Baijnath, Kaimur
Baijnath
Baijnāth | |
|---|---|
Village | |
Baijnath Location in Bihar, India Baijnath Baijnath (India) | |
| Coordinates: 25°16′59″N 83°34′08″E / 25.28297°N 83.56893°E[1] | |
| Country | India |
| State | Bihar |
| District | Kaimur |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.31 km2 (0.89 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 75 m (246 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 2,482[2] |
| • Density | 1,070/km2 (2,780/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Bhojpuri, Hindi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
Baijnath, also spelled Baidyanath, is a village in Ramgarh block of Kaimur district, Bihar, India.[2] Located in the northeastern part of the district (formerly the Bhabua sub-division), 9 km (5.6 mi) south of Ramgarh, it is the site of an old Shiva temple built during the time of the Pratihara dynasty.[2] Artefacts links to the Pala dynasty have also been found.[3][4] As of 2011, its population was 2,482, in 380 households.[2]
History & Archaeology
Baidyanath is believed to have been a center of the ancient kingdom of the Savars. The site is surrounded by old relics and ruins from the early kingdom.[5]
The Temple on the Mound
The central feature of the village is a modern Shaivite temple built atop a large mound. In 1882, an excavation of the mound revealed that it contained the remains of a much older, ancient temple. The current structure is noted for its highly unusual construction. Described as a "medley of sculptures," the small temple was built entirely from the materials of the old shrine. Ancient carved stones and sculptural fragments were used haphazardly in place of conventional bricks, creating a unique architectural collage. The mound itself is also reported to be composed of these ancient sculptural remains.[5]
Pala Dynasty Inscription and Other Relics
A key historical artifact discovered on the mound is an inscription of King Madanapala (transcribed as Rājā Madan Pāl Deva), a ruler of the Pala dynasty, which dates a period of the site's importance to the Pala era.n addition to the temple, the immediate vicinity contains several other sculpted obelisks and pillars, further highlighting the area's archaeological heritage.[5][6]
References
- ^ a b "Geonames.org. Baijnāth". Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Census of India 2011: Bihar District Census Handbook - Kaimur, Part A (Village and Town Directory)". Census 2011 India. pp. 22–85, 184–239, 898–99, 972–88. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ Prasad, Birendra Nath (17 June 2021). Archaeology of Religion in South Asia: Buddhist, Brahmanical and Jaina Religious Centres in Bihar and Bengal, c. AD 600–1200. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-41675-6.
- ^ Hamilton, Francis (1926). Journal Kept During the Survey of the District of Shahabad in 1812-1813. Supertintendent, Government Print., Bihar and Orissa.
- ^ a b c O'Malley, Lewis Sydney Steward (1906). Shahabad Volume 1. Bengal Secretariat Book Departmentôt. p. 131.
- ^ Society, Bihar Research (1925). The Journal of the Bihar Research Society.