Inscriptions of Shivpuri (Material for the History of Gopadri Region) (Set of 2 Volumes)

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The district of Sarpuri (ancient Sipri) derives its name from God Siva, is bounded on the north by Morena, Gwalior and Datia, on the east by Jhansi, on the west by Kota and on the south by Guna districts. The past legacy of its different historic city such as Narwar, Sunwaya. Bangla, Sipri, Rannod, Mahua, Kolarasa, Pacharai; tehasila headquarters of Pohari. Shivpur Narwar, Karera, Pichhore, Khaniyadhana, Badarwas, Kolaras, Bairagadh, and other places like Ballarpur, Bamor, Bangla, Bhanagadha, Bhimpur, Bijn, Budhera, Chinavani, Dhala, Dongar Gudar, Hirapur, Jetpur, Magarauni, Sirsod. Urwaha, Terahi, etc. is present in the form of archaeological materials, forts, palaces, historical buildings, inscriptions, and so on. Inscriptions, in general, offer information about personages and events of Indian history, for which nothing or less is known from other sources, their authors in most cases described contemporary events, and is the primary source of information for the chronological reconstruction of all the aspects of Indian history that might be political, social, cultural, economic, administrative, religious or linguistic as well provides useful information for the chronological development of art and architecture. Present study on the Shivpuri inscriptions is an endeavour to bring together and study more than five hundred seventy-seven published and unpublished inscriptions, arranged in chronological order, and systematically classified data in each inscription along with general introduction makes the book a corpus of the inscriptions of Shivpuri District. It consists of the detailed information regarding the rulers and the beneficiaries, administrative terms, religious persuasion, occasion and purpose of the grants, year and other astronomical account. construction or renovation of monasteries and temples, installation of images, digging or renovation of tanks, wells, planting of gardens, memoirs of the deceased persons, topographical details, evolution of languages and scripts, royal personages, administrators, pontiffs, bhatarakas, sravakas, poets, scribe, engravers and so on. It is hoped that the innovative and scholarly work should entice the spirit of the students, historians and researchers, especially those who are interested in the local history of Northern Madhya Pradesh.

Dr. Arvind Kumar Singh (b. 1959) is Professor of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology in Jiwaji University, Gwalior, obtained master's Degree in two disciplines (Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archacology, and Museology) and Doctor of Philosophy from Banaras Hindu University; was awarded the University Gold Medal and Anant Sadasiva Altekar Gold Medal for securing first position in Postgraduate Examination. Fellowships and Projects from different agencies were awarded to him. He is genuinely involved in teaching and researches, particularly in the field of Palacography and Epigraphy. He has more than one hundred twenty-five research papers in reputed journals, four edited volumes, and fourteen books.

Dr. Navneet Kumar Jain (b. 1977) has obtained Master's Degree (2001), P. G. Diploma in Museology, and Ph. D. (2007) from Jiwaji University, Gwalior, awarded Kundakund Jnanapitha Award (2011), Acarya Santisagar Channi Award (2012), and M. K. Mathur Memorial Young Achiver's Award (2013-14); worked as Associate Fellow (2009-10) in a U. G. C. Major Research Project. He has attended and organized many seminars the proceedings of which have been edited by him. He has more than sixty-five research papers, six edited felicitation/ commemoration volumes, and nine books to his credit and at present sincerely involved in writing books on art, architecture and inscriptions.

The past legacy of the different historic city in Shivpuri district as Narwar, Surwayá, Bangla, Sipri Rannod, Mahua, Kolárasa. Pacharai, Golakota and others is present in the form of archaeological materials, forts, palaces, historical buildings, inscriptions, and so on. Inscriptions, in general, offer information about personages and events of Indian history, for which nothing or less is known from other sources, and their authors in most cases described contemporary events. They happen to be most important historical, socio-cultural and religious document of the contemporary period, is a primary rather than secondary sub-field within Indology, and is the most important source of information for the chronological reconstruction of all the aspects of Indian history that might be political, social. cultural, economic, administrative, religious or linguistic as well provides useful information for the chronological development of art and architecture. The nature and purport of the inscriptions are diverse. Some of them are simply label inscriptions that record the names of pilgrims, sculptors, stone-masons, and vandals. Many inscriptions are commemorative or donatives in nature, while others record political, religious, commercial compacts or deal with matters of revenue, law, temple administration, trade and commerce. Several inscriptions deal with the construction or renovation of temples, their adjunct and annexes, or to the excavation and construction or renovation of tanks, wells and water cisterns.

