Centre may take up Mandan Dham development

PATNA: The Centre has agreed to look into the importance of the famous archaeological site at Mandan Dham at Mahishi in Saharsa district following the recent discovery of 8th century artefacts there. Seventeen km from the district headquarters, Mahishi is widely known for an ancient temple of goddess Ugra Tara, believed to be a 'Shaktipeeth'.
Mahishi takes pride in being the birthplace of legendary 8th century scholar and philosopher Pundit Mandan Mishra.He along with his wife Bharti made precious contributions to Indian philosophy. It is said Mandan was the senior contemporary of Aadi Shankaracharya.
Union minister of state for culture and tourism (independent charge) Shripad Naik, in a letter to the state rural development department recently, assured the minister concerned, Nitish Mishra, to get the site assessed in view of its archaeological importance. Before leaving for New Delhi, Mishra told TOI he would seek an appointment with the Union minister. "I will request him to explore the entire area in order to protect and develop this site," he said.
Earlier, Mishra had also written to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) director general to explore some of the neighbouring ancient sites, including Pastan, Navanagar, Parsa and Bidheshwar Sthan in Madhubani district.
A few months back, the ASI (Patna circle) had requested the state government to protect the entire Mandan Dham complex, including the Ugra Tara temple and adjoining Kandaha Sun temple in Saharsa district, in view of their archaeological importance.
Kandaha is a small obscure village located about 8 miles west of Saharsa. It was built in 1435AD by a devotee named Vamshadhara during the reign of renowned ruler of Mithila, Narasimhadeva. A Sanskrit inscription installed on the doorframe of the temple records these facts.
The ASI had sent a team of experts to Mandan Dham to assess the historicity of an ancient wall which was discovered when the workers were digging earth for the construction of the boundary wall of a proposed library. According to experts, this is an ancient wall dating back to 7th or 8th century. A well-like structure and some ancient potteries were also found on the spot.
Former Bihar CM Nitish Kumar had laid the foundation stone of work to be carried out as part of an integrated beautification and development package worth Rs 3.26 crore at Sri Ugratara Temple in October 2012.
"Mahishi has to revive the spirit of debates, which is a hallmark of Mandan-Shankara phenomenon. In short, there is an imperative to reinvent the dynamics of Mithila tradition. Mahishi can definitely play a crucial role in it," said Dev Pathak of South Asian University, New Delhi.