
Deorkothar (also: Deur Kothar) is a location of
archaeological
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
importance in
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...
, Central India. It was discovered in 1982 and is known for Buddhist
stupa
In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...
s credited to the
Mauryan
The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sourc ...
emperor
Ashoka
Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was List of Mauryan emperors, Emperor of Magadha from until #Death, his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynast ...
.
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 Alexander ...
) discovered Deorkothar in 1982 along with Ajit Singh,
sarpanch
A sarpanch, gram pradhan, mukhiya, or president is a decision-maker, elected by the village-level constitutional body of local self-government called the gram sabha (village government) in India. The sarpanch, together with other elected panchay ...
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 Archaeological Survey of India,
Bhopal
Bhopal (; ISO 15919, ISO: Bhōpāl, ) is the capital (political), 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 ...
.
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 built out of brick out of which two stupas No. 1 and 2 were subjected to archaeological excavations. Stupa no. 1 is about high. There are remnants of 30 stupas made of stones or bricks. In the surrounding area there are 63 rock shelters with old
rock painting
In archaeology, rock arts are 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 al ...
s. Some rocks have inscriptions in
Brahmi
Brahmi ( ; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system from ancient India. "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' or ...
language.
Deorkothar inscription
The six line
Brahmi
Brahmi ( ; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system from ancient India. "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' or ...
inscription on the Deorkothar pillar is considered to be the earliest evidence of the historic Buddha. It is given below, transliterated into
Devanagari
Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental systems: alphabets, writing system), based on the ancient ''Brāhmī script, Brā ...
script.
[P.K. Mishra: Deorkothar (Barhat), Rewa, A Unique, Recently – Excavated Buddhist Site in Central India; Archaeological Survey of India, Bhopal.]
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
The
inscription
Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...
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 legends, he was ...
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 religious teacher in Hinduism and Buddhism and a spiritual guide to Hindus and Buddhists. The designation has different meanings i ...
, named Dharamdev, and his three disciples – Uttarmitra,
Bhadra
''Bhadra'' is a Sanskrit word meaning 'good', 'fortune' or 'auspicious'. It is also the name of many men, women and objects in Hinduism.
Male Figures King of Chedi
Bhadra was a king of Chedi Kingdom who participated in the Kurukshetra War from t ...
and
Upasaka, who used to reside in the monastery. They installed this pillar, dedicating it to the Buddha.
See also
*
Decline of Buddhism in India
Buddhism, which originated in India, gradually dwindled starting in the 4th–6th century CE, and was replaced by Hinduism approximately in the 12th century, in a centuries-long process. Lack of appeal among the rural masses, who instead e ...
*
Buddhism in India
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth- ...
*
Buddhist architecture
Buddhist religious architecture developed in the Indian subcontinent. Three types of structures are associated with the sacred architecture, religious architecture of History of Buddhism, early Buddhism: monasteries (viharas), places to venerate ...
*
Bharhut
Bharhut is a village in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh, central India. It is known for a Buddhist stupa, unique in that each panel is explicitly labelled in Brahmi characters saying what the panel depicts. The major donor for the Bharhut st ...
*
Sanchi
Sanchi Stupa is a Buddhist art, Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the States and territories of India, State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometers from Raisen ...
*
Recently found Buddhist remains in region near Bharhut and Sanchi
References
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
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