Hastinapura

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Hastinapura (हस्‍तिनापुर) or Hastinapur is a town in Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

History

In the line of Bharata, the son of Shakuntala, there was a king named Hasti who founded this city, which has, therefore, been called Hastinapura. Hasti married Yasodhara, the princess of Trigarta.^[1]

Hastinapura was the capital of the kingdom of the Kauravas, belonging to the Kuru dynasty of kings. The throne of this city was the prize over which the Kurukshetra War of the epic Mahabharata was fought. All incidents in the epic Mahabharata have taken place in this city of Hastinapura. The first reference to Hastinapur in Hindu mythology comes as the capital of Emperor Bharata.

History of this place begins from the period of Mahabharata. It is also described as Gajpur, Hastinapur, Nagpur, Asandivat, Brahmasthal, Shanti Nagar and Kunjarpur etc. in Shashtras. Grandson of Samrat Ashoka, king Samprati had built many temples here during his empire. The ancient temple & the stoops are not present today since this city has come across through many ups & downs like the Mughal Invasion which destroyed and devastated most of the Hindu religious places. Hastinapur city was located on the earlier course of the of holy river Ganga.

Excavation at Hastinapur was carried out in early 1950s, by B.B. Lal, of the Archaeological Survey of India. Although the main aim of this excavation, mentioned by Lal himself, "was to find out the stratigraphic position of the Painted Grey Ware with reference to other known ceramic industries of the early historical period"^[2], Lal could not resist attempting a correlation between Mahabharata, the text, and the material remains that he uncovered at Hastinapur. This exercise led him to historicize some of the traditions mentioned in the text, as well as link the appearance of the Painted Grey Ware with the arrival of the "Aryans" in upper Ganga basin areas.

Present day location

In the present day Hastinapura is a small town in the Doab region of Uttar Pradesh, called Hastinapur, 37 km from Meerut and 110 km from Delhi. Geographical Details: Situated at 29 degree 09'31.50 degree North & 77 degree 59'19.46" East. Hastinapur is 120 KM North-East of Delhi on Delhi-Meerut-Bijnore Highway. You need to take a turn to Bijnore highway from Meerut from where Hastinapur is approx 39 KM away. Hastinapur is a small town. Population is approx. 20,000. Regular buses are available from 7 AM to 9 PM from Meerut which is the nearest Railway station (42km). Nearest Airport: New Delhi. (120 km)

The antiquity of the present location of Hastinapur is testified by the existence of ancient Shiva-lingas worshipped by the venerable Best of Munis, Sage Ved Vyas, by the Pandavas, by Draupadi, and Guru Dronacharya. Presence of the township of Parikshitgarh, close by at a distance of 10 miles, further solidifies the definite geographical location of Hastinapur. The town of Parikshitgarh is named after Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna, who became king of Hastinapur when the five brothers renounced the world and went into the Himalayas. Both the towns are similarly located on small hillocks which were the original fortresses at these locations. A massive inundation about 3000 years ago during a great flood in the Ganges totally drowned the cities and left them choked with silt up to roof level.

References

1. ↑ Adi Parva, Mahabharata
2. ↑ B.B. Lal, ' Excavation at Hastinapur and other explorations in the Upper Ganga and Sutlej Basins 1950-52', Ancient India, No. 10&11, 1954 & 1955, ASI, New Delhi.

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