Statue resembling Buddha found during land break

BY BASANTA PARAJULI,Narayangadh, Apr. 10: The statue of archaeological importance, resembling Buddha has been found in Gaurigunj of the Bharatpur Metropolitan City-8.

According to Jeevnath Kandel, Chair of Ward No. 8 of the metropolis, the statue resembling Gautam Buddha at a glance was found buried about 5 to 6 metres below the ground. The statue was found while laying the foundation pillar of the new bridge. 

“We were digging the ground using an excavator for bridge construction. Suddenly a statue looking like that of Buddha with folded hands resting on his chest in an uplifted posture appeared. The top round part of the statue’s head has been cut off,” said Kandel.

It is assumed that the statue might be very ancient as it was found 5-6 metres below the ground, said Chairman Kandel. 

He said that the metal used to carve the statue had not been identified yet. The statue is nine inches high, seven inches wide and 10.5 inches in circumference. He said, “It’s difficult to determine the metal used in the statue, and the statue is quite heavy.”

Archaeologist Prakash Darnal said that no concrete statement could be made at the moment. However, based on its nature, he estimates it to be over a hundred years old.

“This statue must represent some important Buddhist guru,” he said. “A statue of such historical significance could have been deliberately hidden in this location and later forgotten.”

Purna Bahadur Ranabhat, a resident of Gauriganj, said the statue was found in the old settlement of the area. Since the time of Rana’s rule, this area was known as the Salyani area. The area was inhabited by the indigenous Tharu community. 

The region was registered for residence in 1922. The area, bordering the Chitwan National Park’s Barandabhar Forest Area, is located approximately 40 kilometres north of Ayodhya Dham (birthplace of Ram in Inida) and about 5 kilometres south of Bharatpur, capital of Chitwan.

Ranabhat said, “There is no certainty about the statue’s details, but it appears to be made of a very valuable metal. Government agencies like the Department of Archaeology should research to uncover the true nature of this artefact.”

The Department of Archaeology’s spokesperson, Ram Bahadur Kunwar said that further details on the statue couldn’t be provided without conducting a research.