Rajgriha- Griyak peak- Ghosrawan- Tetrawan- Parwati- Nanand- Chandimau

The track from Rajgriha to Parwati has many sacred places along the way and CM visited a few of these spots and gave instructions to all concerned departments for early finish of the projects related with road, forestation and bridges. He inspected the ongoing work of three important bridges that when complete will reduce the travel time and distance between rajgir and Parwati.

Griyak peak Lat- 25° 01’, N, Long- 85° 30’ E)
Griyak peak is currently proposed to be the first spot between Rajgir and Parwati to be developed as tourist attraction.
The Griyak peak is one of the most massive structures in the region and is visible from distance.
It consists of a 25 ft brick pillar from gupta period and a massive cubical shaped rock structure with dimensions around 60 X 60 X 60 Meters. The evidences on the site suggest that this was once a very lively place with frequent monastic activities. This brick structure and the stone structure have witnessed some happening times during Gupta and Pala period as suggested by the massive remains.

The site is a must see for all Patrons of Buddhist art and architecture. It is about a 300-meter walk to the top of the hill where the stupa is situated and the views of river Panchane to its east are incredibly beautiful.

PIC: Discussing the giriyak Peak

Ghosrawan (Lat- 25° 05’, N, Long- 85° 34’ E)The mounds that were essentially the remains of huge religious structures were full of rich materials that were repurposed extensively by the newly settling populations. As per the Inscription discovered by Kittoe in 1848 amongst the ruins, this was the site of Vajrasana Vihara erected by Monk Viradeva. The inscription states that Monk Viradeva had earlier in his life studied in the monastery of Kanishka. He then found his way to this part of ancient Magadha where he stayed at a Vihara of Yasovarmanpur and was consequently appointed to govern the monastic establishment of Nalanda.
In the modern days the village is a popular destination for Hindu devotees. A big temple housing old pala period sculpture is under construction over an old temple. This temple is popularly called Asha Mata temple and on every Tuesday lots of devotees flock to sacrifice Goat. It is believed by performing such sacrifice at this temple wishes comes true.

PIC: temple at Ghosrawan

The central image at the temple is beautifully decorated and some colors have been applied to make it more conspicuous. As per the belief the Devi sculptures are generally covered with cloth and should not be removed. A big sculpture from the village is placed in Patna museum. There are many other sculptures big and small, pillars and other structural and architectural elements scattered through out the village is often found repurposed in many individual houses too.

Tetrawan (Lat- 25° 07’, N, Long- 85° 35’ E)
As per the Inscription found in village the place was once known as “Tenta-di-grama”. The size of the mound and the name suggests it was a monastic site. Main attraction of the village is a huge black stone Buddha in Bhumisparsh mudra. The size of image is almost 10 ft tall. And is one of the largest images in whole of the region. Lots of foreign pilgrims visit the place and the locals have constructed a temple with help of their contributions. The CM spent considerable amount of time with the community discussing how best we can use the surrounding. The place has two huge water bodies, which can be suitable for developing into a recreational area in order to attract more pilgrims.

PIC: Colosal buddha at Tetrawan

Parwati (Lat- 25° 05’, N, Long- 85° 38’ E)
The hansa stupa at the top of the hills is one of the most intact stupa which marks the site of sacrifice of a wild bird for the pious Bodhisattvas. The associated folklore goes like this, ‘One day a monk from the monastery saw a flock of wild geese flying overhead and he jokingly commented “today there is no breakfast for the brethren; the mahasattva must know the right time”. Before he finished speaking one of the wild geese dropped, all the monks were greatly moved by this selfless act and the goose was buried and this tope was erected over his body as a sign of great respect.

Buddha shared an invaluable insight with us humans at Indrasaila Guha, ‘Envy and selfishness has brought about hostility among beings. He further explained that the roots of such extreme emotions lie in desire.
The legend associated with this site is another example of the convoluted boundaries between modern day religions. It is said that once Sakka, the king of devas, also known as Indra, visited Buddha here and asked him to answer eight doubts about the mortal life on earth. Lord Buddha gave a discourse in response which is now preserved as Sakkapañha Sutta. Xuanzang mentions the presence of 42 lines inscribed in the cave in his travelogue.

Chandi Mau (Lat- 25° 03’, N, Long- 85° 29’ E)
& Nanand (Lat- 25° 05’, N, Long- 85° 30’ E)Either Nanand or Chandimau is the place associated with Sariputra. Antiquities of both the village is very rich and both the site deserves attention. The CM visited both the village and spoke to the community about the village being now part of the Parwati circuit, which is being developed at his instigation. ASI carried out an excavation at the site in 2001 and remains of a monastery were unearthed.
These sites were visited by Xuanzang and Fahien and they have left detailed account of these sites, and the antiquities of the area were confirmed when prominent orientalists visited here a couple of centuries ago.

Places visited by CM for revival of this circuit

Jethian- Lat- 24° 56’, N, Long- 85° 20’ E)
Jethian is associated with many events during the lifespan of Buddha. Xuanzang, the Chinese scholar spent almost 2 years here with an eminent monk Jayadeva and as expected has written extensively about the many spots associated with Buddha. Cunningham identified this site in 1871and then Auriel stein carried the work forward by identifying various the spots discussed by Xuanzang in his travelogue. The exploration and identification work is only partly accomplished as Jethian still has some mounds, an ancient tank and some pala period sculpture scattered that needs serious attention from an archeologist. A Japanese monastery has taken an initiative and built a small temple to house a beautiful Buddha sculpture. Things are progressing slowly on the path to self-reliance and the villagers from the Jethian Valley are prompted to take training and develop rural tourism related industry like home stay for tourists, supply local cuisine and encourage youths to take up responsibilities as escorts and guides in the area. Jethian has many sacred places in its vicinity where tourist can make day trips while maintaining their base there. Tapovan is about 3 Kms Southwest from Jethian and is one such spot which tourists might like to visit since this is where the Buddha often frequented. Tapovan has hot water springs and is a very sacred site for local population. Xuanzang in his travelogue refers to a stupa that was raised at the spot where Buddha walked. Auriel Stein in 1902 identified a 30 ft round 10 ft high mound as the particular stupa mentioned by Xuanzang. Village Kurkihar (Lat- 24° 48’, N, Long- 85° 12’ E) in the Jethian valley is about 40 Kms from Bodhgaya and is equidistant both from Rajgir and Bodh Gaya and this would be an ideal place to be developed as Night halt point for the pilgrims. The antiquities of the village are very rich and suggest that this village was probably the foundry of ancient Nalanda University.

