NOTABLE
INSCRIPTIONS IN ANCIENT INDIA
Important inscriptions include the 33 inscriptions of emperor Ashoka on the Pillars of
Ashoka (272 to 231 BCE). The Edicts
of Ashoka are a collection of 33 inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka as well as boulders and cave walls made by the EmperorAshoka of the Mauryan Empire during his reign from 269 BCE to 232 BCE.
These inscriptions are dispersed throughout the areas of modern-day Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan and
represent the first tangible evidence of Buddhism. The edicts
describe in detail the Ashoka's view about dhamma, an earnest attempt
to solve some of problems that a complex society faced. According to the
edicts, the extent of Buddhist proselytism during this period reached as far as
the Mediterranean, and many Buddhist monuments were created.
The Edicts are divided into:
·
Major Rock Edicts: 14 Edicts (termed 1st to
14th) and 2 separate ones found in Odisha
·
Minor Rock Inscriptions: Minor Rock Edicts,
the Queen's Edict, Barabar Caves inscriptions and the
Kandahar bilingual inscription.
These inscriptions proclaim Ashoka's
adherence to the Buddhist philosophy which, as in Hinduism is called dharma, "Law". The inscriptions show his
efforts to develop the Buddhist dharma throughout his kingdom. Although
Buddhism and the Gautama Buddha are mentioned, the edicts focus
on social and moral precepts rather than specific religious practices or the
philosophical dimension of Buddhism.
In these inscriptions, Ashoka refers to
himself as "Beloved of the Gods" (Devanampiyadasi) The identification
of Devanampiyadasi with Ashoka was confirmed by an inscription discovered in
1915 by C. Beadon, a British gold-mining engineer, at Maski,
a village in Raichur district of Karnataka. Another minor rock edict is found at the
village Gujarra in Datia district of Madhya Pradesh. This also shows the name
"Ashoka" in addition to usual "Devanampiyadasi". The
inscriptions found in the eastern part of India were written in Magadhi Prakritusing the Brahmi script. These edicts were deciphered by British archaeologist and historian James Prinsep.
The
Sohgaura copper plate
inscription (earliest known example of the copper plate type and generally
assigned to the Mauryan period, though the exact date is uncertain),
The Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela (2nd century BCE), The Hathigumpha Inscription ("Elephant
Cave" inscription), from Udayagiri,
near Bhubaneswar in Odisha, was inscribed byKharavela, the then Emperor
of Kalinga in India, during 2nd century BCE. The
Hathigumpha Inscription consists of seventeen lines in a Central-Western form
of Prakrit incised in a deep-cut Brahmi script on the overhanging brow of a natural cavern
called Hathigumpha in the southern side of the Udayagiri hill, near Bhubaneswar
in Odisha. It faces straight towards the Rock Edicts of Ashoka at Dhauli, situated at a distance of about six miles.The
inscription is written in a type which is considered as one of the most archaic
forms of the Kalinga alphabet, also
suggesting a date around 150 BCE.[
The Besnagar pillar inscription of Heliodorus, The Heliodorus pillar is
a stone column that was erected around 113 BCE in central India[1] in Vidisha near modernBesnagar, by Heliodorus, a Greek
ambassador of the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas to the court of the Shunga kingBhagabhadra. The site is
located only 5 miles from the Buddhist stupa of Sanchi.The pillar was surmounted by a sculpture of Garuda and was
apparently dedicated by Heliodorus to the god Vāsudeva in front of the temple of Vāsudeva.
The Junagadh rock
inscription of Rudradaman I (150 CE), Rudradama I took up the title of Maha-kshtrapa ("Great Satrap"), after he
became the king and then strengthened his kingdom. During his reign he married
a Hindu woman and converted to Hinduism[2] Quoting from the book Buddhist critical
spirituality: Prajñā and Śūnyatā, the author Shōhei Ichimura speaks thus
about him,[3]
"Rudradama's
inscription, written in Brahmi script, was the earliest record ever written in
perfect Sanskrit. The Sanskrit Junagadh inscription dated 150 CE[7] credits Rudradaman I with supporting the
cultural arts and Sanskrit literature and repairing the dam built by the Mauryans. He in fact
repaired the embankments of the lake Sudarshana, which was constructed by the
Mauryas for checking floods.
