South Asian Art

The present land of Tripura, a state of north-eastern part of India lies very adjacent to the rich archaeological potentially area of Lalmai-Mainamati area of Bangladesh. In fact, the western and some southern parts of present Tripura was an extension of the plains of southeast Bengal, both geographically and culturally. After the early-medieval period, under the Manikya dynasty these areas were recorded as "Tippera district". In terms of aesthetic sensibility, as well as immensity, the early-medieval metal images of southeast Bengal are notable. For instance, we may refer here about the magnificent images of Vajrasattva (141 × 120 × 67 cm), reported from Bhojavihara, Cumilla, Bangladesh (Plate 36.1); Avalokiteśvara (measurement of surviving torso only 148 × 103 × 53 cm), from Kutilamura, Cumilla and so on. A good number of metal images, both inscribed or uninscribed of Buddhist and Brahmanical divinities reported from Cumilla and Chittagong are noteworthy in this context. Here we should mention that, the image of Śarvāṇī from Comilla, is the earliest example of survived dated metal image (late seventh century CE) so far recovered from all over eastern India (Kim, 2018: 403). The Buddhist metal images under purview are mostly reported from two major Buddhist sites, Boxanagar and Pilak, and their adjacent areas, however, a metal image of Hevajra was recovered from village Hurua, Dharmanagar (Plate 36.2). The present location of this image is unknown. The early Buddhist establishment of Boxanagar (c. sixth-twelfth centuries CE), Sonamura, Tripura, located on the bank of stream Harimangal, is adjacent to the Buddhist sites of Lalmai-Mainamati area (the northern most archaeological site of the Lalmai-Mainamati, known as Ranir Banglo, is not more than 32 km away from ruins of Boxanagar). Another important Buddhist site of Tripura is situated near Jolaibari, locally known as Pilak. This area is surrounded by Noakhali and Chittagong borders of Bangladesh. The Buddhist centres of the coastal areas of Chittagong including Pilak might be acted as connector between Arakan and Buddhist pilgrim centres of mainland eastern India during the early-medieval period. Here we have considered altogether nineteen metal images, kept in the Tripura Govt. Museum, Agartala (nine nos.), Rajendra Kirtisala (private collection), Agartala (two nos.); ASI Site Museum, Pilak, Jolaibari (four nos.); and miscellanées (four nos.).

In the 1960s, the Government took the initiative to construct the Shayam Sarovar dam in Devnimori and Shamlaji villages. Meanwhile, P.W.D recovered a few antiquities and mounds near Devnimori Village, indicating that this region has potential for archaeological investigations. Therefore, Department of Archaeology, the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, conducted exploration and excavation. They were salvaging the whole Buddhist antiquities from the Devnimori village, and Samlaji was excavated to understand the relation with the Devnimori stupa. Hence, the Present study aims to further investigate Samlaji and its adjoining areas through field surveys and G.I.S. to understand the archaeological landscape of the present study area and comprehend the function and the relation of explored sites with Shamlaji.