A fresh example of Land Jihad has emerged in Bihar, where a historical site, an Ashoka edict has been converted into a Mazar over time. More than 2300-year-old Ashoka edict has been made into a Mazar, and prayers are being offered at the site after it has been covered with a green cloth.

Ashoka the Great embossed the edict 2300 years ago in the natural cavern of Chandan Hill of the Kaimur hill range at Sasaram, the headquarters of Bihar’s Rohtas district. This inscription is in Brahmi script, and it is one of just eight in the country. This inscription is listed among them, and it is the sole inscription from Bihar.

The inscription has been encircled by unlawful construction around it. The inscription has been made a Mazar now by covering it with a green cloth after it had been coated with white lime. An annual Urs is also being organised there by declaring it as the tomb of a Sufi saint. The gate of the monument is kept closed following this illegal construction.

In the years following independence, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) designated this edict as a protected monument in 2008. The ASI had also put up a conservation board near the inscription at Kandara, which is located about 20 feet below the top of the Ashiqpur hill in the Kaimur hill range between Sasaram city’s old Grand Trunk Road (GT Road) and the new bypass. However, the encroachers removed the board.

In 2008, 2012, and 2018, the ASI ordered that the encroachments surrounding the Ashoka edict be removed by the District Magistrate (DM). Following this, the District Magistrate directed the SDM of Sasaram to take appropriate action. The SDM had ordered the Markazi Muharram Committee, which had illegally encroached on the site, to immediately hand over the key to the administration, but the committee refused. A large structure was gradually constructed illegally there.

During the British Raj, this inscription was rediscovered in 1917. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has addressed over 20 letters to the district administration requesting that the status quo on this site be maintained, however, attempts are being made to obliterate the trace of this monument.

Emperor Ashoka carved this edict in eight locations around the nation in 256 BC. One of them is on Sasaram’s Chandan hill. Ashoka had these inscriptions engraved in various locations to promote the teachings of Buddhism. Brahmi was the people’s language at the time and as a result, these messages were written in that language.

A similar incident recently occurred in Maharashtra, where Shivaji Maharaj’s ‘Lohagarh’ fort was unlawfully encroached and proclaimed to be the grave of an alleged Sufi saint named ‘Umar Shahawali Baba.’ Following that, the annual Urs (fair) was also held there.

Historians argue that there was no tomb or mosque there even during the reign of Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj. It was later formed as a result of unlawful occupancy. It is not, however, restricted to Sasaram and Lohagarh Fort. Such tombs can be seen from Ajmer fort to all the forts in the country and places of historic Hindu heritage. Locals claim that attempts are being made to seize such structures by illegally encroaching on them.

Photograph of the first half of the Asoka Edict at Sasaram, taken by Alexander Caddy in 1895. View of a portion of the edict found ''In a small cave now called Chiragh-dan or lamp-room of Pir Chandan Shahid, and some 30 feet to the west of the Shahid''s grave, which is situated on the summit of the Chandan Pir Hill some 3 miles east of the town.'' (Kuraishi, op. cit., p. 183). Ashoka (reigned ca. 272-231 BC) was the most illustrious king of the Maurya dynasty. After his conquest of Kalinga in Orissa, struck with remorse at the suffering he caused, he converted to Buddhism and spent the rest of his life propagating his dharma (law). In order to achieve this, he had numerous edicts inscribed on rocks, pillars, and caves, throughout his vast empire. These are written in various vernaculars and represent the earliest written document from the Indic regions. From these edicts, it appears that Ashoka was an extremely tolerant and benevolent monarch. In the 'List of Ancient Monuments...of Bihar and Orissa' of 1931, M.M.H. Kuraishi wrote, "The Asoka inscription at Sassaram contains one of the earliest edicts of that Emperor (Minor Rock Edict I). It is engraved on a small boulder and consists of 8 lines in archaic Brahmi characters...A portion of the inscription is damaged."

The Characteristics of Ashokan Inscriptions

The inscriptions of Ashoka are recovered from various sites and are broadly classified into Rock Edicts, Minor Rock Edicts, Pillar Edicts, Minor Pillar Edicts, and Cave Inscriptions for the convenience of study. The last inscription recovered at Ratanpurwa is numbered 18th in the class of Minor Rock Edict. The earlier seventeen being - (1) Sasaram or Sahasram in the Rohtas district of Bihar; (2) Ahraura in the Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh; (3) Rupnath in the Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh; (4) Gujarra in the Datia district of Madhya Pradesh; (5) Pangurariya in the Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh; (6) Bahapur near Delhi, (7) Bairat in the Jaipur district of Rajasthan; (8) Maski, (9) Gavimath and (10) Palkigundu, all in the Raichur district of Karnataka; (11) Siddapur, (12) Brahmagiri and (13) Jatinga-Rameshwar, all in the Chitaldrug district of Karnataka; (14) Nittur and (15) Udegolam, both in the Bellary district of Karnataka; (16) Erragudi and (17) Rajula Mandagiri, both in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. This 18th Minor Rock Edict of Ashoka from Ratanpurwa is located in the Bhabhua district of Bihar.

Besides the four scripts, i.e. Brahmi, Kharoshthi, Greek, and Aramaic, Ashoka used three languages in his inscriptions, viz. Aramaic, Greek, and Pali/Prakrit to communicate his messages to the subject residing in different regions and understanding different scripts and languages within his vast empire. All his inscriptions recovered within the fringe of present India are found to be engraved in Brahmi script and Pali/Prakrit Language (with regional variations), including this new inscription from Ratanpurwa.

The Ashokan inscriptions are further classified broadly into two types on the basis of contents: (i) Buddhist (those meant exclusively for the Buddhist monks and Buddhist lay devotees) and (ii) Non-Buddhist (those propagating his policy of Dhamma and aimed at the people in general). This inscription essentially belongs to the first type.

References:

opindia.com