BIHAR DHAP NEAR MAHASTHANGARH--ANOTHER ANCIENT SETTLEMENT

In ancient Hindu regimes, we find no particular territorial

n a m e o f B a n g a l a s a w h o l e . V a r i o u s f r a g m e n t s o f

information were known in different times. In northern

Bengal it was known as Pundra, Barendra and in western

Bangal, it was Rardh, Samatat, Horical and Bongaal.

Besides, some part of in northern and western Bengal, it

were called Gauda for some time. After the conquest of

the Muslims in this area, the whole of the vast territory

was called Bangala which was subsequently called Bengal

by the Europeans . The word Bengal i s undoubtedly

a derivative of Bangala. The famous Chinese pilgrim

Huen-Tsang’s report that there were four independent

kingdoms in the then Bengal: Pundrabardhan (North

Bengal), Samata (East Bengal), Tamraliptty (South or

South-west Bengal) and Kornashubarna (West Bengal).

There after t h e Pala dynasty declined and the Sen

dynasty began to rule with ascending the throne of Vijay

Sen. Since 11th century A.D. Vijay Sen, Ballal Sen and

Lakshman Sen reigned in Bengal till the Muslim conquest

by Iktiar Uddin Muhammad Bakhtiar Khilji. Thus Bengal

came under Muslim control.

The Buddhist archaeological site of Bihar Dhap is

located about six kilometres away to the west of ancient

Pundranagor city or Mahasthangarh in the district of

Bogra in Bangladesh. The Chinese pilgrim, Huen-Tsang,

reported while traveling in Bengal that he visited a vast

‘shangaram’ (monastery) called Po-Shi-Po and took

part in religious activities. Sir Alexander Cunningham

identifi ed this archaeological site as Po-Shi-Po-Bihara as is

told by the eminent traveler Huen-Tsang in his account.

As a result of Bihar Dhap excavation, relics of an ancient

rectangular sized temple of Gupta Empire measuring

29.50 m × 29.00 m has been unveiled. Subsequently in the

second phase, a comparatively smaller temple measuring

12.00 m × 9.70 m was built attaching to and conformity

with that of the fi rst phase. This attached building gave

both the temple a new look and appearance which

included plaster of the exterior walls of the temples with

a novelty unknown in this region so far. In the last phase

of construction, the well-wide concreted floor and the

front wall with the height of 2.28 metres were found

almost intact. All over the exterior parts of the front wall,

use of the thick plaster was visible. On the body of the

temples constructed in the fi rst phase, no such a sort of

plaster was used.