PIC: Discussing importance of Jethian

Rajgir Valley-
The dense valley of Rajgir spans for almost 18 kilometer and falls under jurisdiction of two district administrations. Split half way through the middle a 9km stretch belongs to Gaya district and the other 9 Km to Nalanda. The Chief Minister ventured for a distance of about 9km inside the valley from rajgir end. The forest is home to a variety of flora and fauna and some of the trees and plants are of medicinal value too. The CM suggested that the valley needs to be conserved in its native state and it may be fenced in but at the same time be open to tourists who would like to visit it on a safari.

Sone Bhandar- Lat- 25° 00’ 25.72”, N, Long- 85° 25’ 00.48” E)
Sone Bhandar is a man made cave cut into a huge rock ledge, and poses to be a puzzling architecture in itself. As one exists from the 18 Km dense Rajgir valley, Sone Bhandar welcomes the visitor and have been doing so since the Mauryan era. The evidences suggest that this cave must have been built by Mauryan rulers they then donated it to the Jain followers. CM visited this place and was caught in its enigma and proposed that it should be further explored for a venue for the next annual Rajgir Mahotsav (Dec 5-6, 2010).

PIC: -exploring possibilities for rajgir mahotsava at Sone bhandara

Rajgir to Parwati
The next destination on CM’s agenda was yet another important place of Buddhist pilgrimage, prominent scholars including Xuanzang and Fahien visited it earlier in the millennia. It was Indrasaila guha situated near modern day Parwati. Current infrastructure provides no direct road link to Parwati and reaching the site is very time consuming. The 45 Km stretch from Rajgir to Parwati has many villages with rich antiquities and birthplace of Sariputra, the dhamma senapti of Buddha lies on this route. The purpose of the visit was to see the antiquities of the village and talk to community in this regard and to discuss possible shortest route to Parwati that would include all villages en route with significant heritage. Three bridges are under construction over River Panchane and Sakri to create a short route linking the entire heritage site. The CM personally visited all the bridge sites and urged for a speedy completion of the bridges.

Fig: A visit to the Bridge sites

Revival of the Bodh Gaya- Rajgir- Parwati, Pilgrim path

Siddhartha Gautam after enlightenment came to Rajgriha from Gaya and was received by Bimbisara somewhere near yasthivana (now Jethian). Xuanzang’s account describes the whole stretch from Bodh Gaya to Rajgriha scattered with auspicious spots associated with Buddha and his disciples, which were part of Buddhist pilgrimage at the time of his visit. This is further corroborated with the references of other travelogues. There are strong indications that suggest that this pilgrimage path was in frequent use till 14th century and abruptly came to an end without leaving any traces of its existence behind.
After the rediscovery of Buddhism in India and identification of places associated with Buddha, the path again came into focus but the condition of the 18km path was not suitable for the Pilgrims to tread.



One of the most important effect of CM’s visit to the area and realizing the underlined potential is the revival of the footsteps of Buddha trail that would also include this particular stretch. A 70 Km trail is now in the process of being developed as the first leg of “Engaged Buddhism”. In the initial phase, the CM visited five villages and the plan is to involve the entire community in developing tourism related recourses and build capacity for Guide services, home stays of tourists, handicrafts and souvenirs and not to mention some local cuisine would also be part of the palate.



CM asked District Magistrate of Gaya to get in touch with Buddhist monasteries and explore the possibilities of developing this pilgrimage route. He also assured that once the route is in service there would be ample security provided through deployment of necessary police force to ensure a safe walk through the Jethian valley. This 18Km stretch will be meant only for pedestrian traffic and no vehicle will be permitted on this route except for access to emergency vehicles.

A few monks visiting from South-East Asian countries were interested in taking this route in its present condition rather than waiting for a next trip in the hope of better road and travel conditions; CM respected the wishes of the monks and instructed the Gaya and Nalanda district administration to make necessary arrangements for their safe travel through the area.

Day after Christmas with COMMUNITY IN TELHADA

Telhada (Lat- 25° 13’, N, Long- 85° 10’ E)

CM visited Telhada the day after Christmas on the 26th of December 2009.
Telhada used to be the monastery of Pragynabhadra who was the chief abbot of this university which had 1000 students when Xuanzang stayed and studied here for two months in 640CE. As per Xuanzang’s account this monastery was constructed by the last king of Bimbisara linage. He further describes it in detail mentioning that this monastery had a 30ft stone sculpture at the centre. Almost whole of the village is settled over a big mound which is almost 30 Acres in size. There is a 30ft high stupa type mound in the west corner of the village and it is being excavated by state Archaeology department. This exploration work was brought to fruition because of Chief Minister’s visit to the area and his instigation to follow it through.
We have been working with the community of Telhada for last 4 years and two years ago we facilitated a suitable community based institution to take care of the heritage and tourism. And then taking it a step further developed a community museum to house all the sculpture scattered around village.



The people of the village are extremely enthusiastic about preserving their heritage and showcasing it in a way that can be shared with the connoisseur of the history and culture. Last year the villagers’ helped with the collection of these sculptures and the youth of the area played an extremely important role. In his earlier visits to Telhada CM had assured that Telhada be developed as a tourist destination. This excavation of the site is a concrete step towards a new chapter for the community participation and the community taking ownership of the heritage. The keen interest of the CM to revive the tourism potential of the area and making people proud of the heritage that they have preserved is a positive reinforcement and can be seen as an example to be followed by others who are in a position further a cause and make a difference.

