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Tilaurakot
Over
the past few decades archaeological
work has been conducted in the Terai
region of the country where Nepal's
first settlements were probably
located. Tilaurakot, for example,
used to be the capital of the shakya
dynast. It is situated in KAPILBASTU
DISTRICT IN WESTERN Nepal. The
present archaeological site extends
over the area of more that five
square kilometers. The central
portion, measuring approximately
five thousand meters by four
thousand meters, is surrounded by a
citadel built at three different
periods. The first and second
ancient citadel walls are made of
mud ad date from 600 to 200 B.C.
While the third wall appears to have
been constructed with kilnburnt
bricks around 150 B.C. The eastern
gate, the eastern stupa, the Ashita
Apsidal Stupa and a defence wall
were first discovered at the site.
More recent excavations have brought
to light the majestic western
gateway complex including the
watchman's room, six meter wide
roads of different periods (With
cart-track impressions), the moat on
the east and west, three periods of
defence walls and northern twin
stupas made and enlarged between the
fourth and second centuries B.C. The
central portion of The site has also
been excavated and various brick
structures from the third century
B.C to the second century A.D have
been unearthed. Water storage tanks,
big jars, brick and terra-cotta ring
wells and a fire-alter have also
been found. Other antiquities
discovered at the site are human and
animal terra-cotta figurines (dated
400 B.C to A.D 200), silver
punch-marked coins, early cast coins
with symbols, Mitra coins with
different symbols, Kushan coins, and
pieces of Sunga and Kushan pottery.
Apart from these antiquities,
practical items such as terra-cotta
cart wheels, iron implements, nails,
arrowheads, bone and copper rods,
dice and fishing hooks have also
been found.
Gotihawa Gotihawa - rich in possession of
ancient ruins is situated eleven
kilometers south of Tilaurakot and
six kilometers south west of
Taulihawa, the present district
headquaters. To the north of
Gotihawa village, there is an
ancient brick stupa and an Ashokan
Pillar. The lower portion, with its
square granite base stone, is still
intact but the crowning features and
inscriptional portions are missing.
The site can be safely identified as
the Nirvan Stupa of Kakuchhanda
Buddha (one of the previous Buddha),
whose hometown lies within one
kilometer of this stupa-pillar
complex .
Sagarahawa This site is located
tow kilometers north of Tilaurakot
of the bank of the Banganga river.
It was excavated in 1896 and
seventeen miniature Stupas were
found there. In the same general
region, sites of ancient
civilization have been identified at
Lumbini, Banjarhi, Nipaniya and
Kadyatawa, to Mention just a few.
Several important sites have also
been excavated in the eastern region
of the country, the most important
of which are Bhediari, Varahakshetra,
Janakpur and Simaraongad.
Bhediari Located nearly ten
kilometers south of Biratnagar, the
ancient ruins at this site include
many important brick temples. There
is a two-meter high rectangular
platform supported from inside by
cross walls. So far no image either
of stone or terra cotta has been
found during the excavations;
however, a number of silver
punch-marked coins have been found.
Varahakshetra
This is another important temple
site located at the confluence of
the Koka and Koshi rivers. The site
is known to belong to the period of
later Guptas, who had issued a
copper grant for the two Varaha
images found there. There are also
many miniature Gupta period temple
replicas, which suggest that many
such temples and idols were made
during the sixth and seventh
centuries A.D.
Narsingha Tappu Some years ago,
while cultivating at Narasingha
Tappu, close to the present town of
Itahari, an idol of Vishnu was
discovered the image belongs to the
fifth or sixth century A.D and is of
the Gupta tradition. It is now kept
inside a local Shiva temple. The
site, according to local people,
also contains pottery items,
indicating that it belonged to the
ancient Gupta dynasty (fourth-fifth
century A.D)
Janakpur At Ram - Janaki temple
complex near Jankpur there is an
important image depicting Uma lying
on a bed and feeding a baby. Ganesh
and Kumar are also depicted in the
panel while on the top of the scene
is a Shiva Linga. The piece dates
back to twelfth or thirteenth
century A.D and Belongs To the
Karnatakas of simaraongad.
Simaraongad This was an old
capital city of the Karnastakas of
Mithila and was built by King
Nanyadeva in A.D 1097-90. The ruins
of the city extend over an area of
16 Kilometers which is still
surrounded by a high wall of
Kiln-burnt bricks. There are more
than one hundred images and
sculptures scattered throughout the
area. Most are made of black schist
stone and are nicely polished; a few
are made of sandstone. The images at
the site are of Vishnu, Narayan,
Laxmi Narayan, Shankersana,
Garudopari Vishnu, Uma-Maheshwara,
Durga, Shiva and Surya. In different
parts of Simaraongad, there are
remains of temples and gateways of
the old city.
Other sites bearing Karnataka images
and sculptures are Kanchanpur (Near
Rajbiraj), Murtiya ( West of
Janakpur) and Valmiki Nagar (near
the Gandaki barrage), as well as
several other places between the
Gandaki and Sapta Koshi rivers.
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