Ranchi, Nov. 30: Benisagar in West Singhbhum, where work on a conservation office of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is on in full swing, is a busy place these days.

?A conservation office is being set up at the site. We can do better work by being present there,? said Onkar Chauhan, superintending archaeologist of the ASI?s Ranchi circle.

Multi-layered mounds, ruins of a stone temple and centuries-old bricks have been found at Benisagar, located around 60 km from Jamshedpur.

A couple of years ago, a villager had chanced upon a seal that could date back to the Gupta period. Besides, remains that probably belonged to the Pala period had also been found.

Archaeologists believe that the discovery of the seal has pointed at the possible existence of a Vedic university at the site.

The seal bears a rosary, a couple of motifs (kamandalu and danda) and a legend in Brahmi characters. A beautifully carved Ganesha belonging to the Pala period was also found.

Besides the construction of the conservation office, work is also on to desilt the ancient tank, which has lent its name to the place. ?We have to go about it in a big way,? said an archaeologist associated with the project.

Captain Belgar, a British officer, had discovered the site around 75 years ago. Benisagar had been a protected site for years and the ASI brought it under its control three years ago.

Inhabited by Kols and other tribes, Benisagar is located on the Jharkhand-Orissa border. The site is fenced and also has a boundary.

Archaeological activities in places that fall in today?s Jharkhand remained neglected for long in the undivided Bihar days. The Patna circle of the ASI had its hands full with the high-profile sites and monuments found in present-day Bihar.

The creation of the Ranchi circle a couple of years ago came as a boost to the state?s prospects. At present, the ASI is responsible for the protection of 11 sites in the state. Since seven of the 11 sites are on land owned by private parties, the ASI is yet to get their possession.

Apart from Benisagar, the three other sites in ASI?s possession are the Jami Mosque in Mangalhat, the baradari (leisure retreat) in Arzi Mukhimpur, both of which are in Sahebganj, and a Shiva temple at Khekparta in Lohardaga.

The sites that are not in the ASI?s possession are Kunjala, Saridkel, Khutitoal, Hansa and Kathartoli, Ruam and Itagarh.