ABOUT THE
Attraction
The Sirpur archaeological site in Mahasamund district, Chhattisgarh, is located near the banks of River Mahanadi. The ruins of an ancient city, it has Buddhist monuments from the 5th to 12th centuries. Excavations have uncovered 12 Buddhist viharas and monolithic statues of Buddha along with other structures and idols. An underground granary, a market and a 6th century bath house have also been excavated. The city was once the capital of the Sharbhapuriya and Somavamshi kings of Dakshina Kosala state. It was said to be an important Buddhist, Hindu and Jain settlement of the South Kosala kingdom between the 5th and the 12th centuries CE.
Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Hiuen Tsang mentions visiting Sirpur in 639 CE in his memoirs. According to his memoir, around 10,000 Mahayana Buddhist monks lived here in 100 monasteries, and there were over 100 temples here. Today, it’s an important pilgrimage site. The nearest major city from here is Raipur, 78 km away.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
Itkhori
Located in Jharkhand’s Chatra district, a number of historic artefacts have been excavated at Itkhori. Among the discoveries are 104 beautifully sculpted Bodhisattvas and four statues of Buddha sculpted on each side of a stupa-like structure.
Ahichchhatra
Ahichchhatra (or Ahi-Kshetra) was the ancient capital of Northern Panchala, a northern Indian kingdom mentioned in Mahabharata.
Kaushambi
Located in Uttar Pradesh, Kaushambi was one of the places Lord Buddha had visited during his travels and have given many sermons.