RAUTAHAT, Jan 8: A 700-year-old structure has been uncovered on the ancient Baneshwornath Mahadev temple premises in Gaur Municipality-2, Rautahat's headquarters. The discovery, which includes a house structure with a 40-inch wide roof, was made during excavation and research conducted in collaboration with the Department of Archaeology and Gaur Municipality.
The centuries-old structure was found over the past two weeks during a study, research, and excavation led by archaeologist Devendranath Tiwari from the Department of Archaeology. Tiwari reported that this is the first time a human fingerprint has been found on a brick in Nepal.
"This is a significant achievement for Nepal," Tiwari said, "I have not seen anything like this in any structure in Nepal until now."
Historic Chorten structure found in Tilaurakot
For the past two years, Gaur Municipality Mayor Shambhu Sah has been working to facilitate excavation efforts with the Department of Archaeology. The municipality has funded the studies and excavation.
During the excavation, bricks from the time of the Simraungadh kings have been discovered. Locals also claim that there is a Mahadev temple dating back to the reign of King Sawai Singh. Following a demand for concrete historical information about the temple, Mayor Sah initiated a formal investigation with approval from the municipal council.
Tiwari said that one of the key findings was a mud brick discovered four feet underground. The bricks found measure 28 centimeters long, 20 centimeters wide, and 6 centimeters thick, dating back approximately 700 years to the era of the Simraungadh empire.
For the first five days of excavation, nothing significant was found south of the Bishwokarma temple behind the site. However, as work continued, important remains were uncovered. When excavating along the roadside, many clay statues were found. Furthermore, when digging four feet in front of the temple on the eastern side, a 700-year-old brick-built temple emerged.
Mayor Sah credited the successful excavation to the hard work and dedication of Gaur Municipality, noting the importance of this discovery. The excavation work is ongoing.
