A Lost Capital Rediscovered
Sirpur, once the flourishing capital of the Sarabhapuriya and Panduvanshi dynasties, preserves an extraordinary concentration of Buddhist monasteries (viharas), Hindu temples and Jain shrines dating from the 5th to 8th centuries CE — evidence of a remarkably cosmopolitan religious culture that allowed multiple traditions to flourish side by side. Ongoing excavations continue to reveal new structures, making Sirpur one of the most archaeologically active sacred heritage sites in India.
The Lakshmana Temple, with its exceptional brick architecture and intricately carved panels, stands among the finest surviving examples of Gupta-period temple art in central India, while the Buddhist viharas reveal a sophisticated monastic culture that once made Sirpur an important centre of Buddhist learning, visited by travellers and scholars from across the wider Buddhist world during its peak centuries.
