FROM the eyes of DR AJAY KUMAR OJHA :
KESARIA STUPA ( EAST CHAMPARAN , BIHAR)
(All the images are subject to IPR)
Kesariya is a town in Bihar, India in the district of East Champaran, near Rampur Khajuria on NH28 on the eastern bank of River Gandak (Narayani). It is the site of a stupa built by the King Ashoka. It is one of, if not the largest stupa in India. The Buddha once stayed in Kesariya (then called "Kesaputta"). On that occasion, he preached the Kesaputtiya Suttas which include the Kalama Sutta. The inhabitants of Kesariya were the Kosalans and the Kalamas.
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| National Highway 28 Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar Ojha |
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| Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar Ojha |
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| Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar Ojha |
Kesaria claims the tallest and the largest Buddhist Stupa in the world. The stupa was discovered in 1998 during an excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The stupa dates to between 200 AD and 750 AD and may have been associated with the 4th century ruler, Raja Chakravarti.
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| Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar Ojha |
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| Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar Ojha |
At 104 feet, Kesaria Stupa is one foot taller than the Borobodur Stupa in Java. It is also taller than the second largest stupa at Ghorakatora in the Nalanda district. The National Informatics Centre of East Champaran (Motihari) suggests the Kesaria Stupa was 123 feet tall before the 1934 earthquake in Bihar. According to a report by the A.S.I., the Kesaria Stupa was originally 150 feet in height. The height of Sanchi Stupa a world heritage site is 77.50 feet.
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| Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar Ojha |
In ancient times Kesariya was under the rule of the Mauryas and the Lichchhavis. Recent discovery ( during excavations for canals) of gold coins embossed with the seal of the Emperor Kanishka of the Kushan dynasty, confirms the ancient heritage of Kesariya. The Chinese traveller Fa-Hien had come to Kesariya, in the course of his visit to India during the Gupta Period. Later, impressed by Kesariya's geographic location and its cultural activities, another Chinese traveller, Huen-Sang also visited this place. In the accounts of his travels, he has mentioned at length about Kesariya.
(Input courtesy :wikipedia.org)
Nice post. Located in Patna, Kesariya Stupa is believed to be the world's highest stupa and is a famous tourist spot, which is a part of the Bodh Circuit tour, organised by the state tourism department of Bihar. For tourist accommodation, check out these hotels in Patna.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anjali.
DeleteThe Stupa, devoted to Lord Buddha has extraordinary centrality and it is accepted to go back to somewhere close to 200 AD and 750 AD.
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Thanks Farheen.
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