National Monuments Authority releases draft heritage bye-laws for supposed site of Palace of Asoka in Patna

Patna: The National Monuments Authority (NMA) has released draft heritage bye-laws for one more centrally protected monument in Bihar-- the supposed site of the Palace of Asoka located in the state capital -- for conservation and periphery development.

The supposed site of the Palace of Asoka, located in the Kumrahar area in Patna, is being protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Kumhrar is the area of Patna where remains of the ancient city of Patliputra were excavated.

The archaeological remains of the Mauryan period ((322–185 BCE) have been discovered here, and this includes the ruins of a hypostyle 80-pillared hall.

The excavation finding here dates back to 600 BCE and marks the ancient capital of Ajatasattu, Chandragupta and Ashoka and collectively the relics range from four continuous periods from 600 BCE to 600 CE.

The draft heritage bye-laws have been released under section 20 (E) of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological sites and remains (AMASR) Act, 1958 on the basis of field survey conducted by the competent authority.

The NMA, which comes under the Union Ministry of Culture, has been assigned several functions including the protection and preservation of monuments and sites through management of the prohibited and regulated area around the centrally protected monuments.

It is also the responsibility of the NMA to consider grant of permissions to applicants for construction-related activity in the prohibited and regulated area.

"The excavations at Kumhrar were conducted under the auspices of the K P Jayaswal Research Institute from 1951 to 1955, revealed the cultural sequence of the site from the Mauryan period up to 600 A.D. Eight more stumps of pillars of the Mauryan Pillared Hall, in addition to those exposed by Dr Spooner in 1912-14, were discovered."

"The two important discoveries deserve special mention. These are the sites of Arogya Vihara with its terracotta sealing bearing the legend (Sri Arogya Vihara Bhiksu-Samghasya of the Sanatorium-cum-monastery of the Bhiksu Sangha) in the Gupta-Brahmi script and of a monastery with a seal bearing its plan and legend (Sanghasa)", says the draft bye-laws.

It said, "The existence of a hospital at Pataliputra, as noticed by Fa-Hien, is supported further by the recent archaeological excavations at Kumhrar. When Fa Hien (405-411) visited the city in the fifth century CE, he wrote in amazed wonder of the buildings still standing - The royal palace and halls in the midst of the city which exist now as of old, were all made by spirits which he employed, and which piled up the stones, reared the walls and gates, and executed the elegant carving and inlaid sculpture work, in a way which no human hands of this world could accomplish".

Commenting on the draft heritage bye-laws for the supposed site of the Palace of Asoka, Bijoy Kumar Choudhary, Executive Director, Bihar Heritage Development Society (BHDS) of the state government, told PTI, 'Preparing heritage bye-laws for the centrally protected monuments in the state is the mandate of the NMA. But one thing I must say is that the excavated remains of the ancient Mauryan/Ashoka Palace at Kumhrar are the living signs of Patna’s glorious past.

The authorities concerned must give top priority to proper protection and conservation of this ancient site. An 80-pillared assembly hall, which embodies perhaps the very first evidence of ancient Pataliputra, has been 'lost into oblivion', as the hall is buried under soil up to 20 ft at the Mauryan heritage site, he said.

'The authority concerned got the 80-pillar hall site filled with sand and soil in 2004 citing perennial waterlogging. Since then, the hall has been completely buried underground and no efforts are being taken by the concerned authority to bring them back to the surface... The remains of 80 stone pillars are the only evidence of the architectural activities of the Mauryan emperors in the entire Indian sub-continent. The famed pillared hall first came to light in 1912-13 during excavations carried out by Archaeological Survey of India under D B Spooner... ', said Choudhary.

Prior to this, the NAM released draft heritage bye-laws for centrally protected monuments/sites—'Vapiyaka cave' and 'Vada Thika cave' (Nagarjuni hill, Jehanabad), 'Buddhist Stupa' (Kesariya, East Champaran) and 'Excavated remains of stupa on 18 plots in two villages Harpur Basant and Chakramdas' (Vaishali)--—in Bihar for their conservation and periphery development.

Besides, the NAM had also released draft heritage bye-laws for the ancient structures and other monuments/remains within the areas enclosed or surrounded by the ancient protected walls in Rajgir (Nalanda) and the Asoka column known as Laur Pillar at Lauriya in East Champaran district—in Bihar for their conservation and periphery development.