Jhapa. A team from the Department of Archaeology has conducted the eighth phase of excavation at the Kicchakabadh site in Bhadrapur Municipality-3, which is believed to be the palace of King Virat’s palace during the Mahabharata period.
Archaeologist Uddhav Acharya informed that a ‘palace foundation’ of archaeological importance was found during the excavation. A four-member team from the Department of Archaeology under his leadership has been continuously carrying out excavation and conservation work at the Kicchakabadh site since Falgun 25.
Department officer Nawaraj Adhikari said that the department has been excavating at the Kicchakabadh site under the leadership of Acharya since 2058 BS. According to him, during the ongoing excavation this time, a foundation more than three meters deep and some ancient materials were found. The foundation bricks found are similar to those found in the past.
“This time we excavated in some new places,” said archaeologist Acharya, “We have paid more attention to the preservation of ancient structures found during past excavations.” According to him, the physical structure of a 2200-year-old palace including a security post, wall and compound was found during the previous excavations here. The Department of Archaeology has been protecting it since spears, arrows and clay pots used by people at that time were also found.
“The Kichakabad site, spread over an area of ten bighas, is at risk of destruction of ancient structures and objects due to the recent construction of man-made temples, ponds and other physical structures at the site. The department has been urging people not to build new structures haphazardly. The department suspects that some archaeologically important objects on the ground have been destroyed due to past cultivation and farming.
Last year, the department had ordered the removal of a temple. This time, during excavations, the foundation of an ancient palace has been found under the same temple. This time, the excavation and conservation work will continue for a few more days, informed an official of the department.
Archaeologist Acharya said that samples of the ancient objects found at the Kichkabad site were taken to the UK and carbon-tested to be 2,200 years old. He said that no written material has been found from the excavations up to the eighth phase of the ancient monument.
“The objects we found here have been confirmed to be evidence of 22 hundred years old architecture, civilization and structure,” he said. “A small compound, along with security posts and equipment for harnessing elephants and horses, have also been found. These things prove that this place is an ancient heritage.”
According to legend, King Virat of the Mahabharata era had a son named ‘Kichak’. His palace was here. When the five Pandavas were living in secret, Bhimsen chased Kichak from Biratnagar and brought him to this palace and killed him. That is why this place is called the Kichchakabad site.
The government has not been able to invest enough for the excavation and conservation of the Kichchakabad site, despite its great mythological and archaeological importance. Due to the limited budget, the excavation and conservation work has been incomplete every year.
The official of the department said that the government has allocated a budget of Rs 1 million for the excavation this time. “If the budget was bigger, we would have done a lot of work in a single year,” he said. “However, despite limited resources, we are doing conservation work this time by employing up to 13 workers daily.”
Since the Kichchakabad site is a historical site that introduces the ancient civilization and culture of humans, if it can be promoted, there is a possibility of attracting a large number of tourists, said Dil Bahadur Thebe, chairman of the local Kichchakabad Conservation Committee. RSS
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