Four new sites in Bihar in protected monuments’ list

These include archaeological remains discovered on the banks of Chandan river in Amarpur block of Banka district, the huge mound discovered at Guwaridih-Bariarpur in Bhagalpur district, the ancient Lord Shiva temple at Dumaria village in Gopalganj district and mausoleum of Qamar Ali and Sultan Ali and Dulhin Mandir at Sherghati in Gaya.

Four new sites in Bihar have been declared as state protected monuments and their development and upkeep will now been handled by the directorate of archaeology of the culture department, officials said.

Guwaridih mound in Bhagalpur. (HT Photo)

These include archaeological remains discovered on the banks of Chandan river in Amarpur block of Banka district, the huge mound discovered at Guwaridih-Bariarpur in Bhagalpur district, the ancient Lord Shiva temple at Dumaria village in Gopalganj district and mausoleum of Qamar Ali and Sultan Ali and Dulhin Mandir at Sherghati in Gaya.

The mound at Guwaridih village in Bhagalpur district was brought to the notice of the government by some locals in November 2020.

The remains of the ancient wall at Chandan river has been a chance finding. It was noticed during Chhath festival last year when some villagers were cleaning the banks.

Both these places had drawn attention of chief minister Nitish Kumar, who had visited the sites of Guwaridih and Chandan river and asked officials to get the sites protected.

“All these tombs, temples and mounds were declared state protected monuments last week. The directorate had decided to bring these monuments under the purview of the state archaeology and had issued notice two months ago, asking people to submit any claims they might have over the site. With the no such claims made by any one, these have officially been declared the state protected monuments,” said Deepak Anand, additional secretary of the culture department who is heading the state archaeology.

The tombs and temples are in a bad shape and need redevelopment while the archaeological sites in Bhagalpur and Banka districts will mainly need conservation, he said.

Official said that with these additions, Bihar now has 34 state protected monuments. “The state has been rich in archaeological sites, temples and tombs of great personalities. We try to preserve these to preserve our heritage and culture,” he said.