Dhauli

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Dhauli is an important early historic urban

centre of Orissa. It is situated in Long. 850 51'

E and Lat. 200 11' N on the southern bank of

the river Daya at a distance of about 7 km from

Bhubaneswar, the State capital of Orissa. The

archaeological remains

found at Dhauli traced back

its antiquity to c.3rd century

B.C, particularly to the time

of Ashoka. Dhauli is of

great historical importance

as one of the famous Rock

Edicts of emperor Ashoka

is located here. Besides, the

site contains a large number

of artifacts which positively

suggest to the development

of an urban culture in

ancient days. Dhauli also

witnessed the horror and

misery of the devastating

Kalinga war of c.261 B.C

as well as Ashoka's

inculcation of the doctrine

that conquest through love

(Dharma Vijaya) was greater than conquest by

sword (Dig vijaya).

The antiquity of Dhauli though traced

back to c.3rd century B.C, scholars have

different opinion regarding its identification.

D.C. Sircar,1 Romila Thaper,2 A.K. Rath3 etc.

have tried to identify Dhauli with Toshali, the

provincial headquarters of Ashokan empire in

Kalinga. Romila Thaper who has identified

Dhauli with Toshali to

which Ptolemy refers to as

a metropolis is of the view

that " It (Dhauli) was

situated near the sacred

pool of Kosala-Ganga and

thus developed into a

religious centre as well.

The identification of Dhauli

with Toshali is most

convincing and is borne out

by the text of the Ist

Separate Edict which is

addressed to the

Mahamatras of Toshali " .

But on the basis of the text

of the Ist Separate Edict

which was addressed to the

Mahamatras of Toshali, at

present it is very difficult to

identify Dhauli with Toshali. Further, after the

excavation of Shishupalagarh, a site very near

to Bhubaneswar which contains all the required

materials to be a full-fledged fortified city, the

identification of Dhauli with Toshali appears

to be feeble. Scholars4 in contradiction to the

above view, on the basis of archaeological

findings have identified Toshali with

Shishupalgarh which seems to be more

plausible and acceptable. Hence, Dhauli and

Toshali are not the same place and Dhauli

cannot be identified with Toshali. It developed

as an independent settlement though its

subordinate position to Toshali or

Shishupalagarh is beyond doubt. Having come

under the peripheral zone of Shishupalagarh,

Dhauli could have come under the direct

influence of Toshali. Romila Thaper5 even

agreed that " it seems reasonable that the edicts

would be as near the city as possible if not

actually within it. "

The Dhauli hill otherwise known as Surabha

hill consists of three very short rocky ranges

of hills running parallel to each other. The three

ranges of the hill with several depressions and

prominences contain a number of rock-cut

monuments. On the north face of the southern

range, the rock, which is called Asvathama,

has been hewn and polished encompassing a

space of 15 feet long and 10 feet high, where

the famous rock edicts of Ashoka have been

inscribed. Immediately above the inscription

is a terrace, on the right side of which is the

forepart of an elephant, about 4 feet high, hewn

out of the solid rock. The elephant is as old as

the inscription and is recognized as the earliest

figure of sculpture in Orissa. Originally,

designed as an emblem of Gautam Buddha,

the elephant has become an object of popular

worship. It is said that the elephant has

evidently given the hillock its name Asvathama,

meaning the famous elephant of the

Mahabharata6. According to R.P. Mohapatra7

" the elephant figure at Dhauli is a remarkable

piece of art and although the anatomical

treatment of its limbs is not so pronounced its

workmanship is not inferior to that of any other

Ashokan animal figure. & #1048747;.. It breaths a

completely indigenous and at the same time,

an unconventional spirit of creative art " .

According to R.Thaper8 " it was probably

carved by local craftsmen and not by the special

craftsmen who were responsible for the animal

capitals. The image of the elephant emerging

from the rock is a most impressive one, and its

purpose was probably to draw attention to the

inscription near by " .

J.D. Beglar9 an eminent archaeologist

informs us that there appeared to me the

remains of a stupa on the flat terrace of the hill

near the elephant, and also one facing it on the

opposite ridge, but they had long ago been dug

into. A few bricks are to be found scattered

about in the vicinity of both and at the foot of

the hills " . Lieutenant Markham Kittoe,10 who

visited Dhauli in 1838 informs that " there are

five caves in a row on the high rock, south of

the elephant called by some 'Panch Pandava'

or by others 'Pancha Gosain'. Besides these

caves (where there are traces of many others)

there are numerous small holes like mortars

cut in the rock. These were probably used to

compound the drugs and medicines by the

medical devotees mentioned in the inscription " .

In 1949, the Archaeological survey of

India carried out some excavations at Dhauli

in the site very close to the Ashokan inscription.

