A view of Surya Pahar

Oct. 10: Archaeologists call it an art gallery of Indian sculpture but Surya Pahar is still waiting for its day in the sun.

Located 15 km east of Goalpara town, this mountain of historical delights, including Buddhist relics dating back to the first century AD, remains an obscure place on the tourism map for various reasons.

An NGO that calls itself the North East Craft and Rural Development Organisation is now trying to build a tourist network with Surya Pahar as the centrepiece.

Apart from the architectural splendour of the relics on the eastern slope of the hill, Surya Pahar’s USP is its variety. Three religions — Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism — feature in the monuments spread across a 2,545-bigha area.

Historical evidence has established that all three religions prospered in the area due to its proximity to the Brahmaputra and a part of Ratnapith, where numerous scholars adorned the seat of administration. Ratnapith was also a major trade centre. Thus, it was a melting pot of diverse religions and culture.

Historians say that Buddhists inhabited the area in the first century AD and left behind a rich legacy in the form of stupas.

The Jain and Hindu architecture is contemporary and estimated to have been built between the eighth and tenth centuries.

Binoy Bhattacharjee, director of the North East Craft and Rural Development Organisation, said Surya Pahar needed publicity more than anything else.

“Despite being a site of such archaeological and historical importance, it is not getting its due in terms of publicity. The place comes alive during the magh purnima festival with thousands of devotees flocking to the hill. Most of the people come from outside the state,” he said.

Apart from Surya Pahar, Bhattacharjee’s NGO is focusing on Asharikandi.

“There are a number of places of tourist interest in the Lower Assam districts. Asharikandi, in Dhubri district, is known for its terracotta artisans. We should be able to attract not only domestic but foreign tourists as well,” he said.

Unfortunately, the tourism initiative has already run into a hurdle. Resentment has been brewing among residents over demarcation of land by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at Surya Pahar.

The ASI started a conservation project at the site in 2002.

An ASI team was recently manhandled by a group of people claiming to be “legal heirs” of the site and prevented them from continuing work at the site. An official of the district administration said an inquiry was instituted immediately but declined to disclose the findings.

“It is a confidential inquiry conducted on the basis of the allegations levelled by the ASI officials to the Goalpara district administration and we cannot share the reports gathered during inquiry,” he said.