Edicts and Architecture of Mauryan

Edicts and Architecture of Mauryan

If we look at the Indian history, then the work of weaving India as an unbroken nation was first done by the rulers of the Maurya period. The work of cherishing India as an unbroken nation started with the rule of Chandragupta Maurya under the leadership of Acharya Vishnugupta or Chanakya, the head of Takshashila Education Center. He is also known as Kautilya. He made Chandragupta Maurya his disciple and educated him and ended the rule of the Nanda dynasty and laid the foundation for the construction of India. Edicts are the best source to know the governance system of Maurya period.

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Edicts of Ashoka

The rulers of the Maurya period, mainly Ashoka, implemented the state order through his records (Edicts) and addressed the public. Following are the important points related to Edicts.

• Ashoka's records (Edicts) are in Brahmi, Kharosthi, Greek and Aramaic script.
• The language of all these records (Edicts) is Prakrit.
• Ashoka's records (Edicts) were discovered in 1750 by a priest named Tefanthaler. He discovered the Delhi-Meerut inscription.
• The first success in reading Ashoka's edicts was found by James Prinsep in 1837 AD.
• All these records (Edicts) have been made from the sandstone of Chunar.

Ashoka has been called by different names in different records. In his records, he is generally called 'Devanampriya', 'Devanan Priyadarshi', which means - Beloved of the gods or beautiful to look at. He is called 'Priyadarshi' in the Bhabru inscription, 'Buddhashakya' in the Maski inscription. The name Ashoka finds mention in Maski, Nittur, Gurjara and Udgelam inscriptions.

Ashoka's records (Edicts) point towards two things. First, his records are scattered from one corner of the country to the other, which point towards the then vast empire border. Secondly, through these records, many things and facts related to his religion and administration are revealed.

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Classification of Edicts

The inscriptions of Ashoka can be mainly classified into three categories, the details of which are as follows –

1. Rock Edicts : These inscriptions are edicts written on sandstone slabs. These inscriptions are of two types.
1. Major Rock Edicts : Their total number is fourteen. In these there are various edicts (edicts) of Ashoka, which have been obtained from eight different places.
2. Minor Rock Edicts : These minor rock edicts were called minor rock edicts because they were not related to the major rock edicts. These inscriptions have been received from the states of North and South India. Due to which they can be divided into northern copies and southern copies.
2. Pillar Edicts : These are edicts inscribed on pillars made of sandstone, which are seven in number.
1. Major Pillar Edicts : They are seven in number, which have been found from six different places.
2. Minor Pillar Edicts : Ashoka's official declarations are engraved on these.
3. Cave Inscriptions : These Edicts are engraved on the walls of the cave, due to which they are called cave inscriptions.

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Rock Edicts

As we read above, the language of Ashoka's inscriptions is Prakrit and their script is Brahmi, Kharosthi, Greek and Aramaic and engraved on sandstone slabs. These inscriptions are of two types.

A. Major Rock Edicts

Their number is 14, which have been obtained from eight different places. Whose details are as follows –

1. Shahbazgarhi (Pakistan): This inscription is currently located in the Mardan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the northern part of Pakistan. It is the oldest known specimen of writing in the Indian subcontinent, which is in the Kharosthi script. It was discovered by the General Court in 1836.
2. Mansehra (Pakistan): This inscription is also located in the Hazara district of western Pakistan. The script of this inscription is also Kharosthi. Three inscriptions have been received from here, out of which the first two were discovered by General Cunningham and the third one was discovered by an Indian archaeological officer. did not
3. Kalsi (Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India): This inscription was discovered by Forrest in 1860 from the confluence of the Yamuna and Tons rivers. This place is also related to the Mahabharata period.
4. Girnar (Girnar hills near Junagadh, Gujarat): This inscription was discovered by Colonel Tad in 1822 AD. This inscription is in two parts, in which a line has been drawn from the middle.
• Records of Rudradaman and Samudragupta have also been obtained from here, in which the order of construction of Sudarshan lake is mentioned there on the orders of Maurya ruler Chandragupta Maurya.
5. Dhauli (Puri, Odisha): This inscription was discovered in 1837 AD by Kito from a series of three small hills of Dhauli. In this, two new articles are inscribed in place of the 11th – 13th articles.
6. Jaugarh (Ganjam, Odisha): This inscription was discovered by Walter Elliot in 1850 AD, which is engraved on three boulders. In this too, like the Dhauli inscription, two new orders are mentioned in place of the 11th and 13th articles.
7. Erragudi (Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh): It was discovered by Anughosh in 1929 AD, which is inscribed on six mounds of stones. Both inscriptions and short inscriptions have been received from here. The specialty of this inscription is that the direction of the script is found in it from right to left, whereas in all others it is found from left to right.
8. Sopara (Thane, Maharashtra): From here only a fragmentary inscription of one eighth article has been found, but it is estimated that all fourteen inscriptions were present here.

