Ashokan stone, Junagad

Finding treasure… unexpectedly.

The diversity, vibrancy and the pulsating energy of this country called India lies not in the hectic routine of urban life but in the rustic, raw and simple yet lively fairs of the small towns and villages. We see the some fairs in the public grounds around us but the annual rural carnivals which are often held to celebrate festivals or in honour of local deities are the real deals. I always find them interesting and truly entertaining.

My eyes lit up instantly and every neuron in my head told me that there was something ancient and significant somewhere near.

One such event called Bhavnath Jatra (Fair) was being held at the foothills of the Girnar Hills in Junagadh, Gujarat. I was visiting it just like hundred others, walking along the wooded path leading up to the location of the event. Little did I know then that my trip to this carnival would lead me to one of the most memorable finds of my quest in the study of scripts of India. It was by chance that I looked towards the dense bushes that lined the path. Under a huge tree lay a big boulder. Next to it was a typical board in blue with white letters proclaiming the site to be under the study of the ‘Archaeological Survey of India’. My eyes lit up instantly and every neuron in my head told me that there was something ancient and significant somewhere near. It must be a part of my country's history that the elements have spared and time has preserved. With great curiosity I climbed up the small space to know what was special about that boulder and to my great surprise. It had inscriptions in ‘Brahmi’ in a style from the glorious period of Samrat Ashoka. It was one of his most famous edicts. This find was no less than a big sunken treasure.

As I joyously looked around, the leaves, the branches and the sun rays were casting an amazing show of shadows, adding on to the allure of the Rock. The Script was a page out of Indian history. The experts from Archeological survey had dated the inscription as one from the 3rd Century BCE. This also proved that the empire of Emperor Ashoka had spread as far as Saurashtra in the west. The text was one which was common in the edicts of Ashoka, with kingly instructions often conveyed after he embraced Buddhism and accepted it principles of non-violence. It advised the emperor’s subjects not kill or make animal sacrifices, to always honour and respect parents and elders, to have compassion towards every living being, to be tolerant towards every religion and community, to give up desire which is the root cause of pain and suffering, to be forgiving and other such moral orders.

The various inscriptions on this rock tell us about the social, political, religious aspects of those times. They also shed light on the extent of the kingdom of Samrat Ashoka, the influence of Buddhism on his thinking and way of ruling, the respect he had towards Buddhist principles and the religion as a whole. He had a lion's share in the promotion and propagation of Buddhism. Regarding information and in preservation of a beautiful script, this rock is truly a piece of heritage for India.