COMPARISION OF ROCK EDICTS OF KAPILESWAR AND TAREI
CHAPTER-IV
CHAPTER-IV
(Copy right reserved by Dr. G. S. Tripathy)
By taking upon himself the task of making known to the people about the teaching of the lord Buddha. Ashok became the zealous follower of his preceptor seven passages occur in his bhabra edict most of which have been identified in pali literature inculcating the teachings of Buddha. For this reverence had been paid by the king by saluting the Dharma, the law and the sangha with the order of the Buddhist monk. To the Buddhist holy places, he undertook pilgrimage later on.
With the touch of the soil of the then kalinga chandasoka became Ashok in 261 B.C. after the great kalinga war. Of course after that gradually he turned to Dharmasoka with the upasampada he took from a Buddhist monk of the then kalinga. He visited Lumbini garden where goutam was born in kapilavastu identified as kapileswar at present which is at a distance of about one mile from the lord lingaraj temple situated in Bhubaneswar at the end of twenty years of his Riegn in 249 B.C. A pillar bearing an inscription had been erected by him as a mark of respect in order to pay homage to the birth place of Buddha at Lumbini. This stone inscription was discovered in 1928 in kapileswar now perhaps at Ashutosh museum in KOLKATA.
The king exempted taxes of the local people in order commemorate his visit to Lumbini. The conception of the Dharma of Chandasoka changed gradually with the practiceof non-violence which had been recognized as the sanctity of human life by him. As a result a Dharmasoka had been emerged with the constant cultivation of moral virtues such as the observance of truth, restraint, kindness, charity, purity, gentleness, respect, obedience to elders and teachers & love to friends and he wanted his subjects to cultivate all these moral virtues. The control of evil thoughts such as anger and ferocity, conceit, envy etc. had been given up by him. For all religious sects and denominations tolerance had been advocated by him with respect to all pious people especially to sramans, Brahmans, Ajivikas and jains.
Caves had been dedicated to Ajivikas, which is well known. To desist from self-praise and condemnations of others was his desire so far as all religious denominations are concerned.
Towards the end of his reign Ashok was completely converted to the Buddhist ideas of kindness to all beings which were inscribed in his rock edicts. Spread throughout the country.
Kapilavastu, the chief place of the sakyas and lumbini, the actual birth place of goutam Buddha, were situated in Nepalese Tarai has been taken for granted by many for a long time. The main basis of this belief is the inscribed rock edict found at by Rumini dei by Dr. Fuhrer. That the same fact in similar words and script with the signature of a writer having a date existed in kapileswar in ODISHA was little known to the outside world.
Out of hand as a forgery, it is too facile a solution to dismiss it as the orissan inscription discovered in kapileswar poses a serious threat to Tarai discovery. No attempt has been made so far about the comparision of rock edicts discovered both at Tarai and kapileswar in 1896 & 1928 respectively in a serious manner.
Less skilled and precise in the workmanship of the orissan one evidently the work of a carver than the mason who carved the letters of the Tarai inscription. The orissan inscription must be an earlier inscription and hence it is certainly not a direct imitation of the Tarai inscription, By unconventional studies, it should be made to realize by ancient India that even the most widely accepted historical facts may not be sacrosanct that Orissan inscription is a genuine record of the birth place of Buddha as there is the signature of the carver including the date of carving, where as it is missing in the Tarai inscription which is widely accepted since 1896? Without any prejudice both the inscriptions should be compared carefully by the scholars.
It should be remembered that the consensus of learned opinion is no proof always if it is not proved. There was a time when the consensus of learned opinion strongly maintained that the sun revolved round the earth which has been proved false subsequently.
Hence in the case of the study of the two rocks edicts we should be very careful, since the days of sir Alexander Cunningham almost every student of ancient India has believed that the place of birth of Buddha was near the site of Ruminidei pillar. But gradually, this belief is waning.
That the place of the discovery of the Tarai inscription was never called Ruminidei as was assented by the noted historian Dr. Smith. It was a forged name given to it by archeologist Dr. Fuhrer. Till sixth century A.D. it has been proved that Buddhism has not been adopted in Nepal.
Religious exponent of various grades to different provinces had been appointed by Ashok to help his mission to lead a pious and religious life. On rock and stone pillars he had his edicts carved. In places of periphery of his vast empire, the rock edicts are mostly to be found. At places of pilgrimage where large crowd gathered he had his rockedicts because he wanted his subjects to practise the law of piety instead of going on hunting expeditiously as he was doing earlier. Ashok went on religious tours thinking that he would meet ascetics and Brahmins instead of going for hunting and killing the innocent creatures.
