Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) unravels remarkable Archaeological remains in Bandhavgarh Forest Reserve

Source: The post is based on the article “Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) unravels remarkable Archaeological remains in Bandhavgarh Forest Reserve” published in The Hindu on 28th September 2022

What is the News?

Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) has discovered remarkable archaeological remains in Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh Forest Reserve.

What has been discovered by ASI at Bandhavgarh Forest Reserve?

26 caves which are mostly Buddhist in nature. Remains of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism like chaitya-shaped doors and cells containing stone beds.

26 ancient temples/relics of Kalachuri period (9th century CE to 11th Century CE).

A large Varaha sculpture datable to the 9th – 13th century CE. It appears to be the world’s largest sculpture. 24 Brahmi inscriptions (2nd century CE to 5th century CE)

Important kings of the era mentioned in the inscriptions include Shri Bhimsena, Maharaja Pothasiri and Bhattadeva.

About Bandhavgarh National Park

Bandhavgarh National Park is located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. It was declared as a National Park in 1968 and then became a Tiger Reserve in 1993. 

The park resides on the extreme northeastern border of Madhya Pradesh and the northern edges of the Satpura mountain ranges.

The park derived its name from the most prominent hill of the area which is said to have been given by Lord Rama to his brother Laxman to keep a watch on Lanka The fort was built by Gond Dynasty kings.

One of the biggest attractions of this national park is the Bengal tiger(Panthera tigris tigris). Bandhavgarh has a very high density of tigers within its jungles.