-| Akhnoor | -
Situated
at Akhnoor Tehsil in Jammu this site have been an important centre of Buddism
between 1st and 7th centuary AD.Excavations by ASI during 2000-2001 in the hamlet
of Pambarwan,Ambarnan village of Akhnoor Tehsil have unearthed a silver casket,gold
and silver leaves,coins,a tooth and other relics beleived to be those of Lord
Buddha. Ambaran is the eighth place in the world where Buddha relics have been
found in a stupa.The search of Akhnoor terracota was carried out in this region
in 1995 followed by trial excavation in 1974.
The excavation revealed that the destruction of the Buddhist monastry complex
at Ambaran was caused by regular flooding of the establishment and three flash
floods in different period of time.This site seems to have been abandoned around
6th centuary A.D. The excavations uncovered entrance to some important complexes.There
was a concentration of terracotta figures and their fragments at one particular
spots.
It seems that terracotta figures were probabaly used for decorating or embellishing
the wall of the monastry complex.
A large number of terracotta figures,palms,hands,legs,torso part including those
of female figurine with a chiffon like cloth The molding technique of these
terracotta figure,palms and other body parts conveys that they were made by
master craftsman who had thorough understanding of human anatomy. Besides these
small sculpture copper and iron object, red pottery with shapes prevelent in
Kushan and Gupta period were also found in the lates excavation.
A large enclosure,walls of a monastery and shrine found at the site indicate
that these were originally constructed during the Kushan period but underwent
repeated repairs due to the havoc wrought by periodic flash floods of the Chenab
river.
Mand (about a kilometre as the crow files) a Harappan site (inside Akhnoor Fort)
has alreadybeen mapped Indus Velley Civilasation. Later, Jafar Chak and Gure
Baba Ka Tiba were also excavated on the other side of the Chenab river which
proved to be protohistoric sites with evidences of Buddhist-related antiquities.
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