|
Mahasthan Brahmi Inscription (c 3rd century BC)
a fragmentary inscription in Brahmi characters, discovered at mahasthan
in the Bogra district of Bangladesh, is the earliest epigraphic record
in Bengal.
It is a small record of seven lines, incised on a circular stone,
parts of which are broken. The inscription is palaeographically
datable to the Maurya age (c 3rd century BC). The language of
the inscription is Prakrit, but the influence of Magadhi is discernible.
Different interpretations of the inscription have been given by
scholars.
|
|
Mahasthan Brahmi Inscription |
It records an order, issued by some ruler to the Mahamatra
stationed at 'Pudanagala' (pundranagara>Mahasthana
in northern Bangladesh) with a view to relieve the distress caused by
some agency to the people called Sangvangiyas, who were settled in and
about the town. The inscription speaks of four requisites viz tela
(oil), duma (tree), dhanya (paddy) and two varieties of
small coins called gandaka (ganda- a unit of calculation consisting
of four kapardakas or cowries) and Kakanyika (Kakanika-kapardaka
or cowry). The storehouse (Kothagala> Kosthagara) had to
be filled up with these requisites as provisions against any emergency
caused by water, fire and also the devastation of crops by parrots.
The historical importance of the record lies in the fact
that it is the earliest evidence that suggests the authority of the Mauryas
in the pundravardhana
area. It provides us with the first definite evidence of urbanization
in Bengal. The inscription throws light on the circulation of cowries
as a medium of exchange in the area of Pundravardhana. It also alludes
to the miseries of the people due to natural calamities and the relief
measures adopted by the administration. [Sarita Khettry]
Bibliography DC
Sircar, 'Mahasthan Fragmentary Stone Plaque Inscription', Select Inscriptions
Bearing on Indian History and Civilisation, I, Calcutta, 1965; DR
Bhandarkar, 'Mauryan Brahmi Inscription of Mahasthan', Epigraphia Indica,
XXI, 83-91; BN Mukherjee, Coins and Currency Systems of Early Bengal,
Calcutta, 2000. |