Epigraphic material, directly or indirectly, provide almost the only solid chronological foundation for modern historically oriented studies. To establish the regional history including early systems and organization in regards of society, economy and polity sufficient evidence exist in the region but it has not received due attention. On the other hand, every year the country suffers the loss, either in full or in part, of an unknown number of inscriptions, either due to exposure to the vagaries of the climate or due to human avarice, vandalism or even mere ignorance. Such facts underline the great need and urgency for evolving full-proof methods of village to village survey for locating and documenting inscriptions. It is the need of time, before becoming too late, to document and study each and every inscriptions. Conversely, inscriptions edited earlier often come under the scrutiny of epigraphists who, in the light of ever-improving historical knowledge, find it necessary to effect important alterations in the readings given earlier that necessitates the recopying and study of already published inscriptions of the region. Looking into the circumstances, we are trying our best to document and study the inscriptions of Northern Madhya Pradesh district-wise and till date in the series two volumes on the Inscriptions of Gwalior have been published in 2016 and one book on Jaina Inscriptions of Bhind district in 2017. In the present volume an attempt has been made to document and study the Brahmi, Nagari and Roman inscriptions of Shivpuri district.

The District Shivpuri of Madhya Pradesh State, located on the lower Vindhyan plateau, is bordered by the rivers Betwa in the east and Kuno in the west and extends between the parallels of latitude 24° 51' 16" N and 25° 55' 15" N, and between the meridians of longitude 77° 0' 25" E and 78° 28' 10" E. Its maximum extent from east to west is 132 km while its width from north to south measures 118 km at the most. On physiographic divisions the entire district is divided in the western plateau, the lower Bundelkhanda plateau, the Betwa valley. the Sindha valley, and the Kuno valley.

The tradition and archaeological material evince the multifaceted fascinating history intermingle with the details of cultural succession in terms of human activities, imperial dynasties, institutional evolution and aesthetic resources of Shivpuri District. Systematic explorations and excavations require for revealing the existence of the early cultural succession in the region. However, scattered objects at many places of the area, especially in the river valleys are noticed like, hand-axes and cleavers on quartzite and microlithic implement noticed at Karya-I on the Ganesa Kheda road, 12 km south of Shivpuri, and Badkhera- I, 8 km from Kolarasa, yielded a number of shell fossils (IAR, 1988-89:45). More than ten rock-shelters with paintings and inscriptions written in Brahmi script are located at Corapurà (IAR, 1956-57:79). The area of Tunda Bhadka Khoh nearby Shivpuri is covered with dense reserve forest vegetation and close to water source, consists of two rock-shelters in which one have paintings, engravings and painted inscriptions. In general. rock-shelters were inhabited by early people, who inspired by a natural urge of artistic expression painted them with numerous designs in different colours, and sometimes written inscriptions. One of the inscriptions of Tunda Bhadka Khoh rock-shelter denotes that the work of depicting the pictorial figure on the rock was done by Sivaraksita, the son of Kausiki, along with Krsnaraksita, the follower of the Bhagavata cult and brethren of bhadakana. The evidence coupled with other information help to understand the early religious, social and political system of the region. The references of Krsnaraksita and his 'bhadakana, brethren as followers of the Bhagavata cult denotes that the particular cult was spread over in the area during 2nd century B.CE. Likewise, mentions of "Vinhu' indicates a possibility of the presence of Vaisnavism in contemporary society. Sivaraksita traces his descent from his mother Kausiki hints about the matrilineal family (Singh, 1998: 213-220). Such references to matrilineal descent are also known from other places like Vidisă (M.P.) and Kaušambi (U.P.). Apart from this, survivals of matrilineal inheritance are noticed among some tribes of Madhya Pradesh even today. In the opinion of N.N. Bhattacharya (1971: 69), mother right in India was historically connected with early agricultural economy while male dominated Vedic society was predominantly pastoral.

Narwar remains one of the important centres of Shivpuri district. The tradition indicates the antiquity of Narwar (ancient Nalapura or Nilagiri) area was founded early by the Niśadha king Nala of the Mahabharata fame, and was the capital of Nala's kingdom. It is located to the north of Vindhyachala and Avanti. The Nisada territory was situated between the rivers Sindh and Betwã and to the west of Cedi territory. Later on Mahapadmananda, who came to the throne after supplanting the last of the Saisunagas of Pataliputra, founded the Nanda dynasty and the Nandas became the master of northern India. The Nandas is referred to in the Puranas as the destroyer of all ksatriyas and the sole monarch of the earth (Sastri, 1952: 233-235). The advent of Candragupta Maurya in the fourth century B.C.E. is significant. The distribution of Asoka's inscriptions indicates that, in the 3rd century B.C.E. he was the master of a vast empire, including the areas of present Shivpuri district.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages