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Bharhut Sculptures and Their Untenable Sunga Association

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Bharhut Sculptures and Their Untenable Sunga Association Bharhut Sculptures and Their Untenable Sunga Association Ajit Kumar 1 1. Department of Archaeology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom Campus, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala – 695 581, India (Email: [email protected]) Received: 15 September 2014; Accepted: 09 October 2014; Revised: 01 November 2014 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 2 (2014): 223‐241 Abstract: Bharhut stupa and sculptures adorning its railing and torana is popularly associated with the Sungas or their reign period. Since there is a continuity of style among the early north Indian art sites of Bodhgaya, Mathura and Sanchi the early sculptures noticed in these sites divulging style close to Bharhut also got terminologically associated with the Sungas and to their period. If these sculptures are to be classified to the Sungas or to their period it is mandatory that there should be undisputable archeological evidences to substantiate or indicate that these art sites are dateable between 184BC and ending around 82BC, the period of 112 years during which the Sungas reigned (Barua 1934: 29). In critical stylistic and literary reevaluation attempted by the author, it has become evident that the Bharhut is not datable to this period and hence the currently vogue association of Bharhut and its sculptures to Sunga or their period stands untenable. This find, also necessitate freeing the sculptures of Bodhgaya, Mathura and Sanchi‐II from the yolk of the Sungas and their period. The analysis and its results form the crux of the discussion of this paper. Keywords: Bharhut Stupa, Sungas, Inscription, Sculptures, Bodhgaya, Mathura, Sanchi Introduction In the chronological sequencing of north Indian sculptural art centers, a host of scholars have rightly opinioned that Bharhut sculptural style is apparently the most pristine followed by Bodhgaya Mathura and Sanchi. However the chronology deduced for these sites primarily relying on paleographic parameter have been far from uniform. Dating one site in absolute terms can help sequence the others. We shall proceed to critically reappraise the published archaeological evidences and their interpretations that have come about over the years relating these sites and try to deduce a near absolute date for the sculptures in Bharhut and related sites. Bharhut (23o 18’ N 80o 34’ E) is currently located in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. The site of Bharhut was discovered by Cunningham by the end of 1873. He holistically analyzed the cultural finds and brought out a monograph on it in 1879 ISSN 2347 – 5463 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 2: 2014 (Cunningham 1879). Even today, after a century of its publication, except for some minor subjective interpretations regarding paleographic chronology, this work has not lost its sheen. Authorship and Date Attributed by Cunningham The authorship and date of this stupa was deduced by Cunningham reading into the epigraphs and its paleography. Cunningham’s reading of inscription of the eastern gateway of Bharhut stupa with assistance from Babu Rajendra Lal was as “In the kingdom of Sugana (Srughna) this Toran, with its ornamented stonework and plinth, was caused to be made by king Dhana‐bhuti, son of Vachhi and Aga Raja son of Goti and grandson of Visa Deva son of Gagi”. Buhler gave his reading of the same inscription as “This ornamental gateway has been erected by the king of Srughna, Dhanabhuti, born of (the queen of) the Vatsa family,(and) son of Aga‐raja born of (the queen of ) the Gota family,(and) grandson of king (Visa Deva),born of (the queen of) Gageya race, and spiritual merit has been gained (thereby)” (Cunningham 1879: 128‐129). It is important to note here that in the published readings of the inscription by Cunningham there is no reference to Sunga or to the period of Sungas. Sugana or Srughna from where Dhanabhuti hailed or ruled is identified with Sugh, a territory located in the upper reaches of Yamuna River by Cunningham. This village of Sugh (30° 08’N and 77° 23’ E) is now located in Yamunanagar district of Haryana 5km from Jagadhari railway station and in excavations conducted at the ancient mound here, that the earliest habitation was found to date from 500 BC and the latest to 13th ‐15th century (Handa 2010: 8‐10). Assessing the paleographic features Dhanabhuti’s Bharhut inscriptions in comparison with Ashokan inscriptions Cunningham felt that it would date back to 250‐200 BC, and reiterates ‘… not certainly than B.C 200’ (Cunningham 1879: 14‐15). In the inscription of Mathura of the same king he noticed the Brahmi alphabets developing matras or heads. Instead of considering it a local developmental feature, to accommodate the developed paleographic features of Dhanabhuti’s Mathura record he attributed it to a possible grandson of his bearing the same name and