TARAI STONE INSCRIPTION
Since then, it is said Goutam Buddha was born there in that wild region which was proclaimed by Dr. FUHRER to be Ruminidei. Subsequently this was challenged by the noted historian V.A. Smith. According to V.A. Smith there is no further evidence for FUHRER’S assertion because neither the Nepalese officials nor the Hillman proclaimed it sas Rumini dei. Hence it was a forgery of the name by Dr. FUHRER in order to relate it with the name lumbini to conclude for his discovery in a wild region of Nepal.
That there was no such name as lumbini in Nepal had been admitted by Dr. Fuhrar later on also.
After the publication of Mahabansa of Tripitaka, it was clear that lumbini was a vast feudel area which was a Zamindari, where there was a Zamindar to look after that particular land area under his control. At the foot of the Himalayas there is no trace of kapil or lumbini which has yet been discovered. The ancient geography of India bears the testimony to this by Cunningham. These names are being used only recently in maps & official documents after recognition of these places as the birth place of Goutam Buddha on which volumes have been written in support of Ruminidei.
The real birth place of Buddha was ascertained neither by Fa-Hein in 5th century A.D. nor by Hiuen Tsiang in 7th century A.D. – the noted Chinese travellers.
Later on many artificial stupas came in to existence in the so called Ruminidei when the original stupa built by Ashok in the village kapileswar near Bhubaneswar was destroyed by the Hindu fanatics. In course of time a number of stupas had been built in Ruminidei along with a temple for queen Maya which appears to be a later device made to prove conclusively that it was the birth place of Goutam Buddha.
The scripts found in the Tarai inscription have no similarity with the script of other inscriptions of the time of Ashoka as is the opinion of many scholars and historians with all seriousness if we take up the study of this inscription, it will be crystal clear that the inscription does not belong to the time of Ashoka.
Let us study the size of the pillar at Tarai, which is 21 feet in height. The average height of different Ashoka pillar is 35 feet. This pillar is also not well polished unlike other pillars of the region. At its top there is no bell shaped Ashokan capital. The lion figure is missing here also. Without any trace of the size of proportion unlike other Ashokan pillars, this pillar presents an appearance looking like the back of a tortoise as the top of the pillar has a cover on it. From its base to the top Ashoka pillars are invariably of proportionate size. At the top the bell capital & the lion there are specialties further.
To identify that it is an Ashokan pillar, many unnecessary attempts have been made in the past. On the evidence of Hiuen Tsiang with the observation of Thomas it is not all true that a portion of it has been broken and is missing. That is not an Ashokan pillar it is quite evident from a cursory glance at the pillar. That the pillar has never been broken has been glanced from the existence of the pillar in its full fledged form.
It is very much doubtful or rather rare the very existence of kapilvastu or lumbini as such at the foot of the Himalayas. Anand must have suggested to Buddha to go to his birth place for courting his death if kapilvastu would have been nearer to Kusinagar.
KAPILESWAR STONE INSCRIPTION
For his museum at puri, from a local man of kapileswar one Mr. Birendranath Ray purchased and procured this stone inscription which has been first brought to public notice by Mr. Haren Chandra chakaldar of Calcutta University. But later on this stone inscription had been sold to Ashutosh museum of Calcutta. By Mr. Ray. Nobody knows at present about the fate of that rock edict.
Though a lot of discussion has been made in ODISHA on the matter but it could not be propagated properly among all the historians of India and the world to the utter misfortune and surprise of the Buddhist authorities also at large regarding the stone inscription. Despite its discovery, after more than two thousand years, still the stone inscription is in oblivion. One day the truth will come out surely and certainly if the original rock edict will be found which was sold by Mr. B.N. Ray.
Due to the ignorance & carelessness of the excavator this stone inscription has been irregular in shape in one side but as a portion of the pillar, it had been excavated from the earth though some viewers are of the opinion that its upper portion is broken & irregular. In the lower portion of the pillar this stone plate was laid. From the house of a villager this stone inscription was obtained whose house was situated near the boundary wall of the Shiva temple of kapileswar. Ashok had erected a pillar in that particular area as he was aware of the fact that Buddha took his birth there.
This pillar erected by Ashok had been destroyed by the attack of Hindu fanatics and gradually this place was occupied by general public. Even at raj-griha the same thing has happened.
The broken portion of the pillar has been identified after a long time. By Rajendralal Mitra who was an eminent Historian, the lingam of Bhaskareswar temple of Bhubaneswar was proved to be a portion of an Ashoka pillar in 1880. After some years it was accepted by Dr. B.M. Barua that this was definitely a part of Ashokan pillar on the other hand.
In 1949 Dr. K.C. Panigrahi an eminent historian of repute has concluded that this lingam constitutes the remains of an Ashokan pillar built by Ashok at Kapilavastu in Kalinga.
From the north east corner of an old tank Ashok-jhara the bell-shaped Ashokan capital has been recovered which is about 2 miles away from Bhaskareswar temple. The same is now preserved in the Orissa Museum. The remaining portion of the pillar is completely destroyed.
