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APRIL, 1986
North of this is another, but irregular, line of temples, five in number; of these, two are of stone and three of brick, the latter all ruined; of the stone ones, one is standing.
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North of this is another line of four temples, three of stone and one of brick, all in ruins.
Due east of the brick temple, which has been noticed as still standing, are two mounds, evidently the remains of two other brick temples. To the south of this line of temples is another line of three stone temples, all in ruins.
The ornamentation of the stone temples is confined to plain mouldings in the lower part; the facade is quite plain, but entire, showing that they were originally intended for single-cell temples without mandapas in front. A photograph, showing the facade, has been taken; it is probable the temples all stood on a large stone-paved platform, as on excavating near the foot of one I came upon a stone pavement; the whole group occupies the surface of a piece of rising ground 300 to 350 feet square.
There are some tanks close to the temples; one, a large one, had stone ghats and revetments once, now in ruins; there are in the vicinity some few mounds of no special interest.
The material of all the stone temples noticed is a moderately fine sandstone, carefully cut and set without cement; the workmanship is plain, but good; the pillars, that were afterwards added to support the roofs of the mahamandapa, are plain, with square ends and octagonal shafts."
Beglar's report is not without blemishes usually met in pioneering essays. He seems to have totally confused Buddhist with Jain sculptures, in so far as no Buddhist sculptures could be found at Pakbirra. The 'votive chaitya' he mentions in his report is clearly a miniature Jain caturmukha shrine (pratimasarvatobhadrikā) and the image containing male and female figures under a tree are none other than those of Jain tutelary couple (Adimithuna Murti). Aside these mistakes, Beglar's report is of immense value in reconstructing the history of the site.5
5 For an excellent summary of Beglar's Report on Pakbirra, see D. R. Patil, The Antiquarian Remains in Bihar, Patna, 1963, pp. 347-349. A tentative sketch after Beglar's description showing the position and ground plan of the lost temples at Pakbirra is provided by Subhas Chandra Mukhopadhyay, op. cit., p. 29.
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