CM took the same route as Bimbisara

Griddhkuta- Lat- 24° 59’ 55.81”, N, Long- 85° 26’ 14.17” E)

Griddhakuta as we know it today is the remains of an old monastery at the top of a hill. The concrete paved way to the top from the base of the hill is the same that was used by King Bimbisara when he used to visit Buddha. The hill has numerous small and big stone caves where Buddha and his associated took refuge from the harsh weather while meditating. There are accounts of each particular cave linked to various disciples of Buddha and has significant importance for the Bhikkhus following in their steps. The place is very important for Mahayanist all over the world and the Mahayanists consider that the first turning of wheel took place here. The place is also site where Buddha delivered sadharmpundrika sutta. A stupa was erected to mark this event and the stupa is still present. The base of the hill also has stone rests and caves where many important disciples of Buddha meditated.



It was proposed that a circumambulatory path is built around the remains of the monastery encompassing the top portion of the hill and making some of these caves more accessible at the base so that Buddhist pilgrims can visit the shrines and its sacredness can be shared more visiting tourists. The CM was very appreciative of the idea and he encouraged the fact that the community is taking a lead and proposing infrastructure improvements so showcase its heritage, he communicated to the state tourism department to proceed further with the construction of a circumambulatory path as per the proposal.



North of Griddhkuta on top of a separate hill is a massive brick stupa from the Ashoka period. Xuanzang points out that this stupa was built to mark the event when Buddha beheld the empire of Magadh and preached law for 7 consecutive days. There is no marked path to the top of the stupa and that makes in inaccessible for most visitors. There is also a Vishwa Shanti Stupa on an adjacent and it has a historic trolley system to take the visitors up the hill.
Since there no comprehensive plan for the heritage management and no mechanism for revenue generation, there are no new improvements done to develop the entire site. Currently, all a visitor needs to pay is vehicle parking charges at the bottom of the hill and that income goes out to the maintenance of existing infrastructure and no new improvements can be planned based on that little in flow on money with major monetary help from an external source. For tourism to be part of mainstream economic activity, we need a plan with upward spiral where there is scope for investment in the infrastructure to provide better facilities and in turn demand an entry fee or something like heritage zone fee to do the same.

The three destinations in the close vicinity provide ample opportunity to include in heritage zone comprising Griddhkuta, Vishwa Shanti Stupa and the Stupa on the North Hill.



If a spiral route could be developed at the initiative of the local community that would increase future prospects of many such sites, make visitors more demanding and receptive and Government officials will have to be more accountable.

CM’S walk through Veluwana

Veluvana- Lat- 25° 00’ 59.14”, N, Long- 85° 25’ 06.21”E)

Veluvana is the place where the tradition of Varsavaas started; it was devoted for the use of the Sangha by King Bimbisara and since then has witnessed many moments being turned into what we know as history today. This place being the hub of activities for several centuries holds immense potential for tourism. This place can be equally appealing for a regular visitor and the ones with the religious bent.

As per the Pali commentaries, the area of Veluvana was huge in comparison to its present spread. The Xuanzang travelogues describe Saptaparni cave situated amidst dense veluvana, and that reinforces the claimed suggested by Pali literatures. In last few centuries the land use has changed a lot and the dense forest cover in the area are now totally lost. It is the sincere hope of the community that with the renewed interest in the area and attention showered by the CM, the area would see a new dawn with restoration work and improved maintenance to these historic sites. This will help conserve the heritage and boost tourist flows while providing new avenues for livelihood opportunities. There have been discussions for developing the site further so that its original purpose could be restored and Buddhist monks can do Varsavaas here.

The veluvana is the site were the Varsavaas started and first 3 Varsavaas of Buddha happened here and it would be a unique tribute to the Buddha and the tradition if Veluvana is established again to serve its intended purpose.

CM’S HIKE TO TOP OF VAIBHARA HILL

Saptaparni Cave- (Lat- 25° 00’ 37.20”, N, Long- 85° 24’. 43.81” E)

The morning of 28th December found CM walking all way to the top of the Vaibhara hill. The one hour hike to the top of Vaibhara hill was laden with scared spots for many faiths including Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. From top the view was clear and the CM was able to observe many important sites situated at the base of the hill. He also got the bird’s eye view of Ashokan relic stupa and Ajatsatru new fort. Since the Vaibhara hill at the time of Xuanzang and fahien was a dense bamboo forest, CM instigated that the complete hill be restored to a bamboo forest and instructed the forest officer to sow the seeds for the same this following season. The access path to Vaibhara hill in its crumbling state received attention and is now on its way for the necessary repair work. On the top of the hill, there is an ancient temple from gupta period, CM was stunned by the dilapidated state of such valuable piece of history and culture and assured a facelift of the temple.

Picture 1: Climbing the Vaibhara Hill

The Saptaparni on the top of Vaibhara hill is the site as identified by Beglar, the one identified by Marshal is at the foot of the hill. CM saw the other Saptaparni site up close through binoculars.

Picture 2: At Saptapanni

In the list of suggestions to his team to explore further was the idea that the complete Vaibhara hill and the base of the foothill be developed as a bamboo grove.

Picture 3: CM greeting the Jain monks on Vaibhara Hill

CM’S VISIT TO NALANDA

Nalanda (Lat- 25° 08’, N, Long- 85° 25’ E)

It was an early Sunday morning on 27th of December; the light of dawn barely hit the red brick structures when the CM along with his team visited the remains of ancient nalanda university. CM listened to the history, the exploration process and the present situation of the ruins as they stand, during the discussion on site he came up with few suggestions on development of new interpretation plan, weaving the stories through the archeological evidences and development of suitable signage so that even a lay person could identify with the heritage. He seemed very interested in the proper exposure of the site and developing the proposed Xuanzang Avenue linking of Juafardih and Rukmanisthan with Nalanda remains and opening up the western face of ancient remains of nalanda. Interpretation of Nalanda becomes more comprehensible once Rukmanisthan and Juafardih are included in its description. While Juafardih was once an outhouse of Nalanda sangharama, Rukmanisthan was the place where last students took hiding when Nalanda was attacked by Turks invaders. These facts about the new sites built up a complete picture and interest the visitors to look beyond the established patterns.

