Wall from Gupta dynasty, brick structure of 1,500 year old temple, discovered in Bangladesh

Dhaka, Jan 21 : Archaeologists have excavated the brick structure of a temple more than 1,500 years old and a dilapidated wall from the Gupta dynasty at the Vasu Bihara site of Shibganj upazila in Bogra, Bangladesh.

"During the ongoing archaeological excavation, walls, held together with mud, about two metres wide and antiques including part of an ornamental brick have been found," said Nahid Sultana, custodian of the department of Archaeology, government of Bangladesh.

According to a report in The Daily Star, most of the bricks on the walls of the temple are 35cm long, 27cm wide and four centimetres thick.

To protect the walls of the main structure of the temple from collapsing, support walls were built with the same kind of bricks.

According to Archaeologist Mahabubul Alam, assistant custodian of the department, the brick built temple resembles the temple of Vasu Bihara constructed during the Pala dynasty, suggesting it belonged to the same period.

"Chinese pilgrim Yuang Chwang, during his visit to the area between 639AD and 645AD, saw several temples near Vasu Bihara which is known as Narapatir Dhap," he said.

A brick-built floor of a room of the temple was also discovered in western side of the structure.

As for the discovery of the wall from the Gupta dynasty, Alam said, "During excavation of trench No-15, a dilapidated wall dating back to the Gupta dynasty (320AD-550AD) was found under the recently discovered structure."

"Further excavation is required to get more information about the wall but the department cannot do so due to fund constraint," he added.

ANI