Nateshwar Deul
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Nateshwar Deul () is a Buddhist archaeological site located in the village of Nateshwar in Tongibari Upazila in the
Munshiganj District Munshiganj District () is a district of Dhaka Division. It is located in central Bangladesh. This region is also historically known as Bikrampur. Geography It is a part of Dhaka Division and borders Dhaka District and Narayanganj District in the ...
, Bangladesh. It is the ruin of a Buddhist city established from 780 to 950 CE and from 950 to 1223 CE in the
Bikrampur Bikrampur (lit. City of Courage) was a historic region and a sub-division of Dhaka within the Bengal Presidency during the period of British India. Located along the banks of the Padma River (a major distributary of the Ganges), it was a sign ...
region. Archaeological excavation began at Nateshwar in 2012–13. From 2013 to 2018, an area of approximately was excavated. Sixteen Buddhist
stupas In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...
, including Bangladesh's only pyramid-shaped one, have been found in Nateshwar.


History

Bikrampur Bikrampur (lit. City of Courage) was a historic region and a sub-division of Dhaka within the Bengal Presidency during the period of British India. Located along the banks of the Padma River (a major distributary of the Ganges), it was a sign ...
was Bengal's capital during the
Chandra Chandra (), also known as Soma (), is the Hindu god of the Moon, and is associated with the night, plants and vegetation. He is one of the Navagraha (nine planets of Hinduism) and Dikpala (guardians of the directions). Etymology and other ...
, Verma, and
Sena Sena may refer to: Places * Sanandaj or Sena, city in northwestern Iran * Sena (state constituency), represented in the Perlis State Legislative Assembly * Sena, a Medieval Catalan exonym for Siena, Italy * Sena, Dashtestan, village in Bushehr P ...
dynasties. Atiśa Dīpankara Śrījñāna (982–1054 CE) described this region in his writings: The ancient Buddhist ruins found during the excavations at Nateshwar and Raghurampur of Munshiganj Sadar Upazila indicate that by that time Bikrampur may have been a center for Buddhist pilgrimage. From Atiśa's writings, it is estimated that there were almost 25,000 Buddhist temples in the "temple-city" where he was born. The pyramid-shaped structure found at Nateshwar was perhaps Atiśa's place of worship or the centre of his preaching.


Archaeological excavation

The "glory of Bikrampur" was previously thought to have disappeared in the Padma's riverbed, namely the "Kirtinasha" (). The location of Bikrampur (along with
Wari-Bateshwar The Wari-Bateshwar ('','' ) ruins in Narsingdi, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh is one of the oldest urban archaeological sites in Bangladesh. Excavation in the site unearthed a fortified urban center, paved roads and suburban dwelling. The site was pr ...
and Nateshwar) first came to be discussed in the writings of historian Nalini Kanta Bhattasali, the first curator of the Dhaka Museum. In 2010, the first archaeological excavation work began at nine locations in three villages across Rampal and
Bajrayogini Bajrayogini is a village and former Village Development Committee that is now part of Shankharapur Municipality in Kathmandu District in Province No. 3 of central Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 3,798 and had 6 ...
; it uncovered the
Bikrampur Vihara Bikrampur Vihara is an ancient Buddhist vihara at Raghurampur village, Bikrampur, Munshiganj District, Dhaka division in Bangladesh. Location The monastery is located at Raghurampur village under Rampal Union of Sadar Upazila of Munshiganj D ...
at Raghurampur, which has been carbon-dated to be from 990 to 1050 CE. Excavations in Nateshwar began in 2012–13. A research team from a Chinese archaeological institute joined the project in 2014. During the excavation in 2012–13, a human settlement was unearthed at Nateshwar. Beginning in 2013, Buddhist temples, octagonal
stupas In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...
, pathways and drains made of bricks were unearthed. Moreover, a temple from the 8th–9th century was found next to the octagonal stupas. From 2013 to 2019, approximately were excavated at Nateshwar. ''Samcaẏa ādhāra'' or a depository with red and black copper coins was found. Earthen cooking pots, water pots, lamps, etc. were among some of the other archaeological findings. Some of the stupas found at Nateshwar are interlinked with three other stupas; each of them is called a Chaturstūpa. The stupas have thick walls. The two pairs of Chaturstūpas are unique in Bangladesh. During the excavations of 2019–20, a pyramid-shaped stupa was unearthed, the largest found in Bangladesh to date.