Picture 1: At Nalanda University

There is a big mound at the centre of Juafardih village which was excavated in 2007. The antiquities and the excavation find suggest that Juafardih is the site of ancient Kulika, the birth place of Mahamogallan an important disciple of Buddha. As per Xuanzang the stupa was erected by King Ashoka over the body relics of Moggallana. CM inquired about the exact distance between Juafardih and Nalanda, and also about the heritage tanks and gave necessary guidelines for its renovation. Tourism department is preparing a site plan for the newly excavated site which will be implemented soon.

Picture 2: At the remains of Nalanda University

Also, there is a detailed plan being formulated by the department of tourism, government of Bihar, which is based on the original master plan that we shared here in the blog, to help showcase the heritage of Nalanda and pave way for the rural tourism to the heritage villages. This plan would take into account the development of the sites that have already been identified and would place a system in progress for all future discoveries.

CHIEF MINISTER’S 6-DAY TRIP TO OUR AREA (26TH DEC 2009 THRU 31ST DEC 2009)

As we have been discussing in the past many posts, a master plan was in the works with the help of the community and on 22nd October we had the opportunity to make a presentation to honorable Chief Minister of Bihar state, Shri Nitish Kumar. The presentation mainly focused on the historical and archeological gems scattered throughout Nalanda and the potential it holds for the community to benefit from tourism and make it a sustainable source of livelihood.

Picture1: During the presentation on 22nd October 2009

It was a great opportunity to be able to share our detailed plan with a person who was in a position to make direct impact to the lives of many others. The presentation was a virtual journey that the CM took with us and he was intrigued enough to explore the possibilities of the area and planned a six day trip to visit the sites discussed in the presentation.


The interest that Shri Nitish Kumar showed and the initiative that he took was remarkable and on many notes similar to the one that king Ashok must have taken to popularize the pilgrimage and now in the modern world as we realize how much we have left behind in the past, this is an effort to revive the pilgrimage and brush away the dirt accumulated over the footsteps of Buddha over the course of history.

The presentation must have ignited something in Mr. Nitish Kumar’s spirit as the first thing that he uttered after landing at Rajgriha was, ‘ …we have come here to revive the old Buddhist pilgrimage path and work on the action plan prepared by Nava Nalanda Mahavihara’.
It was great honor for us and the community who had helped us put it together that our work was acknowledged and is now being chosen to be carried forward by experts in the field. Such recognition would allow more communities to take the initiative.

He further added that the government is going to set up a “Bihar Virasat Vikas Samiti” which will prepare a detailed action plan for the protection and preservation of the heritage of Bihar and study scope of tourism development through the heritage.

Picture 2: CM's arrival at Rajgriha

The CM spent almost a week visiting the remote and not yet popular archeological sites, he met with the experts and the local community to chart out a route so that the infrastructure that the community needs could be provided, new possibilities could be explored and the pride and heritage of Nalanda is restored.
 

Picture 3: CM and his team visiting the new facilities for tourists at Hot water springs

Stakeholders meet - Heritage of Nalanda and its Continuity

A two day workshop to discuss the development under the NNMSG community tourism project and Mapping of Nalanda Project was held on 15th and 16th June 2009. It was inaugurated by Shri K.N. Srivastav, DG, and ASI.
Day-1, 15th June 09

1- Archaeological finds and recent excavations in and around Nalanda

An exhibition and a detailed PowerPoint presentation by Shri N.G. Nikoshey

Four major excavations were carried out by ASI in Nalanda and its vicinity. A detailed presentation about the antiquities, structures and potsherds found from the site was presented. Four sites covered under the presentation included Juafardih, Daman Khanda, Begampur and Ghoda Katora.

A photographic exhibition of the excavated site was also arranged for the participants.

2- Mapping of Nalanda- Power point presentation, Presented by Deepak Anand (NNM)

NNM initiated the “Mapping of Nalanda” project in 2006. The documentation of the Archaeological finds in the villages in and around Nalanda is done using the GIS System. A presentation regarding this was presented. The focus of the presentation was how Xuanzang’s record is helpful in locating the sites associated with Buddha. Lots of archaeological remains are in villages and if the villagers don’t participate in the management of this heritage then the heritage will be lost in coming years. The presentation also focused on strategy to involve community for Heritage preservation.

Day-2, 16th June 09
Shri Anil Kumar, Dy. Director, Bihar Tourism, was the chief guest. The focus this day was involving the community in development of action plan for tourism in villages. Representatives from Jagdishpur, Telhara, Bargaon and Parwati participated in this workshop.

3- Community tourism and new tourist circuits, A power point presentation Presented by Deepak Anand, NNM
A Participatory Rural Appraisal under process at the time was done at villages in and around Nalanda. The objective of the PRA among other objectives is to involve community in planning process for the tourism. The tourism has grown more than 200% in last decade but the community has yet to benefit in the same proportions. Reasons for why community is not being benefited from growing tourism were muted in the discussion with the community members. Community organizations are formed Action plan for respective villages as was discussed with the village representatives

4- A Master Plan for the remains of Ancient Nalanda remains
“Nalanda remains” is already in the queue of the world heritage site. NNM is preparing a suitable Master plan by involving the community. The Master plan should not only help better preserve the heritage but also help in improving the economic condition of the community which will go hand in hand for the long term sustainability of any solution. The presentation on Master Plan of ‘Nalanda remains’ discussed the available options for the suitable changes that can be incorporated for benefit of both tourism and the community.

Highlights of Inaugural Speech by Shri K. N Srivastav, DG, ASI
1-Shri Srivastav in his speech stressed the need to expedite the documentation work. A detailed documentation is a prerequisite for any excavation he commented.

2- ASI has collaborated with IIT, Kanpur, and if required IIT, can be roped in for the ongoing documentation work.

3-There is a need for a multi stakeholder body for the smooth working of the project and actualization of the objectives of the project. He welcomed the idea of a joint collaboration between Nava Nalanda Mahavihara and Archaeological Survey of India.

4- There is an immense potential in Nalanda and around for a community based heritage tourism.

