Barli Inscription


The Barli Inscription was excavated in Ajmer District, Rajasthan.

History

Earlier scholars assigned the Barli inscription to the pre-Ashoka period, but more recent scholars have assigned it to a later date.
According to historian G. H. Ojha, who discovered the inscription in 1912, the inscription contains the line Viraya Bhagavate chaturasiti vase, which can be interpreted as "dedicated to Lord Vira in his 84th year". Based on this reading, Ojha concluded that the record was inscribed in 443 BCE, 84 years after the Nirvana of lord Mahavira. K. P. Jayaswal agreed with Ojha's reading but assigns it to year 84 of Nanda era beginning at 458 BC.
Historians such as D. C. Sircar and S. R. Goyal have disputed that theory that the inscription is dated in the Vira Nirvana Samvat, arguing that this era was first used in the early medieval period, and most probably did not exist in the century following the death of Mahavira. On paleographic grounds, the inscription can be assigned to the first century BCE.
Sircar dismisses Ojha's reading of the inscription as inaccurate, and states that word "Bhagavata" in the inscription refers to the first century BCE Shunga king Bhagabhadra.

Description

This inscription is present on a piece of pillar of dimension 13x10 inches. The inscription is written in Prakrit language. The writing was done by engraving, sewing, engraving, weaving, digging, piercing, burning and punching. There are many defects in this inscriptions.

Citation