Excavations at Bairat

Bairat was a flourishing site during the Mauryan period. The availability of cores and chert flakes in a valley to the south of the Bijak-Ki–Pahari at Bairat prove the historicity of the site to prehistoric period. The significant structures at the site include a circular temple, monastery and numerous remnants of Ashokan pillars. The circular temple is on a lower platform and has a circumambulatory path. It is made of fire-baked bricks and believed to be contemporaneous with Ashokan pillars. The monastery, accompanied with cells being large enough to accommodate just a single monk, is situated on the upper platform. The significant antiquities collected from the monastery include pottery jars of varied shapes and adorned with various patterns, iron nails, ovalshaped amulets of schist. Besides this, 36 silver coins were also found from the outer wall of one of the cells. These coins were found in a small pottery jar. Out of these, 8 coins were punch-marked and were found wrapped in a piece of cloth while the remaining 28 coins being Greek and Indo-Greek lay loose in the same jar. The report gives a detailed and systematic tabulation of these coins. The pottery found at the site dates back to 3rd cent. B.C. The excavation has revealed very few complete specimens. The pottery in general, is wheel-made, quite plain, coarse and devoid of any kind of slip or wash. The ornamentation on these wares includes vertical or horizontal lines on the shoulder of the vessels. The common types of ware are large storage jars with round bases, dishes with broad flat bases, tumblers or beakers with flat bases, varied modern lotas, spouted jars, incense burners with handles and lamps. Only the alms bowls made of fine fabric have highly polished slip. Bairat is a very significant place from archaeological point of view. What is more interesting above all is that all the monuments which adorned this place were made out of fire-baked bricks despite abundant availability of stone in the form of several hill-ranges in the viscinity.