Ajay Pratap (Banaras Hindu University, India)

"Maner or Maniyar Pattan i.e. a shining town has two well-known tombs Bari Dargah and Choti Dargah. Bari Dargah enshrines the mortal remains of Sheikh Yahya Maner a great Saint (Great Emperors like Muhammad Tuglaq, Sikandar Lodi, Babar and the famous singer Tansen paid homage to his tomb). Choti Dargah or Tomb of Shah Daulat who died here in 1608 was erected in 1619 by Ibrahim Khan the Governor of Bihar. Built entirely of Chunar Sandstone it is architecturally the finest monument of Mughal Period in Bihar". (Courtesy Archaeological survey of India, Government of India).

As the above placard at this marvellous four hundred year-old monument describes it, the medieval archaeological site of Maner, near Patna, is extremely popular with local residents as well as tourists drawn from afar. The attraction of the tombs is due to more than their architectural finesse and natural beauty. This site has a deep religious significance. It is tradition in India that the Dargahs (or tombs of saints) of any faith tend to become a focus of poly- or multi-ethnic religious activity for both to Hindus and Muslims. Through repeated visits to the site during 2007 and 2008, I have had the opportunity to observe the reuse of this monument mainly by the residents of villages dotting the landscape around the site. The monument includes a pavilion with ramparts and a very large water-tank. In addition to its religious significance, the monument plays a crucial role in daily subsistence related activities of local villagers.

However, not the whole of the site has been excavated; the placard points to a ‘shining town’ on the site in around 1618. The modern town of Maner is itself quite discrete and covers a relatively small area, although it does have a large rural hinterland. Thus the archaeological study of Maner also provides us an opportunity to study the responses to monuments in non-urban settings. This paper also intends to discuss such issues as the local perceptions of the monuments, particularly in relation to the Choti Dargah.