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JAIN JOURNAL
In the List of Ancient Monuments in Bengal, a brief notice of the sculptures, and the three extant temples—two of stone and one of brickof Pakbirra find place. The description therein is largely based on Beglar's account, but the list has interestingly provided a date of 7th century A.D. to the principal stone temple and 9th century A.D. to the brick temple. Besides, the following additional remarks regarding the principal stone temple is significant :
"It is a Jain structure of unusually large dimensions. The workmanship is necessarily coarse as the material used is a coarse-grained grey sandstone. The ornamentation is plain, consisting merely of a few straight mouldings. The temple contains a figure of the Jain hierarch Aranatha surrounded by six other naked figures."
Chronologically next is the report of T. Bloch,? Archaeological Surveyor, Bengal Circle, who visited Pakbirra in the early part of 1903. Unfortunately his report is extremely brief. In it Bloch only informs :
"At Pakbirra fragments of four stone and one brick temple still exist, but in utter ruins ; especially the brick temple has suffered very badly during the last 30 years, and only a small tottering fragment of its spire is still standing. A number of Jain images is now collected under a modern shed close to the temples. They are mostly figures of Adinatha, Parsvanatha, and Mahavira."
To Bloch, however, goes the credit of identifying the sculptures at Pakbirra correctly.
Coupland's District Gazetteer of Manbhum includes a notice of the ruins at Pakbirra. But the account is based entirely on the descriptions
Government of Bengal, Public Works Department, List of Ancient Monuments in Bengal, Revised and Corrected upto 31st August, 1895, Calcutta, 1896, pp. 562-63. In an earlier edition of the same work we find some proposals for the conservation of the temples and sculptures at Pakbirra and proposed estimate of expenditures to be incurred, based on the recommendation made by Mr. J. D. Beglar. See Government of Bengal, Public Works Department, Revised List of Ancient Monuments in Bengal, 1866, Calcutta, 1887, p. 59. ? T. Bloch, Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey, Bengal Circle, for the Year
ending with April, 1903, Calcutta, 1903, p. 14. 8 F. H. Coupland, Bengal District Gazetteer, Manbhum, Calcutta, 1911, pp. 277-78.
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