Highlights of community discussion on the 16th June
Community members from Telhada, Jagdishpur, Parwati and Bargaon participated actively in the discussion. Members from vendors association also expressed their views. The discussion was mainly revolved around the potential of the respective villages for its development as a tourist site.

A presentation was made on the community tourism potential in and around Nalanda. A tentative action plan for various sites where NNM is already doing PRA was discussed. Also part of the presentation was a Suitable Master Plan for Nalanda based on the inputs from the community.

Shri Anil Kumar, Dy. Director, Tourism, took note of all the points raised by the participants and assured about required action at his end and all possible support in future. In his address he appreciated the efforts made by the community organizations for the promotion of Rural Tourism.

Available options for improvements

One readily available option is to move the vendors and the parking lot to the old bus stand area on the north-east corner of the Ancient Nalanda Remains. This bus stand is approximately 50 mt X 50 mt stretch of open space. This shift needs to be coupled with the idea of separate gates for the entrance and exit to the ruins complex. The tourist path is to be devised in a manner which provides an opportunity for tourist-visitors interaction. In this case an exit from the Teliya Bhandar (north side) is suitable. With a drop off location at the main entrance and about a 300 meter walk from exit to the parking lot will add to the vendor-visitor interaction without causing any inconvenience; and the fact that this spot is away from the main road and helps reduce the traffic congestion is an added benefit.
The above mentioned solution is a readily available one but it is not a long term viable option. The available space at the bus stand might not be sufficient to accommodate the vendors and the parking lot requirements of average peak day at Nalanda. So far Nalanda has seen a growth of about 10% annual increase in foreign visitors and around 5% annual increase in domestic visitors and if it continues at the same pace then this new arrangement will not work. The vendors will likely grow in same proportion of those of tourists and the chaos will reemerge.

Nalanda is already in the tentative list of world heritage site and future planning has to be done keeping that in view. We know from past experience that the world heritage status will bring new tourists with increased set of expectations; and this will provide lot more opportunity for the over all economic growth of the area. Also in that situation we will have WHS norms and guidelines to take into account. For a good heritage site management plan and for its conservation we need to have buffer zones as an added layer of protection.

A more suitable option will be to consider the west side of the Nalanda remains to explore for the possibilities. On the east side the space is limited and on the north and south side there is dense habitation besides the little space is available is pregnant with the past heritage.

Summary of Improvements required...

Tourist flow and traffic From all the discussions so far we infer that the present carrying capacity of the infrastructure has reached its designed limits. The situation is further aggravated because of lack of effective management at the popular visitor site. There are about 70 vendors who have swarmed both sides of the already narrow road adding to the congestion. To add to the misery the place has around 70 odd horse-carts besides the regular traffic of motorized vehicles that ferry between 25 odd villages that have this single road as a major link to main road.

On an average peak day, there are about 300 foreign and close to 2000 domestic tourists visiting the place. At times there are more than 150 big and small vehicles occupying the parking lot which is designed to handle only a fraction of such traffic. This officially allotted space is also used by Jain tourists who generally travel in big numbers and use this spot for meeting and taking horse-carts to go further to Nandawart. And of course the tourists interested in buying the souvenirs also spend their time in same limited road space. All together this 150 mt stretch of road has seen what it means to be brimmed with people and parked vehicles.

Interpretation
The present system of single gate for entry and exit confines the movement of people to very limited space. There is a need to diversify and allocate spaces based on assets. The logical approach is a detailed study taking into context the local issues that identifies the enlarged scope of the interpretation and tourist engagement at the site.

Scope of Interaction with the Community
The tourists based on an official survey would like more interaction with the community. They seek a greater experience than just a visit to a historic site. We have the assets that can be developed into a better experience for the visitors while generating employment for the locals.

The present setup offers very little opportunity for the community- visitor interaction. There is just this 150 meter stretch of road where the souvenirs are sold. The road is subjected to loud traffic noises and congestion from it and standing amidst it all for a one to one conversation with the vendor and trying to get an insight into local culture isn’t an appealing pursuit. Therefore whatever little opportunity for community to benefit might exists is diluted by the presence of these inappropriate extenuating circumstances. Such ambience is not conducive for the development of the art and craft of the area where the older population and families with young kids might avoid such a venture altogether.

Nalanda Master-Plan

Excavated remains at Nalanda is nominated for World heritage site under Cultural category criteria III & IV, a proposal for same is submitted by Archaeological Survey of India on 9th Jan 2009.

Criteria

(iii) Bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which has disappeared


(IV) Be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas or beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal value.

The operational guidelines for the implementation of the world heritage convention require that the nominated properties should have management frameworks. The guidelines issued by UNESCO emphasize the importance of a management plan and the necessity for the proper conservation of the site and the provision of an adequate buffer zone between the heritage and urban development.

The long term success of conservation attempts of the heritage largely depends on its connection with the economic condition of the community. Involvement of the local community in the management of the world heritage site is a fundamental theme of this site management plan under the guidelines issued by UNESCO.

The presentation, interpretation and use of heritage in the local economy are limited by the legal framework within which archaeology and heritage protection functions. The long-term sustainability of any such effort depends on coexistence of the Heritage conservation and the communities. The two need to be intrinsically connected and a good strategy would be to have solutions for income generation, so that the community sees a direct benefit in protecting these assets and minimize exploitation by outside parties. One of the biggest failures of past revival schemes were that they did not include the long term interests of the local population and hence failed to generate any support for the placed system. The new strategy that involves the people from the very beginning reduces any such detriments in later decision making and would evolve with the growing and ever changing needs of the society.

Our approach for preparing the Master Plan for Nalanda is based on participatory approach, to develop a mutually beneficial relationship between heritage preservation (Law) and the community (sustainable livelihoods). The team had a series of meetings with the stakeholders, discussing the concerns and available options with preservation of the heritage at the centre of its core and making sure that the local interest is not sacrificed.

History about operations at Xuanzang Memorial Museum

1- Pundit Nehru sent a delegation of three top officials to identify suitable land for the Museum. The Education Secretary, Government of Bihar Shri K. Abraham was also with the delegation. All the ponds were shown to the team and finally the present site was identified as the suitable site for the museum.


