1,300 Year Old Buddhist Stupa : ASI Discovery
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) discovered a 1,300-year-old stupa right in the middle of a mining site in Odisha’s Jajpur district at a Khondalite mining site.
- It is the place from where Khondalite stones were supplied for the beautification project around the 12th Century Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri.
- The stupa could be 4.5-metre tall and initial assessment showed it may belong to the 7th or 8th century.
- It was found at Parabhadi which is situated near Lalitagiri, a major Buddhist complex, having a large number of stupas and monasteries.
- Lalitgiri Buddhist site is believed to be the most sacred among the three sites (Lalitagiri, Ratnagiri and Udayagiri) as it unearthed a massive stupa where a relic of Buddha was discovered inside a stone casket.
- Khondalite is a type of metamorphic rock that is found in the Eastern Ghats region of India, particularly in the state of Odisha.
- It is named after the Khondalite Group of rocks, which is believed to have formed around 1.6 billion years ago during the Proterozoic era.
- Khondalite is primarily composed of feldspar, quartz, and mica, and has a distinct pinkish-grey coloration. It is commonly used as a decorative stone in construction and is particularly prized for its durability and resistance to weathering.
- Khondalite stones were widely used in ancient temple complexes.
Stupas:
- They were burial mounds prevalent in India from the vedic period.
- Architecture: Stupas consist of a cylindrical drum with a circular anda and a harmika and a chhatra on the top.
