Dihar is a village and an ancient archaeological site (approximately 4,700 years old) of great antiquarian importance brought into the limelight by
Maniklal Sinha.
Located in the
Bishnupur subdivision
Bishnupur subdivision is a subdivision of the Bankura district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Subdivisions
Bankura district is divided into the following administrative subdivisions:
Bishnupur subdivision has a density of population of 5 ...
of the
Bankura district
Bankura district (Pron: bãkuɽa) is an District#India, administrative unit in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It is part of Medinipur division—one of the five Divisions of West Bengal, administrative divisi ...
in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n
state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
of
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
. It is north of
Bishnupur and is near
Dharapat.
Geography
Location
Dihar is located at .
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.
History
Belonging to the days of copper-Bronze Age civilisation and with an intricate narrative more than three millennia old, it is one of the earliest sites of human habitation discovered in
Bengal
Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
which shows successive layers of prehistory, proto-history and history. Going by the styles of pottery (
Black and Red Ware
Black and red ware (BRW) is a South Asian earthenware, associated with the Neolithic phase, Harappa, Bronze Age India, Iron Age India, the Megalithic and the early historical period. Although it is sometimes called an archaeological culture, ...
, Red Slipped Ware, Grey Ware,
Northern Black Polished Ware
The Northern Black Polished Ware culture (abbreviated NBPW or NBP) is an urban Iron Age Indian culture of the Indian subcontinent, lasting –200 BCE (proto NBPW between 1200 and 700 BCE), succeeding the Painted Grey Ware culture and Black and ...
, etc. found on different and sometimes intermixed levels),
microliths
A microlith is a small Rock (geology), stone tool usually made of flint or chert and typically a centimetre or so in length and half a centimetre wide. They were made by humans from around 60,000 years ago, across Europe, Africa, Asia and Austral ...
, metallurgical fragments, beads, shells, skeletons, terracotta figurines, homesteads,
debitage
In archaeology, debitage is all the material produced during the process of lithic reduction – the production of stone tools and weapons by knapping stone. This Assemblage (archaeology), assemblage may include the different kinds of lithic fla ...
, shards of bone, and habitational refuge one can place this site in the same archaeo-cultural horizon as
Pandu Rajar Dhibi. By about 2700-1500 BCE
chalcolithic
The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...
proto-urban people had settled on the northern banks of the
Dwarakeswar, most probably belonging to a socio-culturally and technologically advanced ethno-linguistic group. According to the
carbon 14 dating of samples from the Hirapur mound, Dihar is the oldest archaeological settlement of the early village farming culture discovered in
Bengal region
Bengal ( ) is a historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Bengal proper is divided between the modern- ...
. Among the four mounds at Dihar, the oldest specimen is from the Hirapur mound, which is 4700 years old. Early village farming culture in Dihar existed between 2700 BC and 1500 BC, which was contemporary with the Pre-Harappan, Harappan and Post-Harappan periods. After this early proto-historic period, stretching from the copper-Bronze Age to the early Iron Age of the pre-
Maurya
The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sourc ...
to the
Shunga
is a type of Japanese erotic art typically executed as a kind of ukiyo-e, often in Woodcut, woodblock print format. While rare, there are also extant erotic painted handscrolls which predate ukiyo-e. Translated literally, the Japanese word '' ...
eras, nothing noticeable has been discovered at Dihar till confirmed
Saivite
Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the supreme being. It is the second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million Hindus, found widely across South Asia (predominantly in ...
activities beginning roughly from around the 13th-14th centuries CE.
Demographics
According to the
2011 Census of India, Dihar had a total population of 815 of which 416 (51%) were males and 399 (49%) were females. Population below 6 years was 84. The total number of literates in Dihar was 450 (61.56% of the population over 6 years).
Culture
The remains of the Shnareshwara (ষাঁড়েশ্বর) and Shaileshwara (শৈলেশ্বর)
Shiva
Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
temples, built upon one of the primary
chalcolithic
The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...
/æneolithic habitational mounds, are some of the major attractions at Dihar. Either king
Prithwi Malla of the
Malla dynasty
Malla may refer to: Places
;Bolivia
*Malla, Bolivia, a locality
* Malla Jawira, a river
* Malla Jaqhi, a mountain
* Malla Municipality
* Malla Qullu, a mountain
;India
* Mallapuram, Tamil Nadu
*Malla (tribe), an ancient republic, one of the s ...
of Bishnupur had commissioned the temples (their architectural style being referred to as 'rekha
deul') to be constructed in 1346 CE (the date being highly debatable academically) or, as deduced from their structural and architectural affinities, had them repaired, restored and reconsecrated in 1346 CE, as the two temples could have been built by monarchs from earlier dynasties in the form of twin Jain/Buddhist monuments at around the period when the Siddheshwara temple was built nearby at
Bahulara at some point of time during the
Pala era. Moreover, till date, much academic debate remains over the exact dates of their construction.
The unkempt laterite stone walls of the temples have suffered badly from centuries of erosion but intricate floral designs and miniature human figurines captured in dramatic poses can still be made out. Furthermore, some eroded or defaced images of divinity can also be seen upon the stone panels. Pilgrims, to this day, gather in the area during Shivratri.
Both the Shnareshwara and Shaileshwara temples are included in the
List of Monuments of National Importance in West Bengal by the
Archaeological Survey of India
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...
(serial no. N-WB-28 & 29).
See also -
Bengal temple architecture
Bengal temple architecture also known as Malla dynasty architecture is about temple styles developed and used in Bengal, particularly the ''chala'', ''ratna'' and ''dalan'' temples.
Background
According to David J. McCutchion, historically the ...
Dihar picture gallery
File:Saileswar and Sareswar temple of Dihar in Bankura district (02).jpg, Shaileswar temple
File:Saileswar and Sareswar temple of Dihar in Bankura district (19).jpg, Sareswar temple
File:Saileswar and Sareswar temple of Dihar in Bankura district (45).jpg, Both the temples
File:Sareswar and Saileshwar temple bishnupur west bengal 03.jpg, Religious ceremony in progress
File:Saileswar and Sareswar temple of Dihar in Bankura district (53).jpg, Shaileswar temple wall
File:Saileswar and Sareswar temple of Dihar in Bankura district (74).jpg, In the Shaileswar temple
References
External links
Maniklal Sinha
{{Temple towns in West Bengal
Former populated places in India
Archaeological sites in West Bengal
Tourist attractions in Bankura district