That it is not a specimen of Ashokan architecture is the opinion of some archaeologists has been refuted and refused by the archaeologists Dr. Panigrahi in his words as follows.
“The Orissan specemen of Ashokan arts have no lustrous polish as exemplified by the elephant figure at Dhauli, being the products of the local school of arts executed in local stone and they exhibit the indigenous characterstics. Even the kapileswar stone inscription has got a number of spots and it is not polished”.
At a distance of 40 feet from the northen entrance of the Bhaskareswar temple, the figure of lion was dug out of a pit where it was buried mysteriously with stone walls on four sides.
On the supposition of its indigenous nature of workmanship Dr. K.C. Panigrahi accepts the sculpture as an Ashokan architecture and assured that the figure was detached from the original column of Ashokan pillar by the 5th century A.D. In accordance with his research two short lines of Brahmi inscription have been received on it’s body with the chisel marks which indicate that there was an attempt to break it in to pieces by Hindu fanatics who transferred the Buddhist coiumn in to a Siva lingam.
That the kapileswar stone inscription was on the body of pillar is crystal clear referred to above. The pillar was in the same place where the inscription was found. It is quite baseless to argue with the apprehension that this pillar was at Dhauli. Because of the fact that Buddha is frequently designated as “ARKABANDHU” and “ADITYABANDHU” the lingas formed out of a piece of the original Ashokan pillar is named as Bhaskareswar.
Before it is completely destroyed, the stupa was near the kapileswar temple. Due to sectarian rivalry, the broken pieces of the pillar had been shifted from the stupa area. The existence of a stupa in the vicinity of modern Bhubaneswar is indicated with the suggestive evidence having with the discovery of the railing fence. In a forest of Sal trees while on the way to her father’s house, Mayadevi gave birth to Goutam Buddha in the Lumbini garden which is no other than present Bhubaneswar. One of the names of Goutam Buddha is Bhubaneswar also.
In different areas of Bhubaneswar many ramnents and fragments of Buddhist sculpture were scattered before independence which were collected & kept in Orissa museum after independence.
That there are some of the finest historical proofs to conclude that Buddha took his birth in then Kalinga by taking in to consideration the Buddhist literature & culture with the names kapileswar as kapilavastu – Lembai as Lumbini which are so nearer in pronunciation not available in the so called Rumini dei in Nepal.
COMPARITIVE STUDY OF THE STONE INSCRIPTION
Old Brahmi Script
1. DEVANAPIYENA PIYADASINA LAJINA VI
2. SATI BHISITENA AGACHA MAHIDA BUDHE JATE
3. SAKYA MUNITI SILA BIGADABHIHA KALAPI
4. TA SILA THABHE BA USAPAPITE. HIDA BHAGAVAM
5. JATETI LUMMINIGAME UBALIKE KATE ILAM
6. VUTHE 200 40 ATHABHAGIYA CHA. YANDRACHU
In Sanskrit
1. DEVANAPRIYENA PRIYADARSINA RAJNYA VIM
2. SATYABHISIKETENA AGATYA MAHI TAM BUDDAH JATAH
3. SAKYAMUNIH ITI SILAVIKRUTA BHITTA KARI
4. TA SILASTAMBHAH EBA UTSARPITAH IHA BHAGAVANA.
5. Jatah iti Lumbini gramah udbalikah krutah ila
6. BYUSTE 240 astabhagikah cha Chundrayah
The kharostri script ‘yandrachu’ will be read as “chundraya”
The historian pandit Sri Banambara Acharya made his explanation as follows who was designated as
Vidya Bhusan and sahityacharya as well for the above six lines of the rock edict.
Meaning:- As Buddha the sakya muni was born in this place, in twentieth year of his coronation priyadarsi Ashok, the beloved of gods, offered his worship here and engraved the stone inscription. Then the stone pillar was erected by him.
As a mark of respect to lord Buddha, Ashok exempted the lumbini area from the payment of tax. Ubalika or udbalika –”ud” means to give up “vali” means tax. He did it in the ILA 240 Abda (Buddhist era), prior to it 1/8th taxation was in vogue. CHUNDRAYA the writer of the script. ILA means worshipful.
The Tarai stone inscription is written in five lines. The language is Prakrita and the script is old Brahmi.
