama (), Upendra (), Dadhivamana (), and Balibandhana () is an avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu. He is the fifth avatar of Vishnu, and the first Dashavatara in the Treta Yuga, after Narasimha. O ...

, and of

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...

, all dated to the 9th-10th century CE based on style, as well as a panel depicting the

Dashavatara The Dashavatara ( sa, दशावतार, ) are the ten primary avatars of Vishnu, a principal Hindus, Hindu god. Vishnu is said to descend in the form of an avatar to restore cosmic order. The word ''Dashavatara'' derives from , meaning " ...

, the ten primary avatars of Vishnu, dating from the 11th-12th century based on style. There are comparatively few Buddhist sculptural remains here. West of the mound, in the center of the modern village, the current temple is built atop an older structural mound. Around half a kilometer west of the mound is an auxiliary site known as "Mahādev sthāna", where a few steles are placed on a medium-sized mound underneath a pipal tree. Among them are one of Uma-Maheshvara dating stylistically to the 11th-12th century as well as one of Buddha that is now partially buried among the roots of the tree. At another auxiliary site, 500m south of the main mound, there is a heavily damaged black basalt stele depicting Vishnu (as

Trivikrama Vamana (), also known as Trivikrama (), Urukrama (), Upendra (), Dadhivamana (), and Balibandhana () is an avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu. He is the fifth avatar of Vishnu, and the first Dashavatara in the Treta Yuga, after Narasimha. ...

), flanked by

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

and

Sarasvati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a god ...

, as well as a kneeling

Garuda Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda is a ...

. This stele, which stylistically dates to the 10th-12th centuries CE, is currently venerated as a

murti In the Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' ( sa, मूर्ति, mūrti, ) is a devotional image such as a statue, or "idol" (a common and non-pejorative term in Indian English), of a deity or saint. In Hindu temples, it is a symbolic icon. Thus ...

Ekangardih

9 km east of Telhara and 2 km east of Ekangarsarai. The archaeological site includes abandoned temple complex, now overgrown with vegetation, a low structural mound, and scattered sculptural and architectural remains. Additionally, a local temple complex known as "Jagdambā sthān", half a kilometer north of Ekangardih Mor on the left side of the Gaya-Bihar Sharif road, houses a number of Brahmanic as well as Buddhist sculptures, presently revered as murtis. Atnother find site was at Kundwapara, a small locality half a kilometer east of Ekangardih Mor, where there was a black basalt Buddhist stele, half buried in the ground and stylistically dated to the 11th-12th century, depicting important scenes from the Buddha's life. The various find sites at Ekangardih feature a mix of Buddhist and Brahmanic elements that are chronologically indistinguishable, indicating that the religions coexisted here at the time.

Other sites

At Dhurgaon, located 9 km northeast of Ekangarsarai, there is a 20-acre mound which is mostly covered by the present village. Remains found here include brick fragments, potsherds, and both Buddhist and Brahmanic sculptures depicting a crowned Buddha as well as Harihara and Ganesh. Another site is Dumari, 2 km north of Nischalganj, on the Bihar Sharif-Ekangarsarai road. A 3m tall mound, locally called a ''garh'', yielded potsherds and sculpture fragments. Excavations at Pilich, 3 km north of Badi Math, yielded an abundance of black stone sculptures. Oral tradition holds that this village's name is derived from "Pilindavacagrāma", after the Buddhist teacher Pilindavaccha. Additionally, Biswas and Majumder identified the village of

Alama Alama is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname: * Khodr Alama (born 1963), Lebanese businessman and music executive * Ragheb Alama (born 1962), Lebanese singer, composer, television personality and philanthr ...

, located some 6 km north of Badi Math, with the ancient ''Armikagrāma''. Potsherds, sculptures, iron implements, and building remains. At Oap, 3 km west of Nischalganj, there is a 10m high mound covering an area of 1 acre, with remains from the

period, BRW, black ware, red ware, and grey ware, alongside sculptures, both Buddhist and Brahmanic. The site of Shankardih is 5 km north of Badi Math, on the Bihar Sharif-Ekangarsarai road, and 2 km east of Pilich. There are large quantities of pottery from Northern Black Polished Ware, red ware, black ware, and grey ware. Structural remains cover a large area, although encroachment of modern settlement and cultivation has covered up some of the site. The village of Jamuawan, 13 km southeast of Ekangarsarai, has a mound with an area 57 decimals, with Pala period sculptures as well as a slab inscription from the 12th-13th centuries CE. At Khirauti, 4 km north of Nischalganj, there is a mound 9m high and 1 acre large in the southern part of the village. Buddhist and Brahmanic sculptures. The site of Shibnagar, located about 9 km east of Ekangarsarai, has a 6m tall mound yielding red ware and black ware. Most of the mound is covered by the current village. A temple complex known as "Mahādev sthān" houses some old sculptures. In the southeast of the village of Aungari, 5 km south of Ekangardih, is a temple complex called ''Aungārīdhām'', which possesses a number of old sculptures.

Transport

National Highway 33 and State Highway 4 passes through Ekangarsarai. Nearest airport is

Patna Airport Jayprakash Narayan International Airport is an international airport serving Patna, the capital of Bihar, India. It is named after the independence activist and political leader, Jayprakash Narayan. It is the 14th busiest airport in India. ...

and Gaya International Airport.

Schools

ST. MARY'S ACADEMY
* R.L.World * Rockford International School * Delhi Public School, Ekangarsarai (coming soon) * S.S. Academy * Vidya Jyoti School * Dev international public school

References

External links

Satellite map of Ekangarsarai
{{Nalanda district Cities and towns in Nalanda district