Nandangarh stupa

Nandangarh stupa
The stupa at Nandangarh
Religion
Affiliation	Buddhism
Status	Preserved
Location
Location	Lauria Nandangarh, Bihar, India
Location in Bihar, India
Administration	Maurya Empire
Geographic coordinates	26°59′54.52″N84°24′30.52″E / 26.9984778°N 84.4084778°E / 26.9984778; 84.4084778
Architecture
Type	Stupa
Style	Buddhist
Completed	c. 3rd century BCE
Materials	Brick

Nandangarh stupa is an ancient colossal stupa located near the town of Lauria Nandangarh in West Champaran district of Bihar in India. Archaeologists have identified five phases of development in the stupa with the earliest stage dating back to the Mauryan period around the third-century BCE and later alterations being made around the first century BCE. ^{[1] [2]}

History

The stupa of Nandangarh was first excavated in 1935 and 1936 by the Archaeological Survey of India under the guidance of NG Majumdar and A Ghosh. ^[1] The site itself was however noticed by Alexander Cunningham in 1861 although he initially believed the mound to have been a fort of some kind. Other archaeological finds are noted in the vicinity of the stupa including an Ashokan pillar as well as other mounds which resemble the shape of a stupa. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

As was the custom of Buddhists in India at the time, the stupa itself was later enlarged upon in the following centuries with the earliest phase of the stupa being dated to the 3rd century BCE and later alterations and enlargements continuing until at least the 1st century BCE. ^[2]

Description

The stupa has a height of 25 metres and a width of 153 metres. It is composed of six terraces and three procession paths. ^[2]

References

1. SEN, JOYANTO K (2015). "The Colossal Stupa at Nandangarh: ITS Reconstruction and Significance" . Artibus Asiae. 75 (2): 179–220. doi:10.61342/ZKKG6734. JSTOR   24913608.
2. van Lohuizen-de Leeuw, J. E. (1956). "South-East Asian Architecture and the Stūpa of Nandangaṛh". Artibus Asiae. 19. JSTOR   3248765.
3. Kaushik, Garima (2016). Women and Monastic Buddhism in Early South Asia: Rediscovering the Invisible Believers. Routledge. p. 27. ISBN   978-1-317-32939-8.
4. Pande, Govind Chandra (2006). India's Interaction with Southeast Asia. Project of History of Indian Science, Philosophy, and Culture. p. 419. ISBN   978-81-87586-24-1.
5. An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology. BRILL. 1990. ISBN   90-04-09264-1 . Retrieved 2012-12-28.