To understand the importance of Jaimanglagarh, it is pertinent to correlate the discoveries from adjoining sites like Naulagarh, Mangalgarh and others. Prof. Choudhary mentioned that the exploration of Jaimanglagarh and other adjoining sites indicated that taken together, all these sites constituted a great area of historical importance.

Black (Gaya) stone images, ranging from the Gandhar School down to the Eastern School of Medieval Sculpture, pottery pieces and huge amount of cowries etc. were discovered from Bihat, Birpur, Naulagarh and Jaimanglagarh, and thus collectively pointed to the existence of a big ancient establishment in the region. A detailed report on the findings at Naulagarh was made in the first Bulletin of the college and a further report was published in the second.

Vast materials including inscriptions, seals, coins and terracottas, which were very important from the perspective of numismatic and epigraphic evidences, were obtained from Naulagarh, which suggested that it had been an important administrative centre in North Bihar in the Pala times. Prof. Choudhary pointed out that in the Pala period, Birpur could have been the place of residence of administrative officers and Jaimanglagarh the religious centre.

An important inscription at Naulagarh along with a silver coin indicated it as having been the administrative centre during the rule of Vigrahapala, and that Tirhut was also then a part of the Pala empire. Naulagarh was seen to have a continuous history from the beginning of the Buddhist period to the Muslim period, since some Muslim coins were also found from the site and was mentioned as a small village in Aini-Tirhut.

To be continued.....