K.C. Panigrahi11 who was present at the

excavations had seen that " a trench laid in the

close vicinity of the Ashokan inscription

exposed a thick wall, made of rubble and mud

mortar, similar to the walls of new Rajagriha

at Rajgir. The treach also yielded some

terracotta snakes and multispouted vessels of

which the prototypes had been recovered from

the excavations at Maniar Math at Rajgir " .

From this it is evident that the recovered

artifacts might have belonged to the Ashokan

period.

The most prominent hill range of Dhauli

contains the renovated Dhavalesvar temple on

its eastern extremity. The present temple was

built on the ruins of the earlier temple datable

approximately to the Bhaumakara period. J.D.

Beglar12 who furnishes a graphic description

of the ruins of the Dhavalesvar temple assign

its construction to c.5th century A.D. But from

architectural features, sculptural art and

iconography of cult icons, the temple can safely

be placed in the Bhaumakara period.13

K.C.Panigrahi14 on the basis of the surviving

evidences on the body of the temple is of the

opinion that 'it was a contemporary of the

Lingaraja and Brahmesvara group " .

The much renovated Bahirangesvar Siva

temple and the dilapidated Ganesh shrine are

two other important features located at the foot

of Dhauli hill (western side). The Orissa State

Archaeology had undertaken the reconstruction

of the main shrine and renovated it in rekha

order on the ruins of the earlier structure. The

ground plan of the temple which was originally

in square shape is still visible. Several pillars

in dilapidated condition are lying in the temple

premises. From the ruined sculptures and

architectural fragments it can safely be

presumed that the original temple belongs to

the Bhaumakara period.15

A small modern temple by the side of

the Bahirangesvar temple now houses a

beautiful image of Ganesh as its presiding deity.

This deity is strikingly similar to the image of

Ganesh to be found in the southern niche of

the Lingaraj temple of Bhubaneswar as its

parsvadevata.16 The sarpopavita on the chest,

Jatamukuta on the head and the personal

ornaments attached to various parts of the body

of the Ganesh image are remarkably executed

representing artistic tradition of the Somavamsi

period. From this it is evident that Somavamsi

construction activities were not only confined

to Bhubaneswar but also extended to the

township of Dhauli.

In the East of the hills is a large tank

named Kausalyaganga. The tank is said to have

been originally a Kos (4.02 km) long on each

side though a great part of it is now silted up.17

An inscription18 in one of the caves of

the Dhauli hill infront of the Ashokan edict

belonging to the reign of the Bhumakara king

Santikaradeva (c.829 A.D.) records the

construction of a Buddhist monastery named

Arghyaka Varati by Bhimata and his son

Loyamaka of Viraja (Jajpur). This refers to the

building activities at Dhauli during the

Bhaumakara period. The Shanti Stupa or the

Peace Pagoda constructed by Japan Buddhist

Sangha with the collaboration of the Govt. of

Orissa in 1971-72 has further enhanced the

importance of Dhauli hill from tourist point of

view.

But the most important of the remains at

Dhauli are the edicts of Ashoka. Discovered

by Lieut. M.Kittoe it was first deciphered by

James Princep in 1838. The Dhauli edicts are

written in the Prakrit language using Brahmi

script. It is here that Ashoka enunciated his

famous doctrine of paternalism i.e. " All men

are my children " and addressed his officers

posted at Toshali to exert for the welfare and

happiness of the people of Kalinga. The Dhauli

edict is infact the earliest epigraphic evidence

of the antiquity of Toshali as a metropolis.19

The Major Rock inscriptions of Ashoka

contain a series of fourteen Edicts. But here

we do not get the full set of 14 edicts. In the

Dhauli version, Edict No. XI, XII and XIII are

missing and two special edicts known as

Separate Rock Edict I and II or Special Kalinga

Edict I and II20 have been added to it. The entire

inscription has been arranged in three distinct

columns. The left hand column in twenty six

lines is Separate Rock Edict I; the middle

column in thirty three lines contains General

Edicts I to VI; the right hand column has two

parts, the upper in nineteen lines containing

General Edicts VII to X and XIV, and the lower,

in eleven lines within a frame, Separate Rock

Edict II. A duplicate version of these Edicts is

also noticed on the surface of a low rock at

Jaugada now represented by a ruined fort about

30 km from Berhampur town in the Ganjam

district on the left bank of the river Rushikulya.)

The question naturally arises as to why

Edicts XI, XII and XIII have been excluded

from the Dhauli and Jaugada versions. Scholars

have different opinions in this regard. An

explanation, however, is to be found in the

statement in Edict XIV, that " This set of

dhamma edicts has been written by command

of the king Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, in a

form some times condensed, sometimes of

medium length, sometimes expanded, for

everything is not suitable in every place, and

my dominions are extensive " . The Edict XIII

refers to the conquest of Kalinga, the terrible

massacre in that war, the king's remorse, his

desire for true conquest (dharmavijaya) - the

conquest by means of dhamma and not by force

of arms-and his efforts for ensuring that end.

Such an edict may not have been considered

suitable for the conquered territory of Kalinga.

