PATARGHAT CAVES
25.250000,87.250000
Description
A group of five »rock temples« (man-made rock-cut chambers) excavated from an exceptionally granitoid gneiss (VREDENBURG 1908 in: IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 13: 27) for religious purposes. ETYMOLOGY: Patharghat, the "rocky landing", is also called Patharghata, Patarghat, and Pattergotta. CUNNINGHAM (1871: 477, edited 1924, 1959, 1963, 1977, 1990: 402-403) identifies the »picturesque rocky island of Patharghata« with Chen-Po, or Champa, of "Hwen Tsang" (XUANZANG 648). Caschtis (Caschti) Tiefenthaler (1765 in: BERNOULLI 1785-1787, 2.1 [1788]: 189).Kaschti BERNOULLI (1788, 2.1: 118)Pattarghata Tiefenthaler (1765 in: BERNOULLI 1785-1787, 2.1 [1788]: 189) Patthargat BERNOULLI (1788, 2.1: 118) Patharghata CUNNINGHAM (1871: 477 edited 1990: 402-403). SITUATION: At the Patharghat (note 1) on the south (orographically right) bank of the Ganga (Ganges River) and north of the Bhagalpur Plateau, at travelling distances of about 8 km downstream (east-south-east) from Kahalgon (note 3), 3 km from Vikramshila / Vikramasila (note 2), and roughly 200 km north-north-west of Calcutta (saffronised: Kolkata). SITUATION 2010: »… a small place called Bateshwarnath near Kahalgaon, Bihar around 44 kmS from Bhagalpur the "silk city". Me and my brother-in-law decided to go there on [motor] bike, as we knew we would need to travel through area's where we might not get good roads (although to our surprise, the condition of rural roads where much better than National Highway NH-80, thanks to pradhan mantri gramin rojgar yogana). Bateshwarnath is a place which just looks like a picture postcard. River Ganges is in full flow and miles till you can see« (indiamike.com "Travelling to Offbeat places - Vikramshila" accessed 2010.12.20). CAVE DESCRIPTION 648: »Chen-Po: By piercing the rock, houses have been made« (XUANZANG 648, book X, in: BEAL 1884, edited 1969, 1981, 2: 191-192). CAVE DESCRIPTION 650: HWUI LI (circa 650, book IV, edited by BEAL 1911 edited 1973: 128) recalls »Hiuen Tsiang« (Xuanzang) stating in connection with Champa that »Formerly, at the beginning of the kalpa [the current eon], men dwelt in caves.« CAVE DESCRIPTION 1765: »Caschtis (Caschti) vel Pattarghata (duplex enim nomen gerit) pagus est littori citeriori adjacens, as radices monticuli frondosi et umbrosi; Bagelpore quingque, Penti fex milliarium intervallo abesse dicitur; plura milliaria insumuntur navigando, quia Ganga magnos anfractus facit. In umbilico monticuli aedificium antiquum in quadrum aedificatum visitur, ripam fluminis spectans, cui meatus subterraneus in ingentem longitudinem protensus iubest. Hume meatum sungunt Indi ad ipsas usque inferorum sedes, qua Patal vocitant, pertingere. Ad ortum hybernum Ganga efficit sinum, ad cujus aditum faxa praegrandia ex aquis eminent, et navigantibus periculum indicant« (THIEFENTHALER 1765 in: BERNOULLI 1785-1788, 2.1 [1788]: 189). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1799: DANIELL, Thomas (1799): Antiquities of India.- Oriental Scenery (London: East India Company) gives a hand-coloured engraving (about 90 cm by 70 cm in size) showing a dramatic scenery of rounded granite rocks rising without any caves from the Ganges at Patarghat. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1810-1811: NOT SEEN: BUCHANAN [later: HAMILTON], Francis (1810-1811, edited 1939 by OLDHAM, Charles E A W). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1817-1820: NOT SEEN: FULLARTON, John (a.i.): Manuscript notes extracted from the journal of his travels through Hindostan, during the years 1817, and 1820. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1828: »Pattergotta (Patarghat) … [is] a steep rock which projects into the Ganges; and in the rock itself are several excavations, apparently of considerable antiquity, which still afford occasional shelter to Hindoo mendicants. (Fullarton, &c.)« (HAMILTON, W 1828, 2: 384). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1838: NOT SEEN: MARTIN, Robert Montgomery (1838). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1885: »Both bearing and distance point to the rocky hill of Kahalgaon (Kolgong of the maps), which is just 23 miles to the east of Bhagalpur (Champa)« (CUNNINGHAM (1885: 34). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1905: WATTERS (1904-1905 edited 1961, 1988, 2: 181-182) agrees with CUNNINGHAM (1871: 447). