Bharatpur Stupa

The Bharatpur Stupa stands at the Bharatpur archaeological site in West Bengal, close to the village of Monorampur. Most stupas found in the state are small, but this Pala-period monument is large and is described as the biggest Buddhist stupa in West Bengal. It was uncovered between 1972 and 1975 in preliminary digs run jointly by the University of Burdwan and the ASI's Eastern Circle, and historians think a Buddhist monastery probably stood beside it. Eleven Buddha images, seated on the vajrasana with the right hand touching the earth in bhumisparsha mudra, were found in the ruins.

Only the base survives. Built of brick and stone on a pancharatha plan over compact yellow sand, it uses two sizes of brick laid in lime and sand mortar. Its faces carry corbelled courses, mouldings and chaitya-window motifs with floral designs, and above them, at roughly eye level, are niches that probably once held Buddha figures.