Architecture

As of August 2020, sixteen stupas have been unearthed at Nateshwar. They were constructed in a Buddhist architectural style. They are mainly tombs or burial chambers, and an important part of Buddhist architecture. They reflect the views and culture of Buddhist civilisation, and are sometimes seen as the symbol of
Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
introduced by
Gautam Buddha Gautam may refer to: *Gautama (name), a name of Sanskrit origin * Gautam (clan), a Rajput clan in India * Gautam (Nepali name), a surname *Gautam Ashram Gautam Ashram () was a gurukul of the ancient Indian philosopher Gautama. It is located at t ...
. The stupas of Nateshwar can be compared to the Mahastupas of
Sanchi Sanchi Stupa is a Buddhist art, Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the States and territories of India, State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometers from Raisen ...
,
Bharhut Bharhut is a village in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh, central India. It is known for a Buddhist stupa, unique in that each panel is explicitly labelled in Brahmi characters saying what the panel depicts. The major donor for the Bharhut st ...
,
Amaravati Amaravati ( , Telugu language, Telugu: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Guntur district on the right bank of the Krishna River, southwest of Vijayawada. The city derives its name from the nearby his ...
, and
Sarnath Sarnath (also known as Deer Park, ''Sarangnath'', ''Isipatana Deer Park'', ''Rishipattana'', ''Migadaya'', or ''Mrigadava'')Gabe Hiemstra, "Buddha Chronicle 24: Kassapa Buddhavaṃsa". ''Wisdom Library'', 14 September 2019. is a town nort ...
. Buddhist stupas are predominantly dome-shaped. However, a unique pyramid-shaped stupa has been excavated at Nateshwar. After
carbon-14 Carbon-14, C-14, C or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with an atomic nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic matter is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and coll ...
testing of 26 specimens of charcoal found in the excavations, America's Beta Analytic Inc. Laboratory fixed two time periods for human settlement at Nateshwar. The first settlement began in 780 CE during the reign of the
Deva dynasty Deva Dynasty (c. 12th – 15th centuries) was a Bengali Hindu dynasty which originated in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent; the dynasty ruled over eastern Bengal after the Sena dynasty. The capital of the dynasty was Bikrampur in ...
(ca. 750–800 CE) and lasted until 950 CE during the Chandra regime (900–1050 CE). The second phase continued from 950 to 1223 CE and lasted through the reigns of the Chandras, Varman (ca. 1080–1150 CE), and
Sena Sena may refer to: Places * Sanandaj or Sena, city in northwestern Iran * Sena (state constituency), represented in the Perlis State Legislative Assembly * Sena, a Medieval Catalan exonym for Siena, Italy * Sena, Dashtestan, village in Bushehr P ...
dynasties. Further archaeological findings include the ruins of Buddhist monasteries with seven monastic rooms, two almost intact brick-paved roads, quadrilateral and octagonal stupas used for religious rituals or burials, and a thick meandering wall on the south-east side, suggesting a well-planned city. The octagonal stupa occupies an area of about . Each of its sides is long; diagonally it measures . There is also a cross-shaped central Aṣṭamārga (eight ways) shrine that was used by the
Vajrayana ''Vajrayāna'' (; 'vajra vehicle'), also known as Mantrayāna ('mantra vehicle'), Guhyamantrayāna ('secret mantra vehicle'), Tantrayāna ('tantra vehicle'), Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, is a Mahāyāna Buddhism, Mahāyāna Buddhis ...
Buddhists. Pre-medieval Buddhist viharas (monasteries), panchastupas, octagonal stupas and a brick drainage system along with newly discovered brick pathways, an entrance gate to the stupa complex in the north, and multiple residences indicate a well-established city at Nateshwar. The upper walls of the Chaturstupas are wider than the lower walls. This style of architecture is different from other archaeological sites in Bangladesh. Pumicite has been used for the construction of those buildings, including the temples. This fine-grained pumice-like volcanic ash would have protected the structures from
humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...
. The largest complete pyramid-shaped stupa in Bangladesh found during the excavations in 2019–20 occupies a total area of about with a height of about . It is long to the south. The dais is high and wide. Carbon dating in a laboratory in the US indicates the pyramid-shaped stupa was built during the period from 780 to 950 CE. Considering the time period, it was built before the birth of Atiśa (982–1054 CE). There is also some evidence that new buildings were constructed over the older ones. At least five construction periods can be identified from a depth.


Future planning of archaeological site

Excavation work continues at Nateshwar. The archaeological findings from the site have been preserved in the Bikrampur Museum. The Bangladeshi government is planning to develop an archaeological park at Nateshwar after excavations are completed in 2024. Archaeologists expect that
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
will recognise Nateshwar as a
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
.


References


External links


Agrashar Bikrampur Foundation
{{Ancient-Medieval sites in Bengal Tongibari Upazila Archaeological sites in Bangladesh Munshiganj District Buddhist monasteries in Bangladesh Buddhist sites in Bangladesh Former populated places in Bangladesh Buddhism in Bangladesh Indian Buddhist missionaries