2- Pundit Nehru visited Nalanda and laid the foundation of Xuanzang memorial Museum in1961. Later he addressed a big gathering at Nava Nalanda Mahavihara. Big crowd gathered from the surrounding villages

3- The place of memorial was earlier a play field

4- The Tanks around the Xuanzang were full of Lotus. And the leaves were used by the people of locality during marriages and other community function for serving food.

5- In 1967 famine the roots of the lotus called Kamalgatta was an important source of food for poor

6- In 70’s to mid 90’s the place was in dilapidated condition and was used by cattle grazers

7- For last 10 years the ponds are being allotted to fishermen for fisheries and since then the lotus have vanished from the local ponds.

Tourist Guide
1- In the beginning days the staff of the campus and the guards used to guide the tourists about the site.

2- Then in 60’s, one official guide was appointed by the ASI

3- In 50’s and 60’s some local people took the initiative and started guiding tourists but this was considered an unauthorized effort.

4- In 1971 the first guide training took place which made an effort to train people other than ASI staff for guiding purposes.

5- In 1975, a 2nd of such effort for Guide training took place.

Vendors
1- In the 1960’s, there were only three shops around the Nalanda ruins area meant to cater to tourist needs.– One tea stall (Motilal), Pan shop (Lala), Handicraft and Flowers (Chandu)

2- The present entrance was not gated at the time and a souvenir shop by the inside gate was established in 1970.

3- The main entrance as it stands today got very crowded with unorganized vendors in mid 80’s

4- Ravindra Pawar (district Magistrate) in 1992 ordered removal of all such vendors but they slowly crept back.

5- Some attempts were made to provide parking for horse cart and buses in the 1090’s but this arrangement lacked long term planning and didn’t sustain.

History of Nalanda monastic site

The heritage of the Nalanda is more than just the physical assets of the place, besides the archeological remnants of the glorious past there are a myriad of intangible assets that need conservation and a bit of grooming so that they can become part of main stream tourism.

The non-written history, local traditions, dying arts and sports, popular festivals, each played an important role in the cultural development of the area for centuries together. This PRA tool helps in documenting key events, history of the places and oral traditions. Such a list would help with the identification the popular trends, events, past problems and accomplishments. To be able to learn from the past success, we need to have a baseline about the local and national events that affect the community lifestyle and play a role in its economy.
A good exercise to gather this information was to initiate a conversation with the elders of the community and jog there memories to recollect the past events. The discussion with these key people gave us a valuable insight that took us back many a generations. This perspective is hard to find through any other medium but a direct conversation with the people themselves, it provided us with an opportunity to ask elders from all walks of life about previous events and retorts; and discuss possible solutions to solving current problems. The occurrences listed shall help in devising future programmes specially when designing the broader master plan.

Nalanda monastic site
1- In early 20th century (1905-07) the excavation work started at the site and lots of the plots were not public land but were ploughed by local farmers. Local farmers were raiyat of landlord Jahoor Chaudhry from Islampur. British people first facilitated the smooth transfer of land from the landlord to the farmers and then they bought the lands from them by 1907. Local farmers also participated in the excavation work. Before the excavations the land was used for agriculture and grazing. The mounds were covered with trees and bushes.

2- Site was open to the tourists in 1922, without any formal inauguration. And the excavation continued till 1935.
3- The earth removed from the excavation site was dumped in farmers land and they were paid Rs, 1 per Katha for dumping the earth.
4- There was no boundary around the excavated site and a barb wire fencing was built much later in the mid 1940’s
5- There were reported incidences of brick removal from Bargaon devisthan Mound and Muzzafarpur mound by few musclemen in 1940. The incidence was reported to ASI by the community and the then DG, ASI, Shri Srivastav personally visited the place and inspected the place and suspended the Guards.
6- Nalanda Museum was opened in 1956
7- The approach road was not convenient and means of local travel were also not there till 1960’s
8- Sarai Mound and the surrounding area was purchased from the community and the present boundary was also made at the same time
9- Till 70’s people used to leave their animals inside the campus for grazing
10- Shooting of film “Johny mera Naam” happened here in 1968, a big crowd came to see the shooting.
11- There was a youth hostel at the place were we have cafeteria now. The tourist information centre was shifted from Mohanpur (Nalanda Turning) in 1985
12- There were incidences were museum people were involved in removing the Sculpture from Museum and local Villages in 1980’s
13- The present brick boundary around the remains was made in 2005

Facilities for tourist
1- Bus Stand and the Rest House were made in 1950’s
2- The Guesthouse was very functional place to stay till the 80”s, many important guests preferred staying here as compared to other available options.
3- Bus stand was operational for only for a few years till 1987

Entry fee at Nalanda excavated site

1- 1922--- 1 Ana
2- 1940---2 Ana
3- 1950---20 Paise
4- 1968---50 Paise
5- 1980----Rs 2,
6- 2000----Rs 5
7- Local people were allowed to visit Nalanda remains for free till 1960”s

Proposed Tourist circuits at Juafardih and Rukmanisthan (Jagdishpur)

Juafardih

In 2007, ASI carried out an excavation in Juafardih. During the course of excavation some evidence were found suggesting this could be Kulika the birth place of Maha Moggallana as per the travelogues of Xuanzang. This is an important site and will attract many Buddhist pilgrims if it is appropriately staged and managed. The site is in the centre of the village and is in bad shape. It needs suitable conservation and restoration measures. A community participation plan is envisioned for the conservation of this site. We had a couple of meetings with the community in the village, people from all section of society participated in the discussion and it was decided to have a tourism development committee in village. More meetings with the community is planned for future to frame the bye-laws and objectives of the body.

Rukmanisthan (Jagdishpur)
Rukmanisthan is an ASI protected site and is 1Km south-east of Jagdishpur village. The site is around 10 Acres of land, circular in shape. At the centre of the site is a 10 Ft, black stone, Pala period Buddha statue. The statue is an attraction among visitors from many South-east Asian countries. The approach to the site is not good. The site is protected and a part of land at centre is owned by community. There is prohibition on any agriculture activity and community is not allowed to till the land. There is an ASI guard, who is at site for few hours on weekdays.

