Ratanpurwa in Kaimur Hills Bihar is the site of Ashokan Minor Rock Edict (MRE) No. 1. This was discovered in 2009 by Devi Dayal Maurya. In the inscription, Emperor Asoka says that he had been an upasaka (lay worshipper) for more than two-and-a-half years and that in the beginning, he could not make significant progress. Only after his association with the sangha, he zealously propagated dhamma.
| IMPORTANCE |
| Ratanpurwa in Kaimur Hills Bihar is the site of Ashokan Minor Rock Edict (MRE). No. 1. This was discovered in 2009 by Devi Dayal Maurya. The version of this Rock Edict is very akin to that of the Sasaram Minor Rock Edict 1. In the inscription, Emperor Asoka says that he had been an upasaka (lay worshipper) for more than two-and-a-half years and that in the beginning, he could not make significant progress. Only after his association with the sangha, he zealously propagated dhamma. Further, the emperor says that he made the people of Jambudvipa so virtuous that even gods came on earth and mingled with them. He informs that this proclamation was made by him when he was on tour for two hundred and fifty-six days. In the end, he exhorts that the inscription should be engraved on rocks and on pillars wherever available. |
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:
| Country | India |
| State | Bihar |
| District | Kaimur (Bhabhua) |
| Sub-division | Bhabhua |
| Block | Chand |
| Village | Ratanpurwa |
| Postal Code | 821103 |
| Coordinates | 25°01’05 N, 83°20’30 E |
| Google map link | https://goo.gl/maps/MxTZyPCZUgn2pd2T9 |
GOOGLE MAP:
THE EDICTS OF ASHOKA:
Ashoka inscription at Ratanpurwa
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SOURCES:
1. INDIAN ARCHAEOLOGY 2008-09 A Review : Minor Asokan Rock Edict No.1. Ratanpurwa, District Bhabua pp 142 -144
2. THAPLYAL, K. K. (2009). A new Aśokan inscription from Ratanpurwa. Varanasi, Jñāna-Pravāha, Centre for Cultural Studies & Research.
3. Discovery of a New Inscription of Mauryan Emperor Ashoka.
4. Harry Falk. The Minor Rock Edict of Asoka at Ratanpurwa.
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SELECTED VIDEOS:
1. मोरिया मठ शिलालेख| Samrat ashoka ka Shilalekh, Kaimur
2. Ashoka the Great’s 18th inscription at Kaimur
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