Lakhisarai: The state government's notification naming Lal Pahari along with four other archaeological sites in Lakhisarai as protected places has cheered history lovers.

The state government's notification on protecting five sites with archaeological significance in a single notification is in itself a history in the country, they have claimed. However, three such places with archaeological importance in the district like Uren, Balgudar and Nonghar could not make it to the list of protected sites, mainly due to some technical faults.

The Lakhisarai district administration has also geared up in the wake of the notification and sent requisition to the state headquarters on Friday for fencing along with other conservation works at the five sites.

Earlier, the department of art, culture and youth affairs (directorate of archaeology), Bihar, had notified that places linked to Gautam Buddha and also once powerful Buddhist centres during the Pala period, such as Lal Pahari, Balgudar Ghar, Satsanda hills known as Nonghar, Ghoshikundi hills, Bichwa hills and Laiy hills were notified under Section 3 of the Bihar Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites, Remains and Art Treasures Act, 1976, on February 2, 2018.

According to norm, a copy of the notification for the proposed declaration of protected places were fixed at the sites and two months time given to invite public opinion. "Except for public objection from Balgudar Ghar, there was not a single public opposition to the other sites," said professor Anil Kumar, head of the department of ancient Indian history culture and archaeology, Visva-Bharati University, Bengal, and in-charge of Lal Pahari excavation, on Friday.

According to the professor, due to the location of a grave yard on Balgudar hills, which is not very old, local inhabitants raised objection to the place being included in the protected places list.

Similarly, since the local administration of Ramghar Chak block in the district didn't send revenue details, Nonghar site was also not included in the list.

"The mistake will soon be rectified. We will apply for protection of the place again," said a source at the office of district magistrate, Lakhisarai.

District magistrate Sibhendra Choudhary was not available for comment but the source said soon after the notification, the administration geared up for protecting of the sites. "Today, we have sent requisitions for fencing the sites and for other conservational works," said the source.

The source however also disclosed that the administration had also initiated in approaching the Patna circle of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for accelerating the process of making the state government protect the Uren site in the district, where Excavation Branch III, ASI Patna had conducted circle excavation.

British archaeologists like LA Waddell had earlier mentioned Uren under Surajgarha block, around 30km southeast of the Lakhisarai district headquarters and some 160km west to Patna, as the site of Gautam Buddha taming the Yaksha Bakula. Many Burmese inscriptions have been reported from there earlier. Chaliya hill is also located near Uren where Buddha spent Varsh Vash. ASI has been excavating the site for over a year but it is still not enlisted as a protected place, the source alleged. Not a single ASI person was available for comment but the source said the district administration would approach the state government jointly with the ASI to protect Uren's sites.