Bihar CM Nitish visits new archaeological site under river bed

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday flew down to a remote part of a central Bihar district where an archaeological site, said to be more than 2,500 years old, has been discovered underneath a river bed.

The site is located in Amarpur block of Banka district, about 300 kms from here, and it came to light after some antique objects were found by local villagers while they were performing rituals in the Chandan river as part of the Chhath festivities.

"When I heard about the discovery of the site, I had a gut feeling that it might be of the Buddha's period. I was delighted when experts, who visited and studied the site, said it was about 2,600 years old, dating back to the period of the Enlightened One," Kumar, known for his keen interest in archaeology as well as Buddhism, told reporters.

The chief minister, who was accompanied by a number of officials besides minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, had a look at the items put on display upon excavations so far, and also trudged through a steep, sandy landscape to inspect the river bed.

"Chaudhary, who holds the water resources portfolio, is with me. We shall be exploring the option of diverting the river a bit, preferably along its original course nearby. This would make excavation easier," Kumar said.

"I feel once the excavation is complete, the site will emerge as a place of interest for not just people of the state or the country, but the entire world. So many places of antiquity are located in Bihar, which have suffered neglect," he added.