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1908: »… a rock temple of peculiar style, which formerly contained several fine specimens of sculpture, and the place appears to have been visited by the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsiang [XUANZANG 648]. It is of some commercial importance and was once notorious as the resort of thugs« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 10: 374-375). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1909: Situated on the bank of the Ganges … »Pathargatha hill …contains five caves, the most important …[is] –>Bateswar cave« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 20: 28-29). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1966: »The islands at Colganj.-- …Behind the shrine rose a long, jungle covered hill called Chaurasi-Murti, the eighty-four statues. It was riddled with caves, one of which was said to be so long that an expedition which a Raja had organised to explore it had had to withdraw without reaching the end, after the 6'400 pounds of lamp oil with which its members had set out had been consumed. Two of the caves had doorways with cut mouldings, similar to the decorations of the great Buddhist stupa at Sarnath near Banaras [Varanasi / Kashi, i.e.: Benares]… Above the cave were the eighty-four images cut in the sandstone [sic! more likely: gritty structured granitoid gneiss]… scenes of godly violence… young woman churning milk… The hill of Chaurasi-Murthi was a lovely, mysterious place« (NEWBY 1966: 262; forwarded by Anthony 'Tony' R. Jarratt 2001.10.29). SITUATION 2010: »Now the surprising element, when we reached there, we could see some tunnels in the hills. We inquired from the locals about them and came to know that they are mines which were used by British People to take stones for make porcelains, ceramic materials. I got more information on internet the company was bengal potteries and the mining was done extensively during 1919-1936. We were very eager to go inside and we took a decision but nobody knew how long are they and is there any danger inside. Anyway I used my camera's flash to get some inside view. We didn't dared to go beyond 50 Meters [centimetre?] as it was pitch dark« (indiamike.com "Travelling to Offbeat places - Vikramshila" accessed 2010.12.20). CULTURAL HISTORY - Human use: The "caves", originally excavated (by Buddhists?) for religious purposes (troglodyte hermitage) in connection with Sri Vikramasila, a great monastic university, which was founded in the 8th century and became the intellectual centre for Tantric Buddhism (buddhanet.net/e-learning/pilgrim/pg_28.htm accessed 28.09.2003). IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 10: 374-375) advertises, in a pretty much imperial manner, the reputation of the Pathaghat caves as hide-outs of thugs, or bad, bad criminals. CAVE LIFE: Bats: Chiroptera »Specimens of Rhinolophus affinis… [were] recorded by Blyth from... a cave near Colgong on the Ganges« (BLANFORD 1888-1891: 274).
NOTE 1: Patharghat is found between N25°17': E087°12' and N25°22': E087°16' (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 20: 28-29). NOTE 2: buddhanet.net/e-learning/pilgrim/pg_28.htm (accessed 28.09.2003) advertises the ruined 8th century university of Vikramasila: »To get there you will have to hire a vehicle in Bhagalpur and go via Kahalgong and Patharaghat, a distance of about 50 kilometres over bumpy dusty roads.« NOTE 3: Kahalgon (N25°16': E087°13' nima.mil/geonames, accessed 16.11.2003), also spelled Colganj, Colgong, Kaalgang or Kahalgaon, understand some to represent »Kaligaon« (town of Kali).
Documents
Bibliography 01/05/2016- Beal, Samuel 1884 edited 1969, 1981, 1911 edited 1977. Bernoulii, Johann 1785-1788, 1786-1789. Blanford 1888-1891. Cunningham, Alexander 1871 (reprinted 1924, 1959, 1963, 1977, 1990), 1885. Hamilton, Walter 1828. Imperial Gazetteer 1907-1909. Newby, Eric 1966. Tiefenthaler, Joseph 1765. Vredenburg, E 1908 in: Imperial Gazetteer 1907-1909. Xuanzang 648 ("Hiuen Tsiang" edited by Beal 1884, 1885 edited 1906, 1981; "Hiouen Thsang" edited by Julien, Stanislas 1857-1858; "“Hsuan Tsang” edited by Grousset, Rene 1932, 1957, 1971, 1977, 1986; “Yuan Chwang” edited by Watters, Thomas 1904-1905 edited 1961, 1988).
Cavités proche
| Distance (km) | Nom | Longueur (m) | Profondeur (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38.0 | MANIHARI PERFORATED MASS | ||
| 42.9 | MOOTTEE JHURNA (Cave at) | ||
| 186.1 | SUN KOSHI (Munthe 1975) no. 1 (Cave on the) | ||
| 186.1 | SUN KOSHI (Munthe 1975) no. 2 (Cave on the) | ||
| 212.6 | TAKESHWAR (Cave at) | ||
| 215.9 | SHIVA, Bhojpur, Koshi zone, Nepal (Cave of) | ||
| 224.3 | DARJEELING, Observatory Hill top (Cave at) | ||
| 224.3 | DARJEELING, Observatory Hill: west side (Cave at) | ||
| 232.2 | RAMMAN NATURAL BRIDGE |