Ancient Nalanda Ruins - a second visit of exploration

Nalanda Ruins – Exploration on 27 March 2011
I paid the full “Foreigner” fare to enter the ruins and then I immediately went to a shady bench up on a hill next to the main walkway. From my perch, I ate my mixture of nuts and grains and chilies that I bought from the street vendor I always buy from and watched the tourists pour through the gate. I wondered who was more on display – them or me, as we all stared at one another.

Finishing my snack, I joined the crowds on the sidewalk. I carried my small dish and palm spoon with me since I spied a garbage can up ahead. Unfortunately, garbage cans are not placed within easy reach. I had to step over a small shrub and then bend down to throw my garbage in to the small opening! Back on the path once more, I entered the ruins with no specific monastery or temple in mind to explore.

Monastery Annexe 5 with the Pilgrimage group - January 2011

Monastery Annexe 5 was the first one I came to. In my past visits, this is the place where the building and rebuilding of Nalanda University is always explained. We are shown how the old level had been demolished (or had decayed/been damaged so much that warranted rebuilding) and how the debris (broken bricks) was used as the foundation for the next level of building. Evidence shows that some of these monasteries have been rebuilt four times, one level on top of the past level. After hearing this explanation though, I’ve always moved on with the group to the next monastery. Today I decided to spend more time here.

Stairs to the top of the monk's chambers in Site 5

Some architectural curving

I walked all around the top of Monastery Annexe 5. I marveled at the instances I saw of architectural curving of the bricks rather than just straight lines. Seeing the “rain gutter” in the wall, I couldn’t help picture a waterfall occurring at that spot. Was this really a rain gutter, a drainage for sewage from the other monastery, or perhaps it was for fresh water collection? Why did they curve the water channel? Was there a functional purpose or was it merely appealing or an attempt to mimic nature?

Looking down into the cells, I could see the corbelled doorways. Walking all around the top, I spied an easy way to climb down for a closer inspection of this site and the mark by the Archaeology Survey of India (ASI) made in 1956-57. Stepping back up to the top, I made my way up some steps to Monastery Site 4.

Monastery 4 - skylight

Walkway and bridge between Monastery Sites 4 and 1

Monastery Site 4 was another site that I had briefly explored on my previous visits with various groups. There was still more to see, so I ambled around. At one point, I came upon a “sky-light” area that revealed a room or passageway below. Two young boys were walking through this passageway. From my vantage point, there was no way down, so I figured the boys had found an entrance on the lower level. I walked over to the bridge that either goes across to Monastery Site 1 or down to the ground level. In the past, the groups are always taken across to Monastery Site 1, but today I went down to the ground level in where I decided to head again for the water pump before further exploring.

Across the grounds at the water pump, many young school children were filling up their water bottles. One young boy asked where I was from and then we chit-chatted for a little while with all of his chums standing around us. He offered to fill my water bottle, but I declined saying that I didn’t mind waiting until the others filled there bottles. But then a guard came over and insisted on filling it. I then stood under the shade of tree and drank half of it down, wondering at the same time why the guard didn’t ask for any “donation” like during my last visit.

Satiated with water, I headed back to Monastery Site 4. To do this I crossed the field with stupas and spied some remnants of Buddhas on the stupas. This triggered the guard to follow me saying “Buddha.” He then asked which country I was from. At Monastery Site 4, he waved to me to follow him and then he gave me a brief tour saying “Buddha” “original” “classrooms” etc. I snapped some photos and then followed him out because he kept saying “small Buddha.” He took me to a shrine that I had already visited and showed me how I should pay homage. Then he waved at a Malaysian note left as an offering implying that I, too, should leave an offering. I put a 10 rupee note on top of the other and then went on my way!

The first of two ASI markings on the entry wall
 of the small Buddhas shrine

Second ASI marking at the base of the wall

Small Buddhas shrine

Walking down the path, I saw a shady step between two monasteries and decided to read a little from my guide book. As I was reading a large group of school boys on top of the monastery wall came right to my spot and began jumping down. I thought they were just being boys and showing off as one after the other jumped the three feet down in front of me, but then along came a group of girls who did the same thing. I was happy to see that they jumped down with just as much gusto as the boys. Finally, their teacher came and jumped down, too. (Later as I explored another monastery, I realized what the school children had done. They had found a step up to the top level, but after walking around there was not any way to come back down except to retrace their steps. Instead of doing so, they jumped!)

Back to my book, I decided to go to the temple that was farthest away, Temple Site 14. Along the way, I briefly explored Monastery Sites 9 and 11. Monastery 9 had an octagonal well – representative of the eight-fold path, as well as 6 ovens and drainage ditch built into the verandah of the site. Site 11 had a pillared verandah all the way around the common area.

Six ovens (background) and water channels in Monastery 9

Looking down on a monk's chamber in Monastery 11

Temple Site 14 is the farthest from the entrance. In following the path which snakes around the Thai Black Buddha (on the outside of the ruins), I was greeted by young boys on top of the wall. They remembered me from the Budhiya Kabaddi tournament and were probably some of the ones that I gave a few pieces of candy to. I said “Namaste” to them and then ambled on. Even though I felt a little like “Indiana Jones” exploring a new archaeological site, as I entered the temple chamber I could see that it was badly damaged and covered in graffiti. The temple once held “a colossal stucco image of Buddha” according to the guide book, portions of which may have been removed to the museum. Any further evidence of any art is gone from the site. Some intact mouldings of flower motifs can still be seen around the outside walls.

Temple 14 entrance

Interior chamber of Temple 14

 

I headed next to Temple Site 13 which is totally in ruins. It too is purported to have had a colossal statue of Buddha, but nothing remains.

With my explorations completed for the day, I headed back to the main entrance walking along the path with the group of school boys (who had jumped down from the wall) and their mobile phone radios.