There is no development planned for this site by the ASI as yet and would need some considerable efforts to make it a rewarding journey. Dr. U. Panyalinkara, Head Abbot, Chinese Buddhist Temple has shown considerable interest in its potential. With his efforts a link road is under construction. Another problem is that the site is popular for animal grazing by the local people and the plantation efforts made by ASI in last couple of years has seized to alleviate the problem.

We gathered a lot of information from the community; the community shared with us the oral history of the Rukmanisthan and that it revolves around King Bhimika of Kundalpur (Bargaon), His daughter Rukmani and Mythical Lord Krishna of epic Mahabharata. They believe Lord Krishna when eloped with Rukmani; he stayed for some time at this place. Hence the place derived its name Rukmanisthan. Unmarried gals form this vicinity worship at a temple housing Lord Buddha statue at Rukmanisthan. The place had many statues some 50 years ago; a few of them have been removed by ASI but lots many idols have gone missing in last 20 years.

In the meetings it was discussed that a community organization comprising of people from all section need to be formed and that more youths should be involved in it. There are few students from Nava Nalanda Mahavihar in the village and they took special interest in all the meetings. We had few more meetings to discuss a suitable action plan for community participation in its development and how the community can benefit from tourism. It was agreed that the tree plantation was the first necessary step and also the necessity to safeguard the plantation from animal grazing.

The next meeting place was recommended on the opposite corner of the village so that the people from that side are not excluded for the discussion. We had a meeting with the communities there and we got positive response when we shared the objectives of the plantation and how it will help in tourism and hence livelihoods. It was also decided to work closely with stakeholders in future and meet regularly to discuss future course of action.

Proposed Tourist circuits at Bargaon

There are many potential tourist interest places in the close vicinity of Nalanda and they need to be linked to the existing tourist routes. We did PRA with communities of these villages to share their views and prepare a suitable tourism development action plan for the sites. Sun temple Bargaon, which was a popular destination among the visitors few decades back has seen a downturn lately, we did PRA with the panda community to identify the bottlenecks and solutions.


The place finds mention in ancient texts and is most significant place for sun worship in whole of Bihar. The Sun temple at the heart of village is very old and has idols of sun god from Gupta and Pala period. At the North-west end of the village is famous Suraj Pokhar which accommodates more than one lac pilgrims who come to present offerings to sun God on Chath festival twice a year.

The temple at the heart of the village was at the north-western side of the Suraj Pokhar and was shifted inside the village in late 17th century to protect it from mogul invasion.
The Suraj Pokhar has medicinal value and till recently people from Bengal and different corner of Bihar came to take dip in the pond and benefit. Till 1950’s this was also popular destination for Pind-daan a part of Shradh ritual. People after performing Pind –Daan at Gaya also performed the ritual here at Suraj Pokhar offering Pind to Lord Yama, Son of Sun god.

In recent past the number of visitors has gone down and the income generated by the Committee has also dipped. We had a series of meeting with the committee members, though the participation level was very low. Members had almost no faith in the committee. We had some constructive discussion on what we can do make the place beautiful and attractive to visitors.

Summary of the discussion

1- Committee to be strengthened

2- Daily Mahaarti at the Sun temple

3- Renovation plan for the temple and pond

4- A waste management plan for the temple complex

5- Development of tourism promotion plan, special visiting hours for tourists

The Hindu circuit
The sun temple of Bargaon is associated with Jarasandha, Lord Krishna and his great-grandson Sambha. According to the mythology Jarasandha was killed in a duel with Bhima a suryavanshi. The duel between the two continued for 14days before Jarasandha was tore apart in two halves. A tradition “ANKHUT” to celebrate the victory of good over the bad is continued till date. The site of the duel is still popular destination. Other places associated with Jarasandha are Gridhav Dwar at the Ghoda Katora which was the eastern entry point to the mountain fortress. The Krishna and his army entered Grihvjra (Rajgir) from this eastern gate. Jarasandha was cremated at Ghoda katora on Kartik Poornima after he was killed in the duel. An annual ritual called Kartik snan daan is still held at the place every year. Ghoda katora is also the place where the army of Lord Krishna camped before finding a suitable place to enter the Grihvjra. Jara Devi temple on Gaya Highway is associated with the birth of Jarasandha. Two big stone platforms on the ghoda katora hill and Vaibhara hills are associated with legend of Jarasandha.

The intangible heritage

1. Potter There are 15 potter families in the area actively pursuing the art of pottery. This is a poor community and is fighting for its survival. The situation of potters is not good; the sale is limited to festivals and religious purpose. And they say such religious demands are seasonal and have nothing to do with quality of the product. This has lead to deterioration of the quality over a period of time. The cost and availability of raw material is also problem, firewood and cow dung cakes are not easily available. We shared with them purpose of the discussion i.e. development of terracotta souvenirs for tourists. They shared with us few such terracotta work they did in past. On being asked if they would like to start a unit at Sanskritik Gram, few of them agreed. They also added the earth at Xuanzang memorial is very suited for making terracotta items.

2. Ironsmith
Bargaon has 7 Iron foundries. Ironsmiths used to be well off some 10 years ago; but since most of their work is associated with repair of agriculture equipments and with coming of new machines they are getting very few repair opportunities, the economic situation is not as healthy as it used to be. With good transport links to Bihar Sharif lots of people prefer going to Bihar Sharif for repair works. We looked for an ironsmith who could make souvenirs by metal casting and met Om prakash viswkarma an ironsmith who had done lots of casting work before. He showed us a metal bush used in pump sets which he made by casting in his foundry. We discussed with him if he ever thought of making some cast based souvenirs. He said he had this in mind but he never actually tried it. He asked us if we can get him a dye prepared he can try to prepare the cast.

