Ashoka Pillar – Rana Safvi

A fascinating essay on the three inscriptions on the Allahabad Ashoka pillar.

ranasafvi — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 11:45:51 +0000

Prof Romila Thapar writes about the Allahabad Ashoka Pillar
“It was probably originally cut, sculpted and polished at Chunar (near Varanasi), from where a number of pillars were quarried. The sculpting and the polishing were done on site and, possibly, even the engraving. It was engraved on the orders of Ashoka Maurya and first erected at Kaushambi, a city of political importance in the neighbourhood of what is now Allahabad. Some centuries later, it was shifted to its present location in the Allahabad fort. Its surmounting capital was, possibly, a seated lion, now lost.”
On it are inscribed 6 of the 7 edicts that were issued by Ashoka in 240 BCE.
Written in Brahmi script, the Prakrit language edicts talk of the dhamma as a system of social ethics which was central to Ashoka.

It also contains the Schism Edict which states that those monks and nuns who cause dissension in the Sangha are to be expelled.

In 4th c CE Samudragupta had an inscription engraved on it. This was composed by the poet Harishena in Sanskrit and written in the Gupta Era Brahmi script.

The third inscription on it was engraved on orders of Emperor Jahangir

Prof Romila Thapar has examined the 3 inscriptions & writes “The Gupta inscription endorses all that was contrary to what was said in the Edicts, as it glorifies conquest through violence. Dharma for the Guptas was the Brahmanical Dharma. They had no idea who the author of the earlier inscriptions was, but presumably the pillar appeared an impressive object. A lion capital would have given it an added royal significance.Was it an attempt by the Guptas, who were of a non-kshatriya caste, to claim the legitimacy to rule by inscribing their deeds on the pillar? In their other inscriptions, much was made of their marital alliance with the high status Licchavis.”

Jahangir ‘s inscription is composed in Persian and written in a fine nastaliq script by the emperor’s favourite calligrapher, Abdullah Mushkin Qalam.
“The inscription records the ancestry of Jahangir. It is almost as if the pillar by now was recognised as bestowing legitimacy on rulers. “

https://guftugu.in/2018/06/pillar-of-ashokamaurya-romila-thapar/

The Sarnath lion capital

Rana Safvi — Sun, 25 Nov 2018 01:32:48 +0000

I recently visited Sarnath but the museum where the lion capital doesn’t allow photography so posting some pics from net of Ashoka Capital from Sarnath.

Why lion?

The Buddha was born into the Shakya or lion clan. The lion, in many cultures, also indicates royalty or leadership. The Lion is, a symbol of sovereignty.

Why back to back ?

A group of four lions joined back to back symbolizes a group of four things of equal importance:

Four Noble Truths of Buddha

And Four lions, looking in four directions and topped by the Chakra signify the spread of Buddha’s teaching all over the world.

The Base

The base of the capital has four animals, interspersed by the Chakra. They are bull, horse, elephant & lion, each representing one quarter. The Chakra signifies the spread of Buddhism.

We get elephant capital, single lion capital and bull capital from sites Sankisa, Vaishali and Rampurwa respectively. And a larger numbers of Ashokan pillars have been explored in pieces where capital is missing, such two pillars we get even at Delhi.

This last photo is from Sanchi (1st century). Even then Buddha was shown by symbols – a riderless horse, an elevated Aasan or a Chakra.

Firoz Shah Kotla. The Medieval Palace not the Modern Cricket Stadium

ranasafvi — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 12:59:42 +0000

(A painting by Daniells from their Oriental Sceneries in 1795)
To any cricket fan the name Firoz Shah Kotla is very familiar. Who can forget the thrill of watching Anil Kumble take 10 wickets in a single innings in that stadium! So it did not come as a surprise to me that my driver drove me very promptly to the stadium instead of the Fort when I asked him to take me there. He apparently had no clue that there was an old fort after which the stadium was named and so had to ask around for directions.

Firoz Shah Kotla, the ruins of Delhi’s 5^th city lie on Bahadur Shah Zafar Road. The nearest metro is Pragati Maidan (1.5km) and any auto will bring you there.

Firoz Shah Tughlaq built this city on the banks of the Yamuna, in the village of Gawin in 1354. It was originally called Ferozabad and later changed by the British to FerozShah Kotla or Firoz Shah’s citadel. It was built on a grand scale covering 18 villages and extended from Indarpat ( Purana Qila ) to Kushk e Shikar or the hunting palace also built by him on the Ridge.