assigns it a date of ‘B.C 180 to 160’ without any further discussion and evidences (Figs.1a and 1b) (Cunningham 1879: 130). This clearly brings to fore how undue importance assigned to paleographic characters and its distorted placement determine historic interpretations and dates (Kumar 2013: 12). Other Readings of the Bharhut Inscription Cunningham had sought and included the opinions of Bhagwanlal Inderji and Buhler in the decipherment of Bharhut inscriptions in the published report (Cunningham 1879: 14‐15). We have no further publication from Cunningham on the issue and it is not sure if he changed his opinion on the decipherment soon after or was forced to concede to other’s views (Anderson 1883: 6). Buhler in 1880, while discussing the Nanaghat record and trying to deduce the date for the Satavahana monarchs, compares the Nanaghat record with that of Dhanabhuti’s inscription in Bharhut. He 224 Kumar 2014: 223‐241 states that Dhanabhuti’s record owes its “..beginning suganam raje, i.e. Suganam rejye, “In the reign of the Sungas”, must be counted among the documents of Pushyamitra’s successor, incontestable proves that the Nanaghat and Kanha’s Nasik inscription belong to the first half of the second century BC, i.e. were incised between 200‐150BC”. In the next sentence he states “ the difference between the characters of Goutamiputra Satakarni’s and those of the Nanaghat documents are such that it is not possible to place them, as Pandit Bhagavanlal has also seen, at a distance of more than 100 years” (Buhler 1883 73). What prompted Buhler to change his earlier expressed opinion published by Cunningham is not clear. Figure 1a: Dhanabhuti’s Bharhut Inscription (after Hultzsch) Figure 1b: Mathura Record of Figure 1c: Mathura Inscription of Sodasa Dhanabhuti (after Quintanilla) in Amohini Panel (AD15) (after Quintanilla) Without much analysis the view expressed by Buhler, was reiterated by Hultzsch and he read the Bharhut inscription to mean “During the reign of the Sugas (Sungas), (this) gateway was erected, and the masonry finished by Vachhi‐puta (Vatsi‐putra) 225 ISSN 2347 – 5463 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 2: 2014 Dhanabhuti, the son of Goti‐puta (Gautiputra) Agaraju and Grandson of Gagi‐puta (Gargi‐Putra) Visadeva (Visvadeva) (Hultzsch 1885: 133‐134). Barua assessing the Dhanabhuti’s Bharhut inscriptional records read and reinterpreted the record to read as ‘…when king Dhanabhuti erected this gateway Sungas wielded there suzerain power’, which was bluntly a continuation of the earlier opinions. Though other scholars did not touch upon Dhanabhuti’s Mathura record, Barua makes a mention of Dhanabhuti’s Mathura record and says that he is not sure if the territory of Mathura was under the Sungas. All his arguments and discussions are loose ended (Barua 1934‐37: part I: 29‐36). In supports of his Sunga association, all he presents is the paleographic dates of 150 BC assigned to Dhanabhuti’s inscription at Bharhut by Buhler and Waddel (Barua1934‐37: 29‐30). This association or assignment of Bharhut with the Sunga period on wobbling paleographic and historic interpretations had far reaching consequences in art history of north India. Sculptures of Bodhgaya, Mathura and Sanchi which showed stylistically similarity with Bharhut also came to be untenably assigned to the Sungas or to their period. It has already been opinioned by scholars that paleography is not an absolute means to deduce dates for undated historical records or sculptural styles (Spink 1954: 94; Dehejia 1972: 33). The dates deduced on paleographic and historic grounds for an inscription tends to yield varied results according to the comparative parameter used by scholars. This is very conspicuously reflected in the dates deduced for pre‐ Kshatrapa and pre‐ Kushan records. Using Ashokan Brahmi as a comparative idiom leads to early dates and using Kshatrapa records lead to later dates (Kumar 2013:3; Dani 1963: 65‐66). Since many Kshatrapa and Kushan inscriptions bear dates in known eras the situation is far better in later period as more absolute dates can be derived. Among the chaotic historical and socio‐cultural situation of north India during the post‐Mauryan‐ pre‐Kushan period one of the earliest art centers to yield epigraphs dated in known eras and with historically relevant information is from Mathura. One of the earliest epigraphs dated to known era is that of Sodasa who is also known from coins. According to inscriptional records, Sodasa is the son of satrap Rajuvula and they mention him both as ksatrapa and mahaksatrapa. There are a few inscriptions from around Mathura mentioning him combined with sculptural imagery. The Mathura lion capital inscription in Kharoshthi mentions Sodasa as a ksatrapa and records the gift of a stupa with relics of Buddha by the queen of Mahaksatrap Rajuvula (Fig.2a and 2b). References to Sodasa also occurs Katra stone fragment, Vasu doorjamb and the Amohini stele which also bear sculptures (Quintanilla 2007: 171, Figs. 217‐218, 264,148‐149, 276‐278, 265‐266).
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