Discovering the rich heritage of Prayagraj: Exploring sites beyond Sangam

Inside the fort at Prayagraj is a pillar that acts as a chronicle of the region’s history. A pillar that was originally Ashokan, with the Mauryan emperor’s inscription on it. Centuries later, an equally powerful Gupta period emperor came upon it and left his own words on the object. A thousand years later, a Mughal emperor too found the pillar. Not only did Jahangir add his own words to it, he uprooted it from its original location and had it reinstalled in the fort at Prayagraj.

Now, as the city of the Sangam is alive with the sights and sounds of the Mahakumbh, we go back to the place where the pillar came from as well as a few other sites, to catch a glimpse of Prayagraj’s ancient past:

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Kaushambi (56 kilometres south-west of Prayagraj): The pillar that now stands in Prayagraj fort came from a vast excavated site at Kaushambi. A second pillar still stands at the excavated site, which lies along the Yamuna. Exploration began with the arrival of Major General Alexander Cunningham in 1861. Digs have continued intermittently ever since, revealing a huge urban centre and unearthing as many as 15 layers of settlements, taking the period of habitation in the area as far back as 1000 to 800 BCE.

As per Buddhist texts, Kaushambi was once the seat of the Vatsa kingdom ruled by a king called Udayana, a contemporary of the Buddha. They also mention that Kaushambi was visited by the Buddha himself in 521 and 518 BCE, invited here for a discourse by either a queen or a minister of Udayana.

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According to a Chinese version of the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya, King Udayana commissioned an image of the Buddha. This was possibly the very first image made of the spiritual figure, and one which spread beyond India. Some accounts specifically speak of the famed Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang carrying back an image of the Buddha from Kaushambi. If these accounts hold true, this could be Kaushambi’s most far-reaching contribution to history.

Garhwa (25 kms south of Prayagraj): A group of ancient temples lies inside a medieval fortified enclosure at Garhwa. While the fortifications were built in the late 18th century by Vikramaditya, a local Baghel ruler, the temples date to the Gupta period. Though ruined, the temples still contain traces of iconography and a few inscriptions. Exploration in the 1870s by Cunningham revealed a set of 5th century CE Sanskrit inscriptions, firmly establishing the Gupta origins of the site.

The highlight at Garhwa is inside an enclosed store - a priceless set of depictions of Vishnu’s incarnations, the Dashavatara. Individually carved on 6-7 feet high slabs of stone, each is a masterpiece of its kind. There are numerous fragments depicting the Saptamatrikas, seven Goddesses from Hindu lore. Also in storage are massive depictions of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and a huge stone Surya. One can only wonder at the magnificence of the temple they were part of.

Bhita (1 km from Gahrwa): Another excavated site, Bhita today looks like a massive green area punctuated by low hills. The first scholarly exploration of the site took place in the 1870s under the ubiquitous Cunningham. Many of the overgrown ‘hills’ were found to be high walls, perhaps built for defensive purposes to house a garrison.

Cunningham’s early exploration paved the way for a more detailed one three decades later. In the words of John H Marshall, DG of the Archaeological Survey of India (1902-28), “The excavations at Bhita…signalise a new departure in Indian Archaeology; for they mark the first occasion on which a serious effort has been made to explore the remains of an ancient Indian town.” The excavation here threw up evidence of complete housing blocks along several streets. Some of the houses, with as many as fifteen rooms, were arranged on three sides of a large open courtyard. These were serviced by drains, wells and storage jars – perhaps an indicator of urban conditions of that period.

The houses in Bhita have been dated to the Mauryan and Post-Mauryan era and give a remarkable lesson in town planning that India would do well to emulate today. One of the highlights of the excavations at Bhita was the finding of a Mukhalinga – a Shivlinga with five faces. Dated to the 2nd century BCE, this is believed to be one of the oldest lingas ever found.

Ginja Hill (About 12 kms south of Garhwa): If the previous sites are examples of heritage that is now obscure, the heritage of Ginja hill is lost. The ASI list’s description reads - A rocky hall on the south face of the top bearing an inscription of three lines of Indo-Scythian period in red paint with some rude drawings of men and animals.

The site is off Google-maps, and one needs to be persistent in enquiring for the place. Accessed via the village of Bara Khas, Ginja is a tiny settlement of a few hundred people. The historic site is on a small hill outside the inhabited area and is marked by a blue protective board.

The Indo-Scythians or Sakas, as they are better known, were prominent in the Subcontinent between the 2nd century BCE and the 4th century CE. But nothing on the hill matches the description of an inscribed slab of their time. Atop the hill are two shrines - a largely ruined one that could be from the 10th – 12th century Chandela period and the other a Hanuman shrine of recent origin. All around are broken fragments, which resemble temple remains. Searching for three lines of an ancient inscription is a futile task. One hopes that the inscription was placed in the safety of a museum and not lying face down in the rubble here.

Collectively, these sites, along with others such as Shringverpur, Sujawan Dev and others form the history of Prayagraj. Inside the city, barring the collection of the iconic Allahabad Museum, little of the ancient past survives. And while millions will come to the city of the Sangam, few will make it to these stragglers of history.

The author is a heritage explorer by inclination with a penchant for seeking obscure sites. A brand consultant by profession, he tweets @HiddenHeritage. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.