Deorkothar (

Devanāgarī Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ...

: also Deur Kothar) is a location of

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

importance in

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the second ...

Central India Central India is a loosely defined geographical region of India. There is no clear official definition and various ones may be used. One common definition consists of the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which are included in al ...

. It is known for its

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circum ...

s and was discovered in 1982.These stupas are credited to the

Mauryan The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...

emperor,

Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...

The discovery and excavations

P.K. Mishra (

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexand ...

) discovered Deorkothar in 1982 along with Ajit Singh,

sarpanch A sarpanch ( IAST: ''Sarpañch'' Hindi: ''सरपंच'') or Gram Pradhan or Mukhiya is a decision-maker, elected by the village-level constitutional body of local self-government called the Gram Sabha (village government) in India. The Sarp ...

of village Barhat. It was declared a monument of national importance in 1988 by the Govt of India and is being preserved and conserved by

Bhopal Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...

. Realising the importance of the site, and its likely international bearing on Buddhism, the Archaeological Survey of India decided to carry out extensive, but controlled, excavations at the site. The excavations were started at the site in 1999 and continued up to 2000. The site is marked by four stupa mounds out of which two stupas No. 1 and 2 were subjected to archaeological excavations. There are remnants of 40 stupas made of stones or bricks. In the area around there are rocks with old

rock painting In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also ...

s. Some rocks have inscriptions in

Brahmi Brahmi (; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system of ancient South Asia. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' o ...

language.

Deorkothar inscription

The six line

inscription on the Deorkothar pillar is considered to be the earliest evidence of the historic Buddha. It is given in the table – transliterated into

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ...

script. भ ग व तो बु ध उ त र मि त्रो उ त र मि त्र स अ भ ड्‍ भ ड्‍ स आ ते वा सि ना दि नु उ पा स क स आ ते वा सि स व ज य स व ध म द वे न के क डी के न ब स ति ये उ स पि तो भं भो आ आ च रि ये न क सि P.K. Mishra: Deorkothar (Barhat), Rewa, A Unique, Recently – Excavated Buddhist Site in Central India; Archaeological Survey of India, Bhopal. The inscription mentions

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

on the first line. The gist of the inscription, pertains to the erection and dedication of stone pillar by an unnamed Upasaka and his disciples in memory of the Buddha, the enlightened one. The inscription speaks about an

Acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' ( Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a ...

, named Dharamdev, and his three disciples – Uttarmitra,

Bhadra ''Bhadra''Feminine: sa, भद्रा, Bhadrā is a Sanskrit word meaning 'good', 'fortune' or 'auspicious'. It is also the name of many men, women and objects in Hindu mythology. Male Figures King of Chedi Bhadra was a king of Chedi Kingdom ...

and Upasaka, who used to reside in the monastery. They installed this pillar, dedicating it to the Buddha.

Footnotes

References

*Dainik Bhaskar, Satna, 13 September 2006 *P.K. Mishra: Deorkothar (Barhat), Rewa, A Unique, Recently – Excavated Buddhist Site in Central India; Archaeological Survey of India, Bhopal.

External links

DEORKOTHAR : A MILESTONE OF HISTORY, Dr. P.K. MishraThe Buddha Bounces Back By Eric Powell: DISCOVER Vol. 22 No. 07 , July 2001
{Dead link, date=July 2019 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes
Excavations at the Buddhist site of Deor-Kothar (Barhat), District Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, India, 1999-2001 PK Misra - Circle of Inner Asian Art Newsletter, 2001
Buildings and structures in Madhya Pradesh Buddhist temples in India History of Madhya Pradesh Mauryan art Stupas in India Rewa, Madhya Pradesh Archaeological sites in Madhya Pradesh Buddhist sites in Madhya Pradesh Rock shelters Tourist attractions in Rewa district

The discovery and excavations

Deorkothar inscription

See also

Footnotes

References

External links