Recent archaeological excavations at Bhamāla have brought to light
many important discoveries in the history of Buddhist art and
architecture. One of these is the parinirvāṇa statue of Buddha
measuring 14 meters in length. Radiocarbon dates of the charcoal
/charred wood recovered from inside the terracotta sculptures
discovered inside the parinirvāṇa chamber place the construction of the
structure to around the third century CE. This represents the earliest
example of a monumental parinirvāṇa image and provides new
evidence that must be considered when discussing the origin of
monumental parinirvāṇa images in South and Central Asia