Today however it is in ruins as material from here was used to build Shahjahanbad or the 7^th city of Delhi and only few structures survive. It was used as a prototype for later Mughal fortresses, as this is the first time that the concept of Diwan e Aam for the public and a Diwan e khas for nobles was introduced

In a painting from the 1840s from Thomas Metcalfe’s Imperial Dehly we can see the difference already

An old painting by William Orme from 1794 which shows the western Gate of the citadel.

Today however what we see when we enter is this

sun setting over the ruins.

Firuz Shah Tughlaq is known as India’s first conservationist and builder. He not only built many hospitals, sarais, mosques and palaces he also repaired the older structures such as Qutub Minar, Hauz Khas and the tombs of Iltutmish and Alauddin Khilji. He had added sandalwood chaparkhats to the tombs.

On his return after a victorious campaign to Lakhnauti and Jajnagar he lamented the lack of a historian to record his triumphant return. Barani had died so the Emperoro took it upon himself to write about it. Shams Siraj Afif notes in his Tareekh e Firoz Shahi

“Among his other qualities, he had a remarkable fondness for history. Just at this time Maulána Zíáu-d dín Barní, the author of the Tárikh-i Fíroz Sháhí died, and the Sultán expressed to every learned man the great desire he felt for an historical record of the events of his own reign. When he despaired of getting such a work written, he caused the following lines, of his own composition (az zabán-i khwesh), to be inscribed in letters of gold on the walls (‘imárat) of the Kushk-i Shikár-rav, and on the domes of the Kushk-i nuzúl, and the walls (‘imárat) of the minarets of stone which are within the Kushk-i Shikár-rav at Fírozábád:—

“I made a great hunt of elephants, and I captured so many:
“I performed many glorious deeds; and all this I have done“That in the world and among men; in the earth and among mankind, these verses
May stand as a memorial to men of intelligence, and that the people”

of the world, and the wise men of the age, may follow the example.”
Not the best of verse but then when an Emperor pens it the world stops to read.

Unfortunately lost to us as today those palaces lie in ruins. The Ashoka Pillar can be seen in the background.
The Tughlaq architecture though by now technically perfect as can be seen from the purity of this arch had lost its sense of celebration and was sombre, unadorned as befitted the unsettling times that they were constructed in.

The antiquarian that he was during his travels he saw two Ashoka pillar and ordered these to be brought to Delhi. The one in the Kotla is from Tobra, near present Amabala.

An eye witness account from “Sirat e Firozshahi’ (from a text composed in 1370 A.D.)

“… in the village of Topra, by the banks of the Jatan, stood the stone pillar, the like of which in height and circumference had not been seen by anyone… The sages and wise men of the time were simply astonished at the sight, and though they dived deep into the sea of thought they succeeded not in bringing out the pearl of the solution of these secrets – namely whence and how this heavy and lofty stone monolith was brought to this place and what were the exact engineering methods employed in its erection here. Verily such an achievement could hardly have been accomplished by human beings for the simple reason that it is beyond the power of Man.”

According to Maulvi Zafar Hasan in his 1911 book on “Monuments of Delhi” a bed of ‘senwal’ silk cotton was made to cushion the pillar when it was uprooted from its old position, so that it had a soft, cushioned fall. The cotton was then removed carefully and it was covered with reed and raw skins for transportation. It was pulled in a carriage with 42 wheels and had ropes attached to each wheel, with 200 men pulling each rope. Next time you see it do spare a thought for the labour of these men!

“… orders were issued to commanding the attendance of all the people in the neighbourhood, and all soldiers, both horse and foot. They were ordered to bring instruments and materials suitable for the work. Directions were issued for bringing parcels of the cotton of the silk cotton tree. Quantities of this silk cotton were placed around the column, and when the earth at its base was removed, it fell gently over on the bed prepared for it. The cotton was then removed by degrees and after some days the pillar lay safe on the ground… The pillar was then encased from top to bottom in reeds and raw skins, so that no damage might accrue to it. ‘the felling and transporting of the pillar was accomplished with the help of divine inspiration, in accordance with human understanding… every detail of the work including the tying of ropes and the construction of masonry piers; pulling ropes in all directions and balancing the pillar with their help; the employment of elephants for dragging the pillar, and following on their failure the employment of longer ropes with 20,000 men and their success in carrying the pillar to the banks of the Jamna; then arranging well balanced boats for the pillar, loading the pillar on the boats and floating the same; its journey to Firozabad (Delhi); the making of all the arrangements over again for removing the pillar and carrying it in front of the Jum’ah Mosque, there constructing a large building, raising and placing the pillar thereon with the help of pulleys etc., and re-erecting the pillar according to the laws of wisdom – a gift of the most exalted God….”

