Bhagwan Lal Indraji

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Bhagwan Lal Indraji (भगवानलाल इन्द्रजी) or Bhagwanlal Indraji (1839–1888) was an Indian archaeologist and scholar. A member of the Royal Asiatic Society's Bombay branch, he made transcripts of several ancient Indian inscriptions, including the Hathigumpha inscription. He discovered many archaeological relics, including the Mathura lion capital, the Bairat and Sopara Ashokan inscription, the Nanaghat reliefs, the Mathura Vishnu image, drum miniature stupa with a frieze of eight metopes representing the four principal and four secondary scenes from Buddha's life, Jain Aayagpata, various Mathura railing pillars, Mankuwar Buddha, Besnagar coping stone depicting Bodhi Tree, and Gadava surya frieze. He was the first Indian to receive an honorary doctorate from a foreign University (Leiden University).

Early life

Bhagwan Lal Indraji was born in 1839, in Junagadh. He obtained his primary education in Junagadh, and learnt Sanskrit from his father, a Prashnora Nagar Brahmin.[1]

He also arranged a genealogy of the Kshatriya rulers of India, on the basis of coins. In addition, he prepared detailed records of language, costumes, lifestyle, religion and culture in various regions of India. He gifted all his notes, inscriptions, coins, manuscripts and other research material to the Royal Asiatic Society, the British Museum and the Bombay Native General Library.[2]

Bhagwan Lal did not know English, which greatly impeded his research and reach of his contributions. He died on 16 March 1888, after a prolonged illness.[3]

Awards and honours

Honours accorded to Bhagwan Lal include:[4]

  • Honorary membership of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1877
  • Fellow of Bombay University, 1882
  • Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of Philology, Geography and Ethnology of the Netherlands Hague, 1883
  • Honorary Doctorate from Leiden University 1884
  • Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain

Masikanagara or Asikanagara

It is revealed from Line-4 of the Hathigumpha inscription that Kharavela in the second year of his reign despatched a strong force comprising cavalry, elephantry, infantry and chariotry to the western quarter without caring for or bothering about Sātakarnī, and Asikanagara was frightened on its reaching the river Kanhavemṇā.

Note - Indian archaeologist and scholar Bhagwan Lal Indraji[5] who made transcripts of several ancient Indian inscriptions, including the Hathigumpha inscription has mentioned 'कुसंबानं खतियंच सहायवता पतं मसिक नगरं' in place of .....'कन्हवेंणां गताय च सेनाय वितासिति असिक नगरं'

Sadananda Agrawal[6] writes....Some scholars prefer to read Masikanagara instead of Asikanagara and locate it in the coastal region of Andhra Pradesh. According to Sadananda Agrawal it is not well-supported. Kanhavemṇā is commonly equated with the river Krishna coastal flowing in Andhra Pradesh. However, Krishna lies much to the south of Kalinga, and not west as averred in the epigraph (पछिमदिसं). But there is another stream flowing to the west of Kalinga in Vidarbha and known locally at present as Kanhan which flows about 17 km northwest of Nagpur and joins the river Vena (Wainganga), and it is the combined flow of these two streams that is spoken as Kanhavemṇā in our records.

The recent find of a sealing belonging to the Asikajanapada in course of intensive archaeological excavations at Adam (Nagpur district) has solved also the problem of locating Asikanagara whose king or and people became frightful at the arrival of Kharavela's army at Kanhavemṇā. In view of the evidence of a highly prosperous city unearthed at Adam, Prof AM Shastri is of the opinion that Adam itself represents the Asikanagara of Hathigumpha inscription. It is worth noting in the present context that a terracota sealing having a legend, has been discovered from Adam, situated on the right bank of the river Wainganga, which reads Asakajanapadasa (असकजनपदस). [7]

Different scholars interpret the events described in the inscription differently:

According to K.P. Jayaswal and R. D. Banerji, Kharavela sent an army against Satakarani. Sailendra Nath Sen also states that Kharavela sent out an army that advanced up to Krishna River, and threatened the Musika city (Musikanagara) located near the junction of Krishna River and Musi Rivers (near present-day Nalgonda).