The text of the Tarai inscription
1. DEVANAPIYENA PIYADASINA LAJINA VISATI VASA Bhisitena.
2. Atana agacha mahiyite hida Budhe jate JAKYAMUNITI
3. Sile VIGADABHICHA kalapita Silathabha Cha Usapapite.
4. Hida bhagabam jateti Lummini game Ubalika Kate.
5. Athabhagiye Cha.
Sanskrit translation
1. Devanam Priyena priyadarsina rajna vimsativarse bhisiktena.
2. Atmana agatya mahiyitam iha Buddhah jatah SAKYAMUNIH ITI.
3. Sila VIKRTA bhitta karita sila stambhah Cha utsarpitah.
4. Iha bhagavan jatah iti lumbini gramah udbalikah kautah.
5. Asta bhagikah Cha
The meaning is as followes
In the 20th year of his reign priyadarshi, the beloved of god came himself to worship here as Buddha, the sakya muni had taken his birth here. He engraved the stone. Stone pillar was erected by him. He exempted the tax from this Lumbini as Buddha took his birth here. Only 1/8th of the total income was taken as tax before.
While comparision is made between these two inscriptions some scholars find clarify clarification. They say some letters are missing in kapileswar inscription. Available in Tarai inscription.
For instance
a. Instead of in the 20th year of reign there is ‘in 20’ he reigned.
b. This vasa or varsa (year) is not present in kapileswar inscription.
c. Instead of atana agacha there is agacha.
d. Mahiyite hide (worshipped here) is replaced by mahida.
e. Ite and hi are missing.
Thus the aforesaid eight letters of Tarai inscription are missing in kapileswar inscription. But, some additional letters like ILA (to worship), buthe (era), 240 in the number and chundraya the name of the scribe are these in the kapileswar script which are also numbering eight are there in the Kapileswar inscription which are missing in Tarai inscription. Hence the total numbers of letters in both the inscriptions remain the same (90each). The signature of the writer and the era of Kapileswar edict proves more authority than that of Tarai edict.
Kapileswar inscription seems to have a unique importance in the whole set of asokan inscriptions. The eight letters which are present in Tarai inscription are not so important nor so worthy which are absent in kapileswar copy. But the additional letters which are present in the kapileswar inscription have definitely some significance. ILA means to worship Buddha vide rig-Veda I-I-I. Again buthe indicates an era. This was an era which was in vogue from the date of mahaparinirvana or great demise of Goutam Buddha.
It is quite evident from the inscription of the kapileswar that Ashok had installed this inscription along with the pillar 240 years after the death of Buddha. One of the specialties of the inscription is the kharostri script which is chundraya written from right to left by the scribe having the name.
It adds special significance to the inscription by mentioning the ERA as well as the name of the scribe. The writer of the inscription was a person who was well acquainted with kharostri language. Hence if some of the letters written by him in the inscription are found defective in the eyes of the critics, it is quite natural to access and to conclude.
A. It is correct to have doubts regarding the defects in the script. Both Visati Vasabhisitena and Visati Bhisitena are correct in place of vimsati Varsabhisiketana and vimsatyabhisiktena respectfully because in the year of his 20th coronation is not incorrect.
B. Atana agacha (atmana agatya) both are correct. Hence the absence of atmana or himself does not make the sentence incomplets. Only the grandeur of the sentence is lost.
C. Mahiyita hide or Mahiyitam iha-he worshipped here is represented in the kapileswar inscription as mahida. For the purpose of worshipping the use of Mahida is found in Sanskrit literature. The word Mahiyitam used for worship only. In the Upanished we find similar usage also. Besides the “da” of Mahida can be “tam” in the Sanskrit also.
Both – “mahiyite” hide and mahide are correct so far as their usage is concerned.
The kapileswar inscription is a forged one-has been published by the bengoli historian Sri Ramaprasad Chand in the bengoli mothly “pravasi” in 1928 october on the basis of disevepancis of these two rock edicts but he seems to be superfluous in his assertions on the subject.
He never bothered cared to notice the peculiarities of kapileswar inscription in detail. He has not marked the name of the scribe ‘chundrays’ and the era referred to. He thought Tarai inscription is genuine and made a comparative study of both making orthographic mistakes and dissimilarty of the letters.
But SN Mitra has proved that kapileswar inscription is genuine and original which has been wrongly represented as a forged one by chand as referred to above. As referred to by chance, besides the mistakes relating to matras sual as strokes and signs are natural as the Kapileswar inscription had been written by a scribe versed in history script. Hence the words like “BUDHAJATA” “KALAPHITA” can be read as “BUDHEJATE” and “KALAPITA” respected. There are some more important perts which are given below.
1. Due to the mistake of a scribe an inscription cannot be declared to be forget. Ashok had himself declared.
“ATA KICHI ASAMATI LIKHITE DISA BA SAMKHAYA
KALANAM VA ALOCHAYATE LIPIKALA PALADHENA VA”
Meaning: - If should not be taken of the mistake of the scribe as license should be given due to the peculiarities of the region.
2. For a kharostri scribe mistakes were unavailable who was not apt in writing Brahmi letters.
3. With JAugada and Dhaul inscription these is a great similarity with the inscription.
4. With the Eragudi and Brahmagiri Inscription of the south it has great similarity.
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