BRAHMANISM AND BUDDHISM PLACE IN KAWADOL HILL

BRAHMANISM  AND BUDDHISM IN THE KAUWADOL HILL

 Satyendra kumar pathak 

It is a kauwadol hill in Belaganj block about 6 miles to the east of Bela railway station on the patna Gaya railway line and patna Gaya road . The kauwadol Hill is in the extreme north of the headquarters district Gaya and nearly one mile to the south  west of the Barabar Hills . It is a detached hill rising abruptly from the plains to the height of about 500 feet . It is formed entirely of huge massages of granite piled  precipitously one above the other  and is crowned by a gigantic block of stone  which is quite inaccessible.It is said that this pinnacle was formerly toped by another block  which was so perfectly balanced that it used to rock even when a crow alighted on it and from this circumstances the kauwadol hill acquired the name of kauwadol and the crow 's swing.there is a rough track on the eastern side leading to the foot of the topmost pinnacle the last portion of which passes over an extremely steep slop of smooth slippery rock . Which can only be climbed with bare feet and rubber. Shoes.kauwadol has been identified as the site of the ancient monastery of dil hasra .Subhadra was a learned Buddhist of the royal family of samanata Bengal who overcome a learned heretic in a public disputation.As a reward for this victory the king gave him the revenues of a town with which he built a magnificent monastery.This place was visited by Hiuen Tsang in the 7 th century . He mentions it as being situated about 3 miles to the south  west of the Gunamati monastery by the side of a solitary kunwar hill which he describes aa being a single sharp crag like a stupa .The position of the kauwadol Hill with respect to the Gunakari monastery at Dharawat , dharaaut jehanabad district Bihar  leaves no doubt as to the accuracy of its indetification with the Dil bhadra monastery which is confirmed by the resemblance of the lofty peak shaped like a stupa with the peak of kauwadol  which from a distance looks like  a ruined stupa with out it's pinnacle. The remain of the monastery stil extant consist of the ruins of an ancient Buddhist temple at the foot of the eastern flank of the kauwadol hill. The temple enshrines a colossal statue of  Lord Buddha seated in the act of invoking the earth when he was attacked by Mara and his host of evil powers . This is one of the largest statues of Buddha extant and is in fair preservation except that a portion of the halo has been broken the figure is about 8 feet high with a breadth of 4 feet across the shoulders and of 6 feet across the knees .

 It is still in situ inside a small brick built cell but the temple is otherwise in ruins only parts of its original brick walls and some  13 granite pillars being traceable . These pullers probably supported an open hall the front of the temple Buddha .Among the rocks at the foot of the northern face of the kauwadol Hill  there are numerous figures carved in high relief on many of the larger massages of granite .They are much worn and some have become very faint as the stone has not withstood the influences of the climate. Most of theme represent Brahmanical figures and by far the most numerous are sculptures of the four  armed Goddess Durga  slaying the Buffalo demon Mahishasur .There are however three Buddhist figures one a seated Buddha the other barasata and the third prajnaparamita.The row in which these figures have been carved contains a number of sculptured Hindu deities and is a striking example of the fusion of Brahmanism and Buddhism in the period 800 - 1200 A.D. to which these carvings . Kauwa dil Hill drive there name from the tradition that  kakbhusundi  the famous aadhyatmik sant and aadhyatm Ramayan rachayita kakabhusundi  lived in one of these hill.And the name kauwadol is apparently a corruption of kakbhusundi the great  enclosure a designation applied to the hill in which  the kauwadol hill are situated. The Bodhisatva touched the earth when Mara  challanged him exhorting the earth  goddess to appear to witness his enlightenment.this is known as Bhumi sparsh  mudra  .The folk belief takes it to be a follower of king Banasur petrified due to a curse to return to human from like Ahilya  when the duration of the curse is cover . See Archaeological survey of of India and Archaeological survey of Bengal circle for 1901 - 02 ,

