Archaeologists Seek Chausagarh Excavation, Say Ancient Brick Temple May Lie Buried Beneath Mound
After uncovering rare epic-era terracotta art, archaeologists say only deeper excavation can confirm whether Chausagarh hides India’s earliest brick temple.
By Dev Raj
Published : January 6, 2026 at 6:44 PM IST
Patna: Archaeologists have called for further excavation of the Chausagarh mound in Buxar district in Bihar, as it could yield evidence of the most ancient burnt brick temple in the country.
The place, located 155km west of Patna and close to the Ganga river, has already provided some of the oldest and rarest terracotta figurines and plaques related to the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, dating back to the 3rd – 4th century AD.
The artefacts were discovered in the preliminary excavations conducted by the state archaeology department between 2011 and 2014. They were left unattended at the site for years, but were later shifted and displayed at Sitaram Upadhyay Museum in Buxar town in 2025, revealing the art and culture of the bygone era.
“We had to stop excavating the site because the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) did not provide further licence. We could excavate only the top portion of the mound and discover a cache of bricks and antiquities, but were unable to unearth the actual structure of the ancient temple,” Umesh Chandra Dwivedi, former director of the directorates of museum and archaeology, told ETV Bharat.
Dwivedi, who headed the excavations along with ASI official Jalaj Kumar Tiwari, added that if dug further, the archaeologists could find a huge temple made of burnt bricks and decorated with terracotta plaques and figurines.
“Archaeologically, it could be the oldest temple in India. Even if the temple has been destroyed due to man-made or natural reasons, at least its plinth and ruins could be found if the site is excavated deeper. The plinth normally survives destruction,” he said.
Dwivedi also added that the early Gupta era finds and further diggings could also go a long way to prove that Patliputra (present day Patna) was the capital of Chandragupta I, Samudragupta and other Gupta dynasty rulers. A large number of historians currently hold that Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh was their capital.
The exploration and diggings in the surrounding areas of the Chausagarh mound yielded Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) from the pre-Mauryan and Mauryan period of around 6th–3rd century BC, indicating that the human settlements at the place ran deeper at the site.
The terracotta plaques, tablets and figurines found in the excavations include a ‘Kalyansundara’ one. It is called so because it is related to the marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, in which Lord Brahma performed as a priest while Gods Vishnu and Surya were also present as witnesses.
One of the precious finds from Chausagarh presently kept at the Patna Museum includes a plaque depicting Lord Ram, Lakshman, Hanuman, Sugriva and Vibhishan searching for Goddess Sita. Another plaque found from the site depicts the slaying of demon Kumbhakarna by Ram. It also shows Lakshman and Hanuman.
Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Bihar state co-convenor Shiv Kumar Mishra, who was instrumental in housing the Chausagarh terracotta artefacts in the Sitaram Upadhyay Museum, said that if excavated further, the site could yield unparalleled finds in history.
“When I took over the terracotta hoard of Chausagarh, the first thing I did was to get the antiquities, which numbered around 500, washed with water. I was taken aback once the mud and dirt on them were washed away. I had never seen such a beautiful work of terracotta art from such ancient times. The antiquities indicate that they adorned a temple, and I wonder how beautiful it must have been,” Mishra told ETV Bharat.
Speaking further, he pointed out that one of the terracotta plaques shows sage Vishwamitra, apsara (celestial nymph) Menaka and their daughter Shakuntala. The legendary king Bharat, on whom the name of our country is based, was Shakuntala’s son.
“As per my studies, the plaque of Vishwamitra, Menaka and Shakuntala is the earliest artefact that is related to the story of Bharat. It is a treasure not only archaeological and cultural, but also because it indicates that the story related to our country’s name was prevalent in those ancient times as well. The site must be excavated further,” Mishra added.
Several of the figurines had letters and sentences in the Brahmi script. Mishra sent their photographs to the epigraphy branch of the ASI located at Mysore so that the experts could give their opinions on them. Epigraphist Krishnamurthy S. identified it as Gupta-era Brahmi script.
Incidentally, Chausa is also famous for the battle between the Afghan dynasty ruler Sher Shah Suri and Mughal emperor Humayun, which occurred in 1539. The latter suffered a humiliating defeat and escaped by crossing the Ganga with the help of a water-carrier. It paved the way for Sher Shah’s dominance over north India.
