Excavations At Lalitagiri -1985-1991 (An Old and Rare Book)

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Foreword Lalitagiri is one of the sites of Buddhist 'diamond triangle' in Odisha, the other two sites being Ratnagiri and Udyagiri. The site was subjected to excavation in the eighties of the last century by Late Dr. G.C. Chauley of Bhubaneswar Circle of the Survey with a view to ascertaining the identification of 'Puspagiri Mahavihara' described by the Chinese traveler Hiuen- Tsang in seventh century C.E. The excavations have brought to light plethora of Buddhist antiquities in the form of monasteries, apsidal chaitya, stupa and myriads of artifacts, but dispelled the identification of Puspagiri like those of other Buddhist sites of Ratnagiri and Udayagiri in the vicinity of Lalitagiri as the inscribed sealing’s recovered from one of the monasteries of Lalitagiri read as 'Sri Chandraditya Vihara'.

Significantly, the relic caskets from the stupa and an apsidal chaityagriha from Lalitagiri were reported for the first time in Odisha. Unfortunately, Late G.C. Chauley could not prepare the report during his tenure which was long due for publication. Dr. Jeeban Kumar Patnaik being intimately associated with excavations of Lalitagiri was entrusted with the work. The present report is the outcome of the concerted efforts of Dr. Patnaik of Excavation Branch-TV, Bhubaneswar, who meticulously studied the excavated findings and prepared the report with the support of his colleagues.

I am sure that the present memoir prepared by Dr. Patnaik would be informative and useful in the Buddhist studies for which he deserves all appreciation. I owe my sincere thanks to Dr D.N. Dimri, Director (Publication); Shri Atul Kumar Bhargava, Superintending Archaeologist (Publication); Shri Abinash Mohanty, Deputy Superintending Archaeologist (Publication); Shri Hoshiar Singh, Production Officer (Publication) and the team of the Publication Section of the Survey and all other colleagues who were actively involved in various stages of its publication.

My thanks are due to Miss Chandra Prabhu Offset Printing Works Pvt. Ltd.

Preface Far back over three decades, my career in right earnest started in the Archaeological Survey of India with Late G.C.Chauley, the then Director of the excavation of Buddhist site at Lalitagiri, Dist. Cuttack, Odisha after my transfer from Mandu in Madhya Pradesh in the year 1987. I was enamored with the exciting excavated findings while taking part in the archaeological spade works at Lalitagiri. Since then, I have had a strong desire to know in details about the archaeology of Lalitagiri. Honestly speaking, it was Late G.C.Chauley, the then Superintending Archaeologist and Director of the excavations at Lalitagiri whose constant inspiration helped me in espousing • my further interest in the Buddhist studies. I had the privilege to participate in the excavation for three seasons which ultimately helped me in learning much about Lalitagiri. Secondly, the Memoirs of Archaeological Survey of India on the excavations at Ratnagiri and Udayagiri had already been brought out. But when the Director General, ASI, New Delhi entrusted me the writing of excavation report on Lalitagiri (1985-1991), I felt it was an opportunity to work out on Lalitagiri excavation to publish it in the shape of a report which would give a clear picture and to get a comparative study of the well knit excavated sites of Odisha in a broader archaeological perspective. The earlier Memoirs of Archaeological Survey of India published related to Buddhist sites of Odisha lack many valuable information. The ceramic assemblage, Puri-Kushana coins along with other new discoveries like apsidal chaityagriha, shell script inscription, Kushana Brahmi inscription, relic caskets and antiquities retrieved from Lalitagiri excavation necessitate much to focus light on the new findings in Buddhist context in Odisha hitherto unknown. It is, therefore, indispensable to place the excavated antiquities and remains of the site before public, scholars to study, evaluate and interpret these evidences of Lalitagiri excavated site. Now this lacuna has been filled.

IntroductionA. The Site and its Environs

Lalitagiri or Naltigiri, the ancient settlement named after 'Nalti' is a corrupted form of Arabic word 'lanai' or 'curse' , so named after a traditional narrative in the locality'. Lalitagiri in Mahanga tehsil of Cuttack District (Lat. 20° 3S' N; Long. 86° IS' E) is about S.Skm from Balichandrapur from the NH SA on way to Paradip port (PI. I). The nearest Railway Station is Jajpur-Keonjhar Road on Kolkata- Chennai main line of East-Coast Railway; the nearest Bus Station being Balichandrapur. It is located approximately 8Skm north-east of Bhubaneswar, the capital city, via Cuttack and Chandikhol. The name of the mouza or village is Nalatigiri or Naltigiri (Lalitagiri)", In the vicinity are two other excavated celebrated Buddhist sites constituting 'Diamond triangle' viz., Ratnagiri and Udayagiri both in Jaipur district (Fig. 1).

Lalitagiri, the old village, is in the valley of Nandapahara, Parabhadi or Parabhari and the Olasuni hills (PI. II). These three hills are collectively called Naltigiri'. These hills are the isolated spurs of the Assia range (an off- shoot of Eastern Ghat hill range) extending in the Jajpur and Cuttack Districts. Out of three, the two hills, viz., the Nanda and the Parabhadi contain archaeological vestiges lying scattered on the surface. Olasuni presents negligible archaeological interest, but is remembered for the cenotaph of the saint Arakshita Das of nineteenth century CE. The close surroundings of the hills are formed by a vast stretch of low lying fertile plain carried away by age long alluvium deposit of the Gobari nullah, a tributary of the Chitrotpala. The low lying plain area around Lalitagiri is always susceptible to annual floods being in the midst of high rain fall zone. This natural phenomenon perhaps provoked the villagers to settle on the higher areas, hence the present congested locality found concentrated at the foot hills of Nandapahara and the Parabhadi.

The Parabhadi hill is composed of lateritic soil and khondalite rock boulders at a north- south stretch of I.Skm in length and O.Skm east- west in width. The northern slope near mouza Kesaraipur contained beautiful sculptures of Buddhist pantheon with six minor rock-cut caves on its western face near the locality of Saharas (Sahara Sahi) in the village of Lalitagiri. Most of the sculptures have been already shifted to the sculpture shed constructed on Nandapahara in early part of sixties. Prior to this, few sculptures were removed by Rama Prasad Chanda, now housed in the Indian Museum, Kolkata". The hill was subjected to merciless and large scale quarrying activities of soil and stone boulders for laying modem roads and construction of houses. Even on the summit of Parabhadi hill, a Microwave tower has been erected by the Tele- communication Department and in front of this tower contours of a stupa mound are visible even from a longer distance.

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