3. Stone work – Patthar katti
Stone based small souvenirs are very popular with the tourists in the Buddhist circuit. To involve some sculptor interested in participating at Sanskritik gram we visited Patharkatti, the village which has cluster of traditional artisans. The first village on way to Patharkatti is khukari; this village has as many as 3000 people engaged with the sculpture making work. Traditionally the work was limited to the Gaud Brahmins who migrated from Rajasthan on invitation of Rani Ahilyabai of Indore. Some 400 years ago the 1300 Gaud Brahmins built the famous Vishnupad Temple. Most of the families stayed back and continued the sculpture making from local stones. In last 20 years most of the gaud Brahmins have moved back to other places and only 4 families are left at Patharkatti. This craft was limited to the Gaud Brahmins till recently when in 1950’s Upendar Maharathi started a training centre to involve people from other communities. Since its inception many local people have taken training and the craft at its peak was spread in as many 10 villages. Presently the craft is limited to four villages and the biggest clusters are at khukari, Patharkatti and Tenbigha. There are few smaller clusters at Niyampur and Banwariganj all the villages in same vicinity.

The craft is not in much demand these days. Till about 15 years ago a lots of tourists frequented the place but now the number has gone down. Sculptures made are sold at various places through the middlemen and agents who have showrooms at Gaya, Rajgir and other tourist destinations. Few of the artisans also have showrooms at Bodh Gaya. Sale is generally low except for the tourist season.

Stone quarries have been exploited to maximum and most of the quarries are not left with good stone in reach. Lots of quarries require cleaning by removing earth from around it. Artisans now bring stones from other places like Dumka in Jharkhand, Sabja green stone and red sandstone from Chunar, Uttar Pradesh. Paliya stone from Jhansi region is particularly in demand because it’s a soft stone and suitable for making small idols. Children of age 8 to 10 are specialized in making small idols and make up to 10 to 12 piece a day. They sell it for Rs 10/ piece.

Marble made sculptor is very much in demand generally. They bring Marble from Rajasthan. There are many varieties of stones found in local mines; Patharkatti has around 27 varieties of stones available in its mines.
Some efforts were made to make a cooperative of artisans, but some anti-social elements murdered the key organizer and since then no another effort has been made to revive the cooperative. Local mines are suitable for large sculptures. Large sculpture takes lots of time to make and are costly hence hard to sell. Foreigners generally prefer small sculptures.

When asked why you don’t make small sculpture from local stone they said the stones are not suitable. They said Baijana mines on Murli hill have suitable stones for making small sculptures up to 2 inches but they require some earth clearing work. Mines at Dhanmahua are good for small sculpture but are now illegally occupied by some people who don’t allow them to quarry stones. Another mine they said is Pir mines which has good black stone suitable for 5 to 6 inch small sculptures. The popular varieties of stones mined locally are motiya granite, tambala, reda, hansraj, jhingpathar and parajitiya.

Another problem is electricity most of the work now is done with generator sets.

Ms Rajbala Verma DM, Gaya in 1993 visited the place and facilitated credit facility to many Artisans. She also provided marketing outlet to interested artisans at Bodh Gaya. She also sanctioned Rs, 1 Lac for clearing earth from one of the mines, though the amount was not sufficient and work is still unfinished.

4. Lac crafts (also Lacquer, Lahti)
Lac crafts are traditionally very predominant in Bihar. At NNMSG we plan to develop some souvenirs based on Lac. Lac, the raw material is easily available locally and the products are easy make. We visited Village Chandasi in Noor Sarai Block; the village has some 70 odd women’s group who has taken training on making Lahti bangles. A few women got interested in providing know-how to our cooperative members. In coming months we will organize a small workshop for basic training for crafts based on Lac. We will need help of product designers for development of range of suitable souvenirs made from Lac.

Discussions with Cultural groups

Almost all the villages in vicinity have a Nautnki group. These groups perform Nautnki during durga puja and lakshmi puja. Such functions are funded by community contributions. Bargaon has been a popular religious centre for many centuries and the place was always a hub of cultural activities. Bargaon always had an active Nautnki and cultural group. In 1940’s village had the very popular Nalanda Natya Parisad which was very active till 2000. With efforts of Nehru Yuva Kendra such cultural clubs were initiated in many villages. Navnadan Yuva Kendra was formed in mid 80”s at Bargaon. Presently one such body called Nalanda Musical Group is active which has around 20 odd members from all neighboring villages.

In meetings we had a discussion on preparing a calendar of all religious function and events that can serve as resource basket of cultural experience. This resource basket will help in designing suitable cultural experiences for tourist. It was also decided to revive all the traditional musical instruments; this could be done only by preparing list of all traditional musical instruments prevalent here. A list of all such instruments was prepared and possible efforts were made to take pictures of all traditional instruments and identification of people who could play these musical instruments.

Engaging youths through the Sports clubs

A meeting with members of sports club was organized at Chinese temple, Kapatiya. More than 20 participants of 5 different sports club participated in the discussion. All the sports clubs were formed under the Nehru Yuva Kendra in early nineties. Most of the sports clubs are now defunct and now exists only on paper.

There was a discussion on what kind of sports can interest tourists and how we can organize it for better participation of tourists. Lots of suggestion came, few suggested cricket, and few said football is a better option. On being asked what is so unique about these sports and why a tourist should be interested in watching us play cricket. Participants agreed tourist will not get interested in watching us play cricket or football. We asked participants to think something traditional, unique to place and participative sport, which could involve the visitors. Lots of suggestion came regarding traditional sports like kabbadi, Kho-Kho etc. After some discussion on various possibilities all of us agreed to start with Buddhiya Kabbadi this year and experiment with other sports later.

They shared their experience of difficulties they faced while working with Nehru Yuva Kendra and how they sustained their clubs. Next few meetings revolved around how the clubs can be maintained and the logistics of playing the sports. We discussed on possible sponsorships and other methods of generating revenues.
A summary of the discussion is given below,

1- Sports Clubs and teams need to be reoriented for the tourism purposes.

2- A revenue model to be developed for sustenance of the clubs and sports

3- A start should to be done this tourist season by organizing a few Buddhiya kabbadi matches

4- A marketing plan and discussion with tour operators and stakeholders about promoting such endeavors.

There have been some considerable development in achieving the goals set for a youth sports activity and we'll the sharing the latest and the greatest in upcoming weeks...