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| Mrs. Debala Mitra in Lumbini | ||||||
| Mrs. Debala Mitra, the then Superintendent of the Archaeological Survey of India, visited Lumbini in February 1962 during excavation work being carried out at Kudan and Tilaurakot in Kapilavastu. In order to ascertain the nature of the brick enclosure described by Mukherji and details of the base of the pillar, she excavated a small trench along the western side of the base of the Asokan pillar. (Pl. # 92) During her excavation she noticed that the pillar had a Mauryan polish typical of finished stone from the quarry in the neighbourhood of Chunar. She saw the vertical fissure down to the middle, and the fact that the top had broken off with all the crown elements except the bell-shaped lotus (in two halves). She took photographs of the inscriptions of Asoka and noticed several engravings made by the pilgrims, among which was the well-known mantra 'Om mani padme hum' in Tibetan characters. Mitra wished to reach the base of the pillar in order to determine the height of the hammer-dressed portion of it, but was unable to do so. She could not go beyond 51 cm below the polished portion due to the intervention of the touring commissioner,who was apprehensive about letting her dig deeper for fear that the pillar might be destabilized. To the north-east and south-east of the pillar were small brick stupas with square base stands, and to the east of the pillar was a modem flat-roofed temple containing the nativity panel of Buddha. The modem temple lay over the ruins of several subsidiary structures, including stupas and the magnificently decorated plinth of an early temple unearthed by Mukhedi. The plinth of the sanctuary was saptaratha in plan, excluding minor projections, the classical shape being relieved with several horizontal mouldings each richly embellished with a variety of motifs. The bathing pool of the Sakyas mentioned by Hiuen-Tsang (Yuan Chwang) lay to the south of the temple. Its banks had recently been reinforced with bricks laid out in steps. Mitra saw many ruined brick structures, most of which were stupas. On the east bank of the pool, near the south-east comer, was a quadrangular brick monastery with an array of cells on four sides of a courtyard. In 1957 she had seen a group of 16 votive brick stupas to the north-east of the temple, though she did not mentioned this fact 1 1962. There are other ruins and structures extending eastward up to the bank of the river Telar apart from what was exposed partly by Mukherji and Kesher Shumsher, but some structures were demolished during the construction of the road to Lumbini, the new rest-house and the health centre. She took photographs of some of the antiquities unearthed by Kesher Shumsher which were being stored in the old rest-house, including the following: 1.A mottled red sandstone head of the Buddha (Kushana period) (Fig.CXLXA). (Pl. # 93) Mrs. Debala Mitra photographed all of these artfacts and published them in her port Excavations at Plaura-kot and Kodan and Explorations of the Nepalese Terai 41tra, 98-99:1972). Mitra concludes from the available antiquities that Buddhist Lumbini maintained its .istence up until at least the I Oth century (Mitra, 58-60:1980). | ||||||
The Conception of the Buddha Maya's Travel to Lumbini for Devadaha Birth of a Prince The Great Renunciation and Enlightenment The First Disciple The First Cermon Return to Kapilvastu The Last Days of Buddha Lumbini after the Death of the Buddha Asoka's Visit to Lumbini The Asokan Pillar of Lumbini Lumbini after Asoka's Visit Lumbini: the Archaoloqical Pursuits Early Explorations Dr.A.Fuhrer and Khadqa Shumsher Rana in Lumbini Babu Purna Chanda Mukherji in Lumbini General Kesher shumsher J.B Rana in Lumbini Mrs. Debala Mitra in Lumbini |
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