The Antiquarian Remains in Bihar (An Old and Rare Book)

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The Government of Bihar established the K.P. Jayaswal Research Institute at Patna in 1951 with the object inter alia, to promote historical research, archaeological excavations and investigations and publication of works of permanent value to scholars. This Institute, along with five others, was planned by this Government as a token of their homage to the tradition of learning and scholarship for which ancient Bihar was noted.

Apart from the Kashi Prasad Jayaswal Research Institute, five others have been established to give incentive to research and advancement of knowledge-the Nalanada Institute of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Pali and Buddhist Learning at Nalanda, The Mithila Institute of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Sanskrit Learning at Darbhanga, the Bihar Rastrabhasha Parishad for advanced Studies and Research in Hindi, at Patna, the Institute of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Jainism and Prakrit Learning at Vaishali and the Institute of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Arabic and Persian Learning at Patna.

As a part of this programme of rehabilitation and reorientation of ancient learning and shcolarship, the K.P. Jayaswal Research Institute has undertaken the editing and publication of the Tibetan Sanskrit Text Series with the co-operation of scholars in Bihar and outside. Another series of Historical Research works for elucidating the history and culture of Bihar and India has also been started by the Institute. The Government of Bihar hope to continue to sponsar such projects and trust that this humble service to the world of scholarship and learning would bear fruit in the fullness of time.

In 1958 when I was in Delhi I had a casual talk with the late Dr. Altekar regarding the manuscript of the list of antiuse while I was Superintendent of the Mid-Eastern Circle at Patna during 1953 to 1956. He was kind enough to go through it personally and at once offered to have it published by the K.P. Jayaswal Institute. I readily agreed to this offer after consulting Shri A. Ghosh, the Director General of Archaeology, who was good enough to approve of the publication being undertaken by the Jayaswal Institute.

The original list I had prepared was, however, compiled in a tabulated form on more or less the same lines as I had done earlier for the list of antiquarian remains for the former madhya Bharat Union published in 1952. The late Dr. Altekar made a number of useful and valuable suggestions regarding the form of the text and it was ultimately decided that the work, instead of being presented in a tabular form, should be narrative in content and as fully informative as could be possible without considerably increasing the size of the book. I had therefore to revise the original manuscript thoroughly and could make the typescript ready for the press by the middle of 1959.

By November 1959 all arrangements for the printing of the work were finalized by the late Dr. Altekar, but, alas! In that very month on the 24th Nov. 59, I feel very sad to say, Dr. Altekar left this mortal world, a development which brought a feeling of depression on me; for I lost many chances of suggestionsfrom a veteran scholar and historian of his standing, which could greatly have improved upon this work.

Soon after the preliminary survey of antiquarian remains in Northern India by General Cunningham in 1861, the Government of India relished the urgency and importance of the preparation of "classified lists" of such remains on an extensive scale, primarily with a view of selection of monuments for purposes of their conservation and continued preservation. The Provincial Governments were suitably addressed in the matter and with the help of the local officers of the districts and of the Archaeological Surveyors of the various regions; most of the Provincial Governments in India could furnish elaborate lists of antiquarian remains in the country by the eighties or nineties of the last century. These lists were prepared in a proferma prescribed by the Government of India and the details on the proferma clearly indicate that they had twofold objects in view, viz. (i) a planned programme of extensive survey of antiquarian remains by the regional Archaeological Surveyors, who were expected to collect more accurate information on the history, architecture etc. of those remains, and (ii) selection of standing monuments for conservation and continued preservation.

A List of Monuments in the then Presidency of Bengal, which included Bihar, was accordingly prepared first in 1888 and its revised edition was republished in 1896 by the Public Works Department of the Government of Bengal with the assistance of Beglar, the then Archaeological Surveyor of the region. In his report for the year 1901-2, Bloch, the Archaeological Surveyor in Bengal, pointed out a number of omissions and defects in the aforesaid list and suggested a thorough revision. The Government of Bengal in consultation with Marshall, the newly appointed Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India. immediately approved of the proposal of Bloch under their resolution No. 2915 dated 9th September 19021 and Bloch was directed to proceed with the work of revision immediately.

**Contents and Sample Pages**