Taradih, very close to the Mahabodhi Mahavihara, is the only excavation site in India where remains of seven cultures — from the Neolithic Age to the Pala period — have been found during excavations.
In December 2000, a beatification plan was passed for the excavation site.
The then minister of the state art, culture and youth affairs Ashok Kumar Singh, had laid the foundation stone for Taradih’s beautification plan as Gautam Van Puratatva Parisar. However, nothing has been done to beautify the site in the past 11 years even though the flow of tourists in Bodhgaya has increased manifold. The site has turned into a dumping ground, thanks to the apathy of the authorities.
The archaeological remains that were discovered during excavation are kept at the National Archaeological Museum in Bodhgaya.
According to rules of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the excavation site has been covered with soil. Experts believe if the site had been conserved properly, it would have proved to be a source of research for scholars across the globe and a magnificent tourist spot.
According to the beautification plan, Gautam Van Puratatva Parisar was to be developed into a green belt and the archaeological remains were to be preserved there.
When contacted, present art, culture and youth affairs department secretary K.P. Ramaiah told fresh funds for the beautification project had been sanctioned to the Gaya district administration in August last year, for the fiscal 2010-11.
Recently, the district administration had also been asked to submit utilisation certificate against the sanctioned amount but no report has been sent to the department yet, Ramaiah said.
In the 1980s, Taradih with a population of around 200 people was vacated and excavation was carried around a 500m radius for nearly eight years. Ranasinghe Premadasa, then President of Sri Lanka, also expressed an interest to develop the archaeological site when he visited Taradih in the early 1990s.
Rajiv Kumar, a 1986-batch student of ancient history at Magadh University, was also a part of the excavation team that worked under guidance of ASI Bihar chapter director Ajit Kumar Sinha. Rajiv said excavation of the Taradih site began in 1980-81 and continued till 1988-89. The site was excavated to around 25m deep and remains of seven Indian cultures were unearthed. The items dated back to the Neolithic Age, Chalcolithic Age, Vedic Age, late-Buddha period, Kushan period, Gupta period and the Pala period.
During the excavation, sharp-edged stone blade-like tools, ovens of different size, stone balls of Neolithic age were found. Earthen pots, copper bangles and earrings of the Chalcolithic Age, were also found.Black-red polished ware and iron-made items of the Vedic Age, north-black polished ware, coins, earthen beads, earrings, bangles, balls, copper needle, rod of the late-Buddha period, monasteries and drains made of bricks in the Pala period were also found during excavation.