Gold-plated teeth recovered from Nalanda archaeological site

A team of Bihar Archaeological Directorate (BAD) has recovered five teeth of an adolescent dating back to seventh century from an excavation site of an ancient university at Telhara in Nalanda district, an official said today.
During an excavation at the site of the Vishwavidyalaya Shripratham Shivpura Mahavira Bhikshu Sangh that existed in seventh century, a BAD team stumbled upon five gold-plated teeth of an individual aged between 16 to 20 years, who might have been a monk, BAD Director Atul Kumar Verma told PTI.
The teeth will be sent for DNA test at Deccan College in Pune (Maharashtra), he said, adding that the report is likely to shed light about the rich cultural heritage of Telhara region during the seventh century.

Verma said that eminent archaeologist Pramod Jogelkar during a visit to the state capital earlier this week had a look at the precious gold-plated teeth found from the excavation site at Telhara.
Jogelkar recommended sending these teeth for DNA test at Pune, the BAD Director said.
Telhara was an important archaeological site carrying historical remains of the Gupta dynasty, particularly its last phase, Verma said.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had ordered digging of the sites in 2009.