Muchalinda
Muchalinda : The Muchalinda Vihar, located near the confluence of the Ang or Ong and Nagar rivers at Ganiapali in Sambalpur district was not only the earliest of its kind in Orissa, but even in India. A structural monastery of this magnitude was rare during the fourth-fifth century A.D. according to the report on the archaeological excavation of the ruins at Ganiapali, submitted by late historian Dr. N. K. Sahu. The Vihar at Ganiapali was most likely built after the designs of the Parimalagiri Monastery (200 A.D.) which had five storeys and lofty towers with four big halls with the life-size images of Buddha (made of solid gold), according to Hiuen Tsang’s account.
The Muchalinda monastery, which covers an area of 1.5 acres, was a multi-storeyed structure of wellburnt bricks. The extensive floors paved with bricks suggest that there were big halls or dormitories in north, while the site south of the Chaith Hall appeared to have been the residential establishment. The foundation wall wa~ quite massive, about 0.9 metres in width, containing 12 large layers of bricks placed on strong earth mixeJ with small stone chips and sand) clay. Small brick walls having foundation on stone boulders run On from the main wall. These were apparently meant for dwelling of bhikshus(holy beggars). The ground floor seems to have contained a large number of such small cells, which are 1.8 metres by 2.4 metres. Traces of only four such cells have been found so far. The excavations reveal that the monastery had structural buildings on the northern and southern sides of the main Chaitya Hall.
The northern area showed evidence of some dormitories like building and the southern sector gave clear evidence of a number of small chambers clustered together. Evidence collected in the first phase of the digging suggested that the northern sector has the establishments for teaching at the ground floor and probably the residential accommodations for the learners in the upper floors. As to the residential chambers of the Acharyas and the Bhikshyus in the southern sector, there is plenty of evidence. The second phase of excavation will no doubt bring to light a large number of such chambers throwing further light on the mode of living of the Bhikshyus as well as the architectural significance of the establishment.
