Karnasuvarna


Karnasuvarna or Karnasubarna was the capital of Gauda Kingdom during the reign of Shashanka, the first important king of ancient Bengal who ruled in the 7th century. After Shashanka's death it was the jayaskandhavara of Bhaskaravarman, the king of Kamarupa probably for a short period. This is evident from his Nidhanpur copper-plate grant. In the mid-7th century, it was the capital of Jayanaga according to his Vappa Ghoshavata copper-plate grant. The ruins of Karnasuvarna have been located at Kansona in the present Murshidabad district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is south-west of Berhampore, headquarters of Murshidabad district.
Legend has it that Karnasuvarna was the capital of the 'Anga' Kingdom that the Kaurava prince Duryodhana had given to the magnanimous Karna, the first born of Kunti.

Transport

situated in the Barharwa-Azimganj-Katwa loop of Eastern Railway. Few passengers and express trains pass over the station. Bus services are available to district headquarters Baharampur from Karnasubarna.

Excavations at Rajbaridanga

The famous Chinese traveler Xuanzang mentioned in his travelogues about Lo-to-mo-chi Mahavihara, an important centre of learning of Vajrayana Buddhists near Karnasuvarna. It has been identified with Rajbaridanga. The archaeological site of Rajbaridanga is about 2.4 km from Karnasuvarna railway station in the bank of the Bhagirathi River. Local transport like cycle vans, e-rickshaws are available. This site was first excavated by a team from the Department of Archaeology, University of Calcutta in 1962 under the direction of S.R. Das. Amongst the findings, the most significant one was a monastic sealing bearing the legend Shri Raktarttika havaiharik arya bhikshu sa. The other significant findings are terracotta figurines and ornamental stucco mouldings including human heads. Two other sites close by have been excavated at Rakshashidanga and Nil Kuthi. The whole area was

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