Historical Accounts

At Sultanganj, the Ganga’s course is changed by the rocky hillocks, one being in the middle, and the other forming a bluff head-land at the bend of the stream. These rocky extensions of the mainland acquired sanctity and respect since ancient times and were adorned with monuments and sculptures, as seen from the surviving relics and from the continuing tradition of pilgrimage. To start with an account of the site, it would be worthwhile to have a look at the historical references available so far. With beautiful impressions crafted meticulously on the rock-face by several artists at different times in the past, which still retain their peculiar air of mystery and sanctity, one would expect clear references in ancient texts about the importance of the site. However, mysteriously, any clear historical references have still not been found in any ancient literary or even mythological texts, even when remnants clearly indicate that it must have been a prominent religious centre in the ancient past, and surely since the 4th to 5th centuries A.D., as authenticated by the surviving inscriptions in early and mature Gupta characters. Surprisingly, even Chinese travellers like Fa Hian and Hieun Tsang, who visited regions in the vicinity of the ancient city of Champa, respectively in the 4th and early 7th centuries A.D., and left detailed accounts about several concurrent sites, astonishingly missed this site even when a prominent Buddhist monastery had then existed, not very far from the rocks

To be continued....