From Mirpurkhas to Mumbai: How the lost stupa of Kahu-jo-daro was found by CSMVS

Mirpurkhas is a commercial town in Sindh known for its Sindhri mangoes and its busy railway junction Itrsquos also regarded as the gateway to Thar from the Pakistan side of the desert Interestingly records reveal that in ancient times it was a key location at the trade and cultural crossroads between India Central Asia Afghanistan and the Middle EastReconstructed view of the stupa modelKahujodarorsquos forgotten stupa in Mirpurkhas is the subject of a new extensively documented book by Sabyasachi Mukherjee director general Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya CSMVS formerly The Prince of Wales Museum A popular Buddhist site that is now in ruins The Lost Stupa of Kahujodaro highlights its historic religious and architectural significance and explains the reconstruction of this stupa with help from excavations at the site that are part of a collection at CSMVS Sir Henry Cousens will always be remembered in the early history of CSMVSrsquos collectionbuilding and also for his mammoth publication The Antiquities of Sind with Historical Outline Pic courtesyFamily of Sir Henry CousensIn the middle and late 19th century British administrators and surveyors posted in Sindh had underestimated the historicity of the Kahujodaro site 23 BCE 45 BCE by documenting incomplete observations of their findings Enter archaeologist Sir Henry Cousens 18541933 who was the then superintendent of the Archaeological Survey ASI Western India His research and vision were a godsend for Mukherjeersquos book ldquoIt was because of his extensive surveys and excavation reports 190910 that the cultural heritage of the longneglected North West Province was highlighted for the first time Being an artist and professional photographer he created many series of architectural drawings and also captured images of sites in dilapidated condition Some of these 100yearold drawings and photographs of monuments in the Sindh in early 20th century ASI archive and more particularly Kahujodaro stupa in Mirpurkhas helped me immensely to complete my study of it from the lens of Gandhara and KushanaGupta art and architecture traditionsrdquo reveals MukherjeeSabyasachi MukherjeeCousens was one of the founding members of The Prince of Wales Museum His close association with the Museum in 19051906 as a member of the Museum Committee benefitted in building its archaeological collection from the North West provinces now in Pakistan Cousensrsquos vision ensured that the museum today boasts of five large seated Buddha images in high relief a smaller image within a niche a standing male figure identified as a devotee 297 moulded bricks and architectural fragments two roundels and rectangular bricks depicting Kubera a few rectangular bricks bearing the image of Jambhula sundried clay tablets and a tiny stone fragment of a Jataka sceneActual positioning of the seated Buddha right Seated Buddha Terracotta Kahujodaro stupa Mirpurkhas Sindh Pakistan 5th century CE Pics courtesyArchaeological Survey of India CSMVSBuddhismrsquos gloryMukherjeersquos interest to write this book was first piqued due to the terracotta art Kahujodaro collection at CSMVS This apart Dr Moti Chandrarsquos article A Study in the Terracotta from Mirpurkhas inspired him to deepdive into Buddhist architecture and the art of the site from a cultural historic and religious standpoint While the site was remote and beyond his reach he had access to the Victoria amp Albert Museum collection where he found the seated Buddha from the Kahujodaro stupa described as missing in the site report and the original architectural fragments and images deposited at The Prince of Wales Museum by the excavator in 1919 Apart from those collections his study was based on primary and secondary sources including site survey reports from the ASI drawings and the photographs from the ASI archivesThe art of Kahujodaro indicates that its artists were liberal flexible and creative in accepting art forms and designs from the neighbouring Gandhara as well as prevalent Gupta art traditions of northern India Pics courtesyCSMVSMukherjeersquos studies explored the early history of Sindh and the roots of Buddhism in the Gandhara region as well as its influences in Sindh and its surrounding regions However due to limited literature on this monument it presented challenges Yet the book effectively explores the impact of several Buddhist sects that were then active in this region It traces the refined design of terracotta art in preIslamic Sindh monuments that was an extension of IndianGandhara art traditionsPiecing it togetherA key part of this book was the ambitious project to design a model of the actual stupa To ensure historical accuracy Mukherjee and the team at CSMVS pored over the archives to recreate the positioning of images and decorative bricks on the cylindrical dome as well as the square platform of the stupa ldquoIt would have been difficult to imagine its original shape based on available architectural fragmentary remains in the CSMVS collection However interpreting these in light of other contemporary stupas such as ThulMirRukan Jarak Sudheranjodaro in Sindh TopDara TokarDara and SankarDara in Swat Valley and Devnimori in Gujarat gave us an accurate idea of the original stupardquohe revealsHistoric proportionsThe Kahujodaro stupa has experienced layers of history since ancient times ldquoIt unravels an astonishing story of creation community participation art religion and belief These relics serve as an extraordinary reminder of the social and cultural life of Sindh and of the invaluable artistic contribution of its inhabitants Its unique architectural style reveals its close affinity to Western Classical Persian and Indian elements which largely influenced the Gandhara and Sindh regions from the second to the fifth centuriesrdquo he addsIn light of this fascinating discovery Mukherjee reminds us that its dilapidated condition and eventual complete destruction are telltale signs of political indifference and human ignorance No sincere attempts are made by authorities across countries or civil society to preserve such cultural heritage for posterity ldquoToday such preservation presents major challenges even in times of peace and prosperityrdquo he signs offAt Museum Shop CSMVS MG Road Fort297Moulded bricks and architectural fragments in CSMVSrsquos collection from the North West provinceWhy was terracotta the preferred building materialMerchant devotee identity unknown terracotta Mirpurkhas Sindh Pakistan 5th century CE Pic courtesyCSMVSThe hybrid art activity and material culture of this period can be described as an era of experimentalism Some archaeologists and scholars maintain that stone would have required plenty of money and time The people in the Gupta Age 3rd4th century CE might have been in a hurry to propagate their newly made discoveries in the field of clay art forms extensively and within a short time period The region was also known for its good quality clay and so people in Sindh found it cheaper Evidence to highlight clay construction activity dates back to the Indus Valley Civilisation where Mohenjodaro 2600 BCE was predominantly built using clay bricksndash S Mukherjee