Chirand | |
|---|---|
  Chirand Location of Chirand in Bihar, India  Chirand Chirand (Bihar) | |
| Coordinates: 25°44′27.1828″N 84°49′11.5651″E / 25.740884111°N 84.819879194°E | |
| Country | India |
| District | Saran district |
| Area code | 841211 |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-BR |
Chirand is an archaeological site in the Saran district of Bihar, India, situated on the northern bank of the Ganga River.[1][2] It has a large pre-historic mound which is known for its continuous archaeological record from the Neolithic age (about 2500–1345 BC) to the reign of the Pal dynasty who ruled during the pre-medieval period. The excavations in Chirand have revealed stratified Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Iron Age settlements, and transitions in human habitation patterns dating from 2500 BC to 30 AD.[3]
The river Ghaghara joins Ganga a short distance away from the village, near Revelganj. The Sone River also joins Ganga about a few kilometres away from Chirand. About 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) to the north of the mound there is a dry river bed which is inferred as one of the meandering dry loops of the Gandaki River. Thus, there are four rivers in the vicinity of Chirand. The village has undergone erosion due to which the mound abutting the Ganga River bank is exposed, revealing brick features and potsherds. On the top of the mound there is a mosque, which was built by Sultan Abul Muzaffar Hussain Shah of Bengal in 1503 AD. This mosque reveals ruins of pilasters of Hindu temples.[4]
Chirand is located 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from Chhapra, the district headquarters in the state of Bihar. The Archaeological Survey of India controls about 0.5 square kilometres (0.19 sq mi) of the area of the village.[5]
- ^ "BIHAR: A QUICK GUIDE TO SARAN". Archived from the original on 23 March 2017.
- ^ "Oldest hamlet faces extinction threat". Archived from the original on 23 March 2017.
- ^ Roy, Kumkum (2009). Historical dictionary of Ancient India. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780810853669. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017.
- ^ "Directorate of Archaeology". Chirand, Saran. National Informatics Centre. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012.
- ^ Singh, Rakesh K (25 September 2010). "Oldest hamlet faces extinction threat". Telegraph India. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016.