According to Bhagwal Lal Indraji, the king Satakarni of the western region wanted to avoid an invasion of his kingdom by Kharavela. So, he sent horses, elephants, chariots and men to Kharavela as a tribute. In the same year, Kharavela captured the city of Masika with assistance of Kusumba Kshatriyas.

According to Alain Daniélou, Kharavela was friendly with Satakarni, and only crossed his kingdom without any clashes.

According to Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya, Kharavela's army failed to advanced against Satakarni, and then diverted its course to threaten the city of Asika (Asikanagara).

http://ashishsarangi.blogspot.com/2016/09/khavela-and-his-hathigumpha.html

On Jat History

Line-4 of the Hathigumpha inscription about Kharavela mentions that ... "In the second year, without caring for Sātakarnī [His Majesty] sent to the west a large army consisting of horse, elephant, infantry and chariot, and struck terror to Asikanagara with that troop that marched upto the river Kanhavemnā".

L.4 - कारयति पनतिसाहि सतसहसेहि पकतियो च रंजयति [।।] दुतिये च वसे अचितयिता सातकनिं पछिमदिसं हय गज नर रध बहुलं दंडं पठापयति [।।] कन्हवेंणां गताय च सेनाय वितासिति असिक नगरं [।।] ततिये पुन वसे

Note - Indian archaeologist and scholar Bhagwan Lal Indraji[8] who made transcripts of several ancient Indian inscriptions, including the Hathigumpha inscription has mentioned 'कुसंबानं खतियंच सहायवता पतं मसिक नगरं' in place of .....'कन्हवेंणां गताय च सेनाय वितासिति असिक नगरं'

Bhagwal Lal Indraji interprets the events described in the inscription as under: The king Satakarni of the western region wanted to avoid an invasion of his kingdom by Kharavela. So, he sent horses, elephants, chariots and men to Kharavela as a tribute. In the same year, Kharavela captured the city of Masika with assistance of Kusumba Kshatriyas.

Further reading

Bhagwanlal Indraji - Actes du Sixieme Congress, International Des Orientalis, Part-III, Section-2, Leyden, 1885.

References

  1. ↑ Javerilal Umashankar Yajnik (1889). Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. Memoir of the late Pandit Bhagvanlal Indraji LL.D, Ph.D. Asiatic Society of Bombay. pp. 18–46.
  2. ↑ Amaresh Datta (1987). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo. Sahitya Akademi. pp. 428–. ISBN 978-81-260-1803-1.
  3. ↑ Javerilal Umashankar Yajnik (1889). Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. Memoir of the late Pandit Bhagvanlal Indraji LL.D, Ph.D. Asiatic Society of Bombay. pp. 18–46.
  4. ↑ Virchand Dharamsey (2012). Bhagwanlal Indraji: The First Indian Archaeologist. Darshak Itihas Nidhi. ISBN 978-8192263922.
  5. ↑ Bhagwanlal Indraji (1885). "The Hâtigumphâ and three other inscriptions in the Udayagiri caves near Cuttack". Proceedings of the Leyden International Oriental Congress for 1883. pp. 156
  6. ↑ Sadananda Agrawal: Śrī Khāravela, Published by Sri Digambar Jain Samaj, Cuttack, 2000.,pp.42-43
  7. ↑ Sadananda Agrawal: Śrī Khāravela, Published by Sri Digambar Jain Samaj, Cuttack, 2000, p.43
  8. ↑ Bhagwanlal Indraji (1885). "The Hâtigumphâ and three other inscriptions in the Udayagiri caves near Cuttack". Proceedings of the Leyden International Oriental Congress for 1883. pp. 156

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