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<p>BuchananHamilton took to an uncharted road in an effort to unravel the ‘mysteries’ of the land that had come under the British possession in 1765. His survey foregrounded the importance of collecting and arranging the statistical information of an area according to the needs and requirements of the colonial state for an effective governance. Since Bihar emerged as the first field of officially organized archaeological investigation in the colony these prearchaeological practices anticipated the spatial imagination of ancient Bihar. In Buchanan's surveys the territorial imagination of Bihar's ancient past spread across sites to produce a detailed map of antiquarian remains. But what really struck Buchanan in this rather disgusting pilgrimage town were the marks of antiquity built into the modem buildings numerous Hindu temples and the dwelling places of the Gayawals. Among these rode marks of antiquities built into modern Hindu temples of Gaya Buchanan noted a prevalence of certain sculpted images which from his earlier experience of encounters with predominant Buddhism at Ava he tended to classify as images of the Buddha. His suspicions were later confirmed by his interaction with native pundits during the survey and an ascetic of the neighbouring Bodh Gaya who pointed out that most of these images belonged to the heterodox sect of Buddhism. About the Author Francis BuchananHamilton entered the service of the East India Company in the Bengal Presidency in 1794. His wideranging interest in botanical knowledge and his aptitude for other sciences such as zoology and geology combined with rare strengths of methodology and accurate observation at once marked him as fit for special duties. He distinguished himself by his inquiries related to botany and geography. He also engaged in the study of the Gangetic fishes and then in botanical research around the Chittagong area. In 1807 the Court of Directors appointed him to oversee a detailed statistical survey plan of the then Bengal Presidency. Ananda Bhattacharyya is a retired Assistant Director West Bengal State Archives Kolkata Government of West Bengal.</p>
