Kesariya stupa is a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

stupa in

Kesariya Kesariya or Kesaria is a town in the district of East Champaran, in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the site of a stupa built by the Mauryan king Ashoka. Geography It is near Rampur Khajuria. The nearest villages are Noori Mohalla Trilok ...

, located at a distance of from

Patna Patna ( ), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...

, in the Champaran (east) district of

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 ...

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 ...

. The first construction of the Stupa is dated to the 3rd century BCE.Le Huu Phuoc, Buddhist Architecture, Grafikol 2009, pp.169-171 Kesariya Stupa has a circumference of almost and raises to a height of about .

History

The site's exploration reportedly started in the early 19th century, from its discovery led by Colonel Mackenzie in 1814 to General Cunningham's proper excavation in 1861–62. An excavation was conducted by archaeologist KK Muhammed of the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexand ...

(ASI) in 1998. The original Kesariya stupa probably dates to the time of

Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...

(circa 250 BCE), as the remains of a capital of a

Pillar of Ashoka The pillars of Ashoka are a series of monolithic columns dispersed throughout the Indian subcontinent, erected or at least inscribed with edicts by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka during his reign from c. 268 to 232 BCE. Ashoka used the expressi ...

were discovered there.Buddhist Architecture, Lee Huu Phuoc, Grafikol 2009, p.140-174 The stupa mound may even have been inaugurated during the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

's time, as it corresponds in many respects to the description of the stupa erected by the Licchavis of Vaishali to house the alms bowl the Buddha has given them. The current stupa dates to the Gupta Dynasty between 200 AD and 750 AD, and may have been associated with the 4th century ruler Raja Chakravarti. The local people call this stupa "Devala", meaning "house of god". The ASI has declared the stupa a protected monument of national importance. Despite being a popular tourist attraction, Kesariya is yet to be developed and a large part of the stupa still remains under vegetation.

Relationship with Borobodur

It has been noted that the Kesariya stupa shares many architectural similarities with the Buddhist temple located in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, Borobodur which points to a historical connections between east India and South East Asia. Both monuments share a circular

mandala A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...

form with terraces containing figures of Buddha in the niches. Like Borobodur, Kesariya is also built atop of a hill. The excavated chambers at Kesariya show a combination of statues in ''bhumisparsha'' (of

Akshobhya Akshobhya ( sa, अक्षोभ्य, ''Akṣobhya'', "Immovable One"; ) is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, a product of the Adibuddha, who represents consciousness as an aspect of reality. By convention he is located in the east of the ...

) and ''dhyanimudra'' (of Amitabha) on the same side, whereas Borobudur houses four Jina Buddhas, displaying their respective mudras on the four sides of the monument.

Gallery

Panorama of Kesariya Stupa at Bihar 02.jpg, Chakia Kesariya Sattarghat Road, just outside the gate to the stupa Panorama of Kesariya Stupa at Bihar 08.jpg, view of the stupa from the gate Panorama of Kesariya Stupa at Bihar 01.jpg, Panoramic close-up view of the stupa Bihar - Niches, Kesariya (9239741966).jpg, broken Buddha statues Bihar - Broken Buddha, Kesariya (9236944625).jpg, broken Buddha statue

References

{{india-struct-stub Archaeological sites in Bihar Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India Buddhist sites in Bihar Stupas in India Tourism in Bihar

History

Relationship with Borobodur

Gallery

See also

References