NAGARJUNI HILL FAMOUS IN THE BUDDISTIC WORLD

BARABAR HILL GROUP I N THE BUDDHIST PLACE  NAGARJUNi HILL

Satyendra Kumar Pathak

Nagarjun hills derive their name from the tradition that Nagarjun the famous Buddhist teacher lived in one  of these caves and the name Barabar is apparently a corruption barawara the great enclosure a designation applied to the valley in which the cave are situated. Nagarjun hill situated about 16 miles to the south of the Jehanabad district headquarter jehanabad state Bihar ( India )  and connected by a motarable road there are a group of Barabar hills  with distinct peaks.About half mile to the east of the patalganga siddheshwar nath peak are the Nagarjun hills consisting of two narrow ridges of granite running nearly parallel about half a mile distant from each other. The southern ridge contains three mor Gopi cave, vadyantik cave and yogendra cave s  of which two are situated in a small spur on the northern side  while the third and  largest cave known as the Gopi cave is excavated in the southern side of the ridge of a height of 50 feet above the plain. It is approached by flight of rude stone steps but the entrance is concealed by a tree and partly by the wall of an Udyan built by some former mohammad an occupants. On the aut side immediately over the doorway a small Sunken tablet contains an inscription stating that the  Gopi ' s cave was besttoword by Magadh raja Dasharath immediately after his occasion on the venerable Ajivikas to be a dwelling place for them as long as the sun and the moon endure.

:The other two caves which are situated in low rocky  ridge on the northern side of the Nagarjun hill have inscriptions recording their dedication in the same terms . To the south there are  two raised  terraces the upper of which is believed by General cunningham  to have been the site of a Buddhist Vihar or monastery .There are several squared stones and granite pillers near the top which in the opinion of the same authority where added by the Mohammadan who  accupied the caves in later years . The plateform is covered with their tombs and all around there are heaps of bricks and fragments of carved stones which show that several building must once have existed here . The  westward cave is situated in a graphic and natural cleft of the rock and in entered by narrow passage only 2 feet10 inches in width. In an inscription on the right hand jamb of the doorway this cave is called Vedathika cave which General Cunningham suggestsmany mean the Vedathika cave of the secluded medications . This meaning is appropriate to the position of the Vedathika cave  for it is entirely separated from the cave to the est is encompassed by the bluff rocks of the gap in which it is situated and is effectually screened from view. the cave next to  it has a small porch  and ante chennee from which a  narrow doorway leads to the principal room .The roof is  vaulted and all the walls are highly polished. From  an inscription on the left hand side of the porch we learn that the cave was called Vapika  a tern  which probably refers to the well Vapi cave in front of it . From the account given above it will be seen that the two groups of cave are separated by date as wel as position .The Barabar caves having been excavated in the reign of Magadh empire Ashok while those of Nagarjun where excavated in the first year of the reign of his grandson Dasharath I.e. about the year 231 B.C. They where all dedicated to the Ajivika noted for ascetic practice of the most rigorous kind .From inscriptions of later date we learn that the caves where for ages acciones by Brahmani al ascetics .About the third century A.D.the king haardik German and Anant verman placed Brahmani al images in three of the caves and in the six century the jan teacher achary yogendra left a record of his adoration of the siddheshwar nath lingam in the Vapika cave .The Barabar caves are known locally as the santa ghar , satagharwa and it has been suggested that the name is a corruption of saptagharbha  and seven caves .It may also mean sant ghar  the abode of the saints . The Barabar caves are however only four in number karn cave ,sudama cave ,lomash rishi cave and vvishvajhopadi caves and the term would there for have to include the three Nagarjun hill Gopi cave , vapi cave , yogendra caves . The nagarjun hills derive their name from the tradition that Nagarjun the famous Buddhist teacher lived in ane of these caves  and the name Barabar is apparently a corruption of Bara avara the great enclosure a designation applied to the valley in which the caves are situated. This naturally a strong defensive position as it possesses plenty of water and is only accessible at two points on the north east and south  east . Both this points where closed by walls , and  as there are also traces of walls on the surrounding hills . It seems certain that the place was once used as a stronghold. The term may  however have been applied to the larger valley enclosed on the West by the Barabar hills on the east  by the faltu river where the numerous heaps of  brick and stone scattered over the plain seem to mark the site of a large  Ram Gaya town . Buchanan Himilton colls this plain  RamGaya and states that the people of the neighborhood claimed that it was once a centre of pilgrimage which fel into  decline because the Gayawals set up a new Pilgrim city Gaya . The Barabar hills group place is connected from patna Gaya or Gaya Patna railway line  Bela ( Gaya ) and makhadumpur ( jehanabad )  railway station , Barabar Holt and Banavae Holt  by Patna Gaya roads which run to the bottom of Barabar hills. See Report of the Archaeological survey of India Ancient monuments in Bengal 1895 .

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