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The remains of a monolithic pillar of the Ashokan era, recently
found in Patna, may throw light on the history of ancient
Pataligram, around which Pataliputra, the capital of the Magadh
empire, was built.
Calling it a major discovery, archaeologists said it would reveal a
lot of the history of Pataliputra and the evolution of human
civilisation.
The expedition was conducted by the Committee for Conservation of
Indian Cultural Heritage, comprising Mr Prakash Charan Prasad, a
former director of the Bihar archaeology department, Lt. Col. Umesh
Prasad, Mr Magandeo Narayan Singh, and Mr Kumar Anand. The pillar
was found in Kachighat, within the old Patna fort. The visible
portion of the chunar sandstone monolithic shaft has a base
diameter of 28 inches and stands buried vertically, 400 metres west
of the fort, now called Jalan ka Qila.
Mr Prasad said the upper part of the shaft was missing. some
Mayuran bricks and remains of a 20-ft long linten of chunar
sandstone - presumably from a water tank in the 16th century - lie
next to the pillar.
The experts say the length of the shaft may be between 18 to 19 ft.
According to the sacred Digha Nikaya and other Buddhist sources,
the Buddha while proceeding for the last time to Vaishali with his
followers, came to Pataliputra from Nalanda and stayed at the royal
guest house of King Ajatsatru. The king's ministers, Vassakara and
Sunitha, were at the time fortifying ancient Pataligram.
Documents show the gate through which the Buddha entered the city
and the bank where he crossed the Ganga were named Gautam Dwara and
Gautam Ghat. During that visit, the Buddha prophesied the
prosperity of Pataliputra and foretold that its destruction would
be caused by fire, water and internal strife.
Team members said the place where the pillar was found was
identical with the area identified by the historian, H. Tripathi,
as Gautam Dwara. This site is 300 metres north of the Patna Saheb
Gurdwara, the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh.
They said Fa Hien's account of a lion crested pillar and an
adjacent monastery, containing the Buddha's footprint to the north
of ancient Pataliputra, had yet to be located.
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