Studies on Basarh Sealings I

Summary

This study analyses a collection of terracotta sealings recovered from Basarh (present‑day Vaishali) during excavations of a large mound. The author begins by identifying Basarh with ancient Vaiśālī, the capital of the Vajjika League described in Buddhist and Jain sources. Chinese pilgrims and British archaeologist Alexander Cunningham similarly equated Basarh with Vaishali, and the site contains an Ashokan pillar and multiple relic stupas. The article catalogues the motifs on the sealings, including depictions of stupas, bulls, dharma‑chakras and inscriptions in early Brāhmī script. These symbols suggest that the sealings were affixed to packages or documents associated with monasteries and merchants. By comparing the iconography to seals from other Mauryan and Śuṅga period sites, the author proposes that Basarh functioned as a major trading and monastic centre between the 3rd century BCE and 1st century CE. The article also notes the presence of foreign elements—such as lion motifs reminiscent of Achaemenid art—which indicate cultural interaction along the North Indian trade networks. Inscriptions on some sealings mention the names of guilds or donors, revealing a self‑conscious urban elite engaged in religious patronage. The author argues that these findings corroborate textual accounts of Vaishali as a republican polity with significant mercantile activity. The study concludes that the Basarh sealings illuminate the economic and religious life of Vaishali and highlight the city’s role as a hub in the Ganges valley before being eclipsed by Pāṭaliputra.