Rudradaman fought many a battle against the
Satavahanas (or the Andhras) and Satakarni, the son of the Andhra king
Pulamayi, in an effort to end the hostilities, married the daughter of
Rudradaman. Rudradaman also conquered the Yaudheya tribes in Haryana, as described in the Girnar inscription
The Nasik cave
inscriptions,
Nashik was the abode of Lord Rama during his 14 years in exile
here. It is located on the banks of the Godavari which originates in the
south-west of the city at Trimbakeshwar. It is one of the four
places in the world where the Kumbh Mela is held making it one of the
holiest Hindu cities. The city has many
ancient temples including the Kalaram Temple and Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple
The Rabatak
inscription,
The Rabatak inscription is written on a rock in the Bactrian language and Greek script and found in 1993 at the
site of Rabatak, nearSurkh Kotal in Afghanistan. The
inscription relates to the rule of the Kushan emperor Kanishka and gives remarkable clues
to the genealogy of the Kushan dynasty.
The Allahabad
Pillar inscription of Samudragupta, The Allahabad Pillar is
an Ashoka Stambha, one of the Pillars of Ashoka, an emperor of the Maurya dynasty, who reigned in the 3rd century BCE. While
it is one of the few extant pillars that carry his edicts, it is
particularly notable for containing later inscriptions attributed to the Gupta emperor, Samudragupta (4th century
CE). Also engraved on the stone are inscriptions by the Mughalemperor, Jahangir (17th
century CE). At some point of time, the pillar was moved from its original
location and installed within Akbar's Allahabad Fort in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. As the fort is
now occupied by the Indian Army, the public are
only allowed limited access to the premises and special permission is required
to view the pillar
The Aihole
inscription of Pulakesi II (634
CE), It is known as Cradle of Indian architecture. It
was the first capital of Chalukyas where they built numerous
temples dating back to the 6th century CE. Many inscriptions found at Aihole,
but the inscription which found at Meguti Temple popularly known as Aihole inscription, which has
the significance in the history of India, witnessed for the many historical
events of Chalukyas. The inscription written in Sanskrit and it is in Kannada script.
There is a mention about the defeat of Harshavardhana byPulikeshi II.[1] And there is a mention about
the victory of Chalukyas on Pallavas, also mentioned about the
shifting of the capital from Aihole to Badami by Pulikeshi. There is
mention about the poet Kalidasa. The inscription is found
at Aihole in Karnataka state, India. The Aihole inscription was written by the Ravikirti, court
poet of Chalukya King, Pulakeshi II who reigned from 610 to 642
CE. The poetic verses (Shilalekh) of Ravikirti, in praise of the king,
can be read in the Meguti temple, dated 634 CE. The inscription is in the Sanskrit language, which uses the old Kannada scrip
The Kannada Halmidi
inscription,
The Halmidi
inscription is the oldest known
inscription in the Kannada language. The inscription is carved on a pillar,
that was discovered in the village of Halmidi, a few miles from the
famous temple town of Belur in the Hassan district of Karnataka,
and is dated 450 CE. The original inscription has now been deposited in an archaeological museum in Bangalore while a fibreglass replica has been installed
at Halmidi.
The Tamil copper-plate inscriptions. Are mostly records of grants of villages or plots of
cultivable lands to private individuals or public institutions by the members
of the various South Indian royal dynasties. The grants range in date from the
10th century CE to the mid-19th century CE. A large number of them belong to
the Chalukyas,
the Cholas and the Vijayanagar kings. These plates are
valuable epigraphically as they give us an insight
into the social conditions of medieval South India and help fill chronological
gaps to connect the history of the ruling dynasties.
The oldest known
inscription in the Kannada language,
referred to as the Halmidi
inscription for the tiny village of Halmidi near where it was found,
consists of sixteen lines carved on a sandstone pillar and dates to 450 CE.
Reports indicate that the Nishadi Inscription. ofChandragiri which is in Old-Kannada is older than Halmidi by
about 50 to 100 years and may belong to c. 350 CE or c. 400 CE
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