As regards the other two edits, Edict XI defines

dhamma, and Edict XII declares the king's

reverence for all sects, defines toleration, and

speaks of the appointment of censors. But the

appointment of these censors had already been

notified in Edict V, and the King's toleration in

Edict VII, while dhamma had been defined in

Edict III. It is probable, therefore, that the edicts

were omitted partly for condensation and partly

because they were not applicable to the

conquered tract.21 It can also be interpreted

from a different angle that Ashoka who gave

up his sword after the Kalinga war and who

became a pacifist did not want to further hurt

the grief-stricken sentiment of the people of

Kalinga by engraving the Rock Edict XIII.

The edicts were meant for the general

public as well for the king's officers and

Mahamatras and therefore, must have been

inscribed close to a big town on or near the

public highway. From this it is evident that

Dhauli either was a town or an extension

settlement of the capital city Toshali. The

second view is more plausible because the

Separate Dhauli Edicts addressed to the

Kumaramatya and Mahamatras of Toshali

which was the provincial capital city.

To conclude we can say that urban

settlements developed in and around Dhauli

from the time of Ashoka and continued with

ups and downs atleast till the period of the

Somavamsis. Traces of ancient habitation

which are noticed in stretch of land around the

Dhauli hill still awaits archaeological

excavation. A concrete view about the

habitation can be given after the extensive

archaeological explorations and excavations.

Dhauli has a special significance, having been

the site of the Kalinga war of c.261 BC which

is considered the sheet anchor of the Orissan

history. The dated history of ancient Orissa or

Kalinga, thus can be traced back to the Kalinga

war of Ashoka and naturally to the historic

battle field of Dhauli. It is true that Dhauli

developed as an urban centre only after the

Kalinga war and owing to its varied importance

find its place in the tourist map of the world.

The tourists coming from far and wide to

Orissa are definitely filled with enthusiasm

while visiting this historic place Dhauli. The

Ashokan Edicts alongwith the fore part of an

emerging elephant, presence of some old

temples, and the Peace Pagoda have

tremendously enhanced the importance of

Dhauli as a captivating place of tourism.

References :

1. D.C. Sircar, Studies in the Geography of Ancient

and Medieval India, Delhi (Motilal Banarsidass),

1971 (Second Edition), pp.167 & 187.

2. R.Thaper, Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas,

New Delhi (OUP), 2002 (Sixth Impression),

p.230.

3. A.K. Rath, Studies on Some Aspects of the

History and Culture of Orissa, Calcutta (Punthi

Pustak), 1987, p.162.

4. B.B. Lal, " Sisupalgarh 1948: An Early Historical

fort in Eastern India, in: Ancient India, No.5,

Jan.1949, pp.62-105; F.R.Allchin, The

Archaeology of Early Historic South Asia (The

Emergence of Cities and States), Cambridge

University Press), 1995, pp.142-146.

5. R.Thaper, op.cit, p.230.

6. N.Senapati (ed.), Orissa District Gazetteers, Puri,

Govt. of Orissa, 1977, p.667.

7. R.P. Mohapatra, Archaeology in Orissa (Sites and

Monuments) Vol.I, Delhi (B.R. Publishing

Corporation), 1986, p.99.

8. R.Thaper, op.cit, p.268.

9. A.Cunningham and J.D.Beglar, Archaeological

Survey of India, Vol.XIII, (1874-75,1875-76) pp.

95-98.

10. Quoted in: R.P. Mohapatra, op.cit, p.100.

11. K.C. Panigrahi, History of Orissa (Hindu Period),

Cuttack (Kitab Mahal), 1995, p.17.

12. R.P. Mohapatra, op.cit, p.101.

13. Ibid.

14. K.C. Panigrahi, op.cit, p.454.

15. R.P. Mohapatra, op.cit, p.101.

16. Ibid, p.102; K.C. Panigrahi, op.cit, p.454.

17. N.Senapati, op.cit, pp.669-670.

18. R.D. Banerjee(ed.), Epigraphia Indica, vol. XIX

(1927-28), pp. 263 & 264.

19. A.K. Rath, op.cit, p.161.

20. E.Hultzsch, Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum,

vol.I, Oxford, 1925, pp 92-98; D.C. Sircar, Select

Inscriptions, vol. I, pp 41 ff; R. Thaper, op.cit,

pp. 257-259; D.R. Bhandarkar, Asoka, Calcutta

(Culcutta University), 1969, pp. 323-329; B.M.

Barua, Asoka and His Inscriptions, part II,

Calcutta (New Age Publsihers Ltd.), 1955 (2nd

Edition), pp. 1-28.

21. N.Senapati, op.cit, pp. 668-669.

The author expresses his gratitude to UGC for providing

financial assistance to undertake a Research Project on

Urbanization in Early India.

Dr. Benudhar Patra is the Lecturer in Deptt. of History,

Govt. College, Sector-11, Chandigarh (U.T.)

PIN-160011.