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B. Minor Rock Edicts

Because these inscriptions are not related to the major inscriptions, they are called minor inscriptions. These have been obtained from different places of India. The scripts of the minor inscription are Brahmi and language Prakrit. These records have been obtained from the following places –

1. Sasaram, Bihar
2. Ahraura, Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh
3. Roopnath, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh
4. Gurjara, Datia, Madhya Pradesh
5. Maski, Raichur, Karnataka
6. Bhabru, Jaipur, Rajasthan
7. Brahmagiri, Mysore, Karnataka
8. Siddhapur, Karnataka (located west of Brahmagiri)
9. Jating Rameshwar, Karnataka (North-West from Brahmagiri)
10. Govimath, Mysore, Karnataka
11. Erragudi, Andhra Pradesh
12. Saro Maro, Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh
13. Nettoor, Mysore, Karnataka
14. Palkigundu, Karnataka
15. Rajul Mandagiri, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh
16. Udgolam, Beladi, Karnataka
17. Pangudaria, Sehore, Madhya Pradesh
18. Sannati, Karnataka

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2. Pillar Edicts

Edicts are edicts inscribed on tall sandstone pillars, whose script is also Brahmi and the language is Prakrit. These obelisks are also of two types, long and short, whose details are as follows –

A. Major Pillar Edicts

Their number is seven, which have been found from six different places. Due to their number being seven, they are also called Sapta Stambhlekh. Dhamma and administrative matters are mainly mentioned in the column.

1. Delhi – Topra Pillar Edict: This pillar inscription has been found from Toprakala village. Toprakala village is located at a distance of 15 km from Yamunanagar, Haryana. All the seven articles are engraved on this most famous pillar, while only six articles are engraved on the others. Its length is 42 feet and width is 2.5 feet. It was established by Firoz Shah Tughlaq by bringing it from Topra Kala village to Delhi. It is also known by the names Firoz Shah Ki Lat, Sunehri Lat, Bhimsen Ki Lat and Delhi-Shivalik Lat etc.
2. Delhi-Meerut Pillar Edict: This pillar was earlier in Meerut, which was brought by Firoz Shah Tughlaq from Meerut and got it installed in Delhi.
3. Prayagraj – Kaushambi Pillar Edict: It was earlier located in Kaushambi, which was established in Allahabad fort by Jahangir during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar. Ashoka's queen Karuvaki and son Tivar are also mentioned in this, due to which it is also called the inscription of the queen.
4. Lauriya - Arraj's pillar: It is located in East Champaran (Bihar).
5. Lauria – Nandangarh Pillar Edict: This pillar inscription is located in a village named Nandangarh in West Champaran (Bihar).
6. Pillar Inscription of Rampurwa: It is located in the historical village named Rampurwa of West Champaran (Bihar). Two sections of the pillar inscription have been received from here.

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B. Minor Pillar Edicts

Emperor Ashoka's official announcements are engraved on the short pillar, which have been obtained from the following places -

1. Kaushambi – Near Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh: It also mentions Ashoka's queen Karuvaki.
2. From Rummindei, Terai Region of Nepal: This is believed to be the smallest inscription. It is also called economic records. It was discovered by Führer and translated by George Bueller.
3. Sanchi, Raisen, Madhya Pradesh: By this, Ashoka orders his Mahamatras to stop the Sangh discrimination.
4. Sarnath, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh: Similar to Sanchi, in this also Ashoka orders his Mahamatras to stop the Sangh discrimination.
5. Nigalisagar (Nigliwa), from the Terai region of Nepal: It discusses the enhancement of the Stupa of Kanakamuni.

3. Cave Inscription

These inscriptions have been found engraved in the Edicts cave. All these are written in Prakrit language and Brahmi script. Cave inscriptions have been found in three caves of Barabar hill located in Gaya district of southern Bihar. These caves receive details of Ashoka's donation to the sages of the Ajivaka sect for residence.

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