According to Cunningham, every mound was simply called Bhisa, and the whole were said to be residences of the ministers and nobles of Raja Uttanapada, while the fort of Nandangarh was the Raja’s own residence. Uttanpada, King of Bharatakhanda or Brahmavarta was the son of Manu Swayambhuva, the first created of Brahma, and the progenitor of mankind. Raja Vena, to whom the monument at Kesariya in Champaran is assigned, was the seventh in descent from Uttanpada. Another reason for the antiquity of the site was the discovery of punch marked coins by Major Pearse during excavations, which are of around 1000 BC or even older, and certainly before the 3rd century BC.  There were in antiquity probably several more mounds than what exist today at the site.

Regarding the excavations the following extracts from the Bengal Administration Report of 1868-69 show the nature :-


“Para 273 – At Lowrya, 15 miles north west of Bettiah, there is one of Asoka’s edict or boundary pillars. It is of granite, 40 feet high and 9 feet in circumference at base. It has an entablature at top surmounted by a lion conchant. A short time ago, close by it, were found some leaden coffins containing unusually long human skeletons”


Another paragraph mentions “Some tumuli have been discovered in the Bettiah sub-division, from one of which two iron coins were obtained, and from another an iron coffin 9 feet or so in length; in this were human bones. The coffin was greatly corroded, and fell to pieces.”


It is not known where these finds are at present nor are complete details and the circumstances of their discovery available now; though finds of such kind are quite rare to be found in other parts of India.


There are three rows of these earthen mounds of which one line runs from east to west, and the other two lines from north to south. There are five burrows in the east and west row and six burrows in the inner north and south row, while the outer north and south row has four large and at least seven small burrows.

To be continued...