A Tale of Two Stupas: Kesariya and Borobudur - journey from glory to obscurity

By Arjun Kumar

It took the visitor a few minutes to realize that he was being followed, by a policeman, no less. The visitor was on foot, the policeman on a slow-moving bicycle, watching every move made by the former. Every ‘suspicious’ move, such as taking a photograph or stopping to examine something, was closely monitored. At this point, a reader may imagine that the visitor was walking through a nuclear reactor or a facility important to the defence of the realm. Perish those thoughts!

The setting was Kesariya in East Champaran district, Bihar. The location of a gigantic stupa, this site has the potential to be one of the foremost Buddhist monuments of India, almost on par with Bodh Gaya. Instead, it is semi-excavated, visited mostly by history students, trapped in a seemingly never-ending wait for its share of glory. The only others who wander into its precincts are local folk coming to offer prayers at a small shrine close by. Which explains why policemen tend to view solitary visitors with suspicion.

Kesariya: The Forgotten Gem

If a visitor to Kesariya were to also see the stupa at Borobudur, on the island of Java in Indonesia, he would be struck by their similarity. Both stupas are pyramidical in design, massive at the base and rising up with terraces at each level. Built at uniform intervals on each level are smaller stupa shapes and carved icons of seated Buddhas, in meditative posture. And the similarities don’t end there!

The stupa at Kesariya, Champaran, Bihar. (Image by Arjun Kumar)

With demographic and other changes, both stupas had long been in disuse by the 19^th century. In a remarkable coincidence, the rediscovery and first exploration of both the Kesariya and Borobudur stupas took place in 1814.

That year, a Col. Mackenzie did an initial exploration of Kesariya. It took till 1861-62 for Major General Alexander Cunningham, head of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), to do a proper study of the site. He dated the stupa to a period between the 2^nd and 7^th centuries CE, but debate on the date has continued ever since. Excavating a mound next to the stupa, Cunningham also unearthed the remains of a Buddhist monastery, including a large Buddha icon.

Excavated walls at the Kesariya stupa. (Image by Arjun Kumar)

Parallels Between Two Stupas

At this stage, Kesariya was probably a little ahead of Borobudur in the ‘rediscovery race’. The latter was first photographed in detail in 1871-72, and saw some basic restoration done in the 1907-11 period. And then the similarities kicked in once more.

Borobudur, on the island of Java, lies on the infamous Ring of Fire, and has witnessed immense damage by both earthquakes and volcanic ash over centuries. At Kesariya, the Bihar earthquake of 1934, apart from other tremors over time, caused damage. By the 1950s, both stupas were in a ruined state. That is when their stories turned dissimilar.

The stupa at Borobudur, Java, Indonesia. (Image by Arjun Kumar)

Between 1975 and 1982, the Borobudur stupa’s ruins were taken apart and that material used to reconstruct it, a massive project that received funding from multiple countries. In 1991, it achieved UNESCO World Heritage status. The results are stunning. Today, Indonesia is leveraging this Buddhist heritage to target 2 million visitors at Borobudur every year. Even if a mere 20% of these are foreigners, that amounts to an annual revenue of USD 10 million.

And what of the Kesariya? Post Independence, its first excavation took place as late as 1998. A team led by the ASI’s KK Muhammad found that the stupa was from a period just after the Buddha’s own lifetime. Finding of Late Gupta period bricks indicated that it had been rebuilt or added to, over the years. Some scholars believe that in its prime, it was the tallest stupa in the world, higher than Borobudur. The Kesariya stupa today is a lofty brick mound topped by a stone tower. The dig has continued in fits and starts. Truly sad, given its antiquity and religious significance.

Cultural and Historical Significance

Buddhist stories underline the importance of Kesariya. One account states that the Buddha himself spent at night here while going from Vaishali to Kushinagar. It was here that he told his Licchavi disciples of his impending nirvana and told them to return to Vaishali, giving them his alms-bowl as a token of remembrance. The Licchavis built a stupa at this spot to commemorate the event.

Centuries later, Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang, who passed through the region, mentions the presence of a stupa in the Champaran region, north-west of the Buddhist site at Vaishali. This seems a clear pointer to Kesariya again.

While Borobudur’s glory has created a vast tourist ecosystem for the nearby city of Yogyakarta, Champaran – where Kesariya lies - remains an agri-based economy with zero tourist facilities.

Detailing on the Borobudur stupa - the lines indicating stones joined during the reconstruction. (Image by Arjun Kumar)

The ASI cites a lack of funds to complete the excavation, but the real reason may be a poverty of ideas and initiative that prevents the creation of an economic driver.

The author is a brand consultant by profession, and a heritage explorer by inclination with a penchant for seeking obscure sites. He tweets @HiddenHeritage.