Bhagalpur: Archaeologists believe there is a treasure trove in Bhagalpur that has not been unearthed, preserved or tapped to boost tourism.

Gautam Buddha spent precious time in Anga Pradesh, which had its capital at Champa in Bhagalpur. It is not surprising then that residents wonder why chief minister Nitish Kumar, who recently inaugurated excavation work at Lakhisarai, remains blind to the potential that Bhagalpur and its adjourning areas hold.

Atul Kumar Verma, director, directorate of archaeology, Bihar, who conducted an archaeological survey in Bhagalpur, said: "We are waiting for a final signal from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) so that excavation and conservation work can start. We're also trying to ensure Government of Bihar notifies the proposed sites as protected."

Referring to reports by British archaeologists like Buchanan-Hamilton, Alexander Cunningham and J.D. Beglar, the team started demarcating some sites and also formed an idea about the ancient geography of this district, Verma told The Telegraph.

A team of archaeologists led by Arabindo Singha Roy, an archaeologist, conducted intensive survey on behalf of the state archaeological department and managed to identify 201 sites, some dating back to 500BC, in Bhagalpur and its surrounding areas. The survey was carried out from February-October. The team found over 50 mounds at the site of Vikramshila Buddha Mahavihara. But members claim structures much bigger than Vikramshila are possibly hidden underneath at Bhagalpur. "We have evidence that ancient Champa, the kingdom of Anga, is buried right here with its boundary walls and a very systematic harbour on the banks of the Ganga from where traders used to venture out on ships with Bhagalpuri silk etc," claimed Singha Roy.

Excavations would change the fate of this region, he said. "Stone tools found here are evidence the region was once inhabited by prehistoric people," Singha Roy said. "Later, the same tools were used by another set of people from the early medieval period, as indicated by the epigraphy, rock relief, and engravings here."

Raman Singh, a senior professor in the department of history at Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University who was with Singha Roy during the survey, said some work carved on stone was found from the upper surface at the foot of some hills.

Shiv Shanker Singh Parijat, a historian and former deputy director of the state public relations department, claimed a government initiative can place Bhagalpur on the international archaeological map. Hitting out at government negligence, Vikramshila Nagrik Samity convener N K Jaishwal said their organisation had given the state government two months' time to finalise a plot for the proposed central varsity at Vikramshila. Else, residents from the region would sit on a fast-unto-death in front of the Assembly from the end of January.