The Sultan came to greet it when it entered Delhi, after which it was transferred to a boat capable of carrying 2000 maunds and then brought via the Yamuna.

“An account of the Raising of the Obelisk -When the pillar was brought to the palace, a building was commenced for its reception, near the Jámi’ Masjid, and the most skilful architects and workmen were employed. It was constructed of stone and chúnam, and consisted of several stages or steps (poshish). When a step was finished the column was raised on to it, another step was then built and the pillar was again raised, and so on in succession until it reached the intended height. On arriving at this stage, other contrivances had to be devised to place it in an erect position. Ropes of great

thickness were obtained, and windlasses were placed on each of the six stages of the base. The ends of the ropes were fastened to the top of the pillar, and the other ends passed over the windlasses, which were firmly secured with many fastenings. The wheels were then turned, and the column was raised about half a gaz. Logs of wood and bags of cotton were then placed under it to prevent its sinking again. In this way, by degrees, and in the course of several days, the column was raised to the perpendicular. Large beams were then placed round it as shores, until quite a cage of scaffolding was formed. It was thus secured in an upright position, straight as an arrow, without the smallest deviation from the perpendicular. The square stone, before spoken of, was placed under the pillar. After it was raised, some ornamental friezes of black and white stone were placed round its two capitals (do sar-i án), and over these there was raised a gilded copper cupola, called in Hindí kalas”. ( Shams Siraj Afif in Tarikh e Firoz Shahi)

This is a sketch of what the pyramidical structure could have looked like.( from http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1914/site-visit-to-feroz-shah-kotla)
It was called Hawa Mahal because of the many windows and entrances it had

An old photograph from 1860s
The pillar had a gilded bronze cupola but that disappeared somewhere in the 17^th century. The last documented reference is by William Finch in 1611. The pillar was referred to as Minar e Zarrin or Golden Pillar because of the golden glow from the polished sandstone.

However that would be then, today it is called the Laat waale baba as according to belief the Chief of the Djinns residing in the fort stays in the pillar!

How did Djinns suddenly populate this abandoned city? None of the old texts, whether Sir Saiyed’s Asar us Sanadeed or maulvi Zafar Hasan’s Monuments of Delhi mentions it, yet today to talk of Kotla is to talk of Djinns.

From what I could gather is that in 1970s a faqeer named Ladoo Shah, who after the demolition of Turkman Gate where he used to live, came and started living in the ruins with his Djinns.Today the cells and rooms under the mosque and the pillar are full of letters to the Djinns asking for their needs or with diyas as mark of respect or flowers after fulfillfilment.

There are very few visitors to the place except on Thursdays when after 2pm entry is free as people come to pray, make supplications to the Djinns or make good their pledges after fulfillment of their prayers by distributing biryani and sweets.

These are the ‘arsis’ or pleas which are tied up on strings with letters to the Djinns asking for fulfillment of desires. The bangles are obviously either pleas for marriage or to save, safeguard it.

there are many such dark corners with divas and flowers offered by a grateful devotee. ( photograph by Subir Dey)

I am not suggesting anything here, I just happened to see and clicked this picture. The djinn have the capacity to take many forms and to change appearance. According to the Imam Ibn Taymiya, they can take a human or animal. They can also appear in the form of a black cat.

Somebody’s mannat fulfilled!

Jinn is a plural noun in Arabic literally meaning “hidden from sight”, and it derives from Arabic root j-n-n (pronounced: jann/ junn جَنّ / جُنّ) meaning “to hide” or “be hidden”.

As in human race, there are good and bad Djinns. The word genie who fulfills ones wishes comes from the Arabic djinn and in folk lore have great powers to grant wishes.
The village my ancestors come from was established by Jalaluddin Khilji and has a mosque dating to back then. I have grown up hearing stories of Djinn Mamus from my grandmother and other relatives. We have a Djinn waali masjid there and of course many tales.

The other notable building in the kotla or citadel is the Jami Masjid or congregational mosque. It was built by Firuz Shah’s Prime Minister Khan e Jahan and is one of the seven mosques he built. It was so grand that Timur offered prayers there and ordered a similar one to be made in Samarqand.

Today not much of it is left standing except the entrance, its steps and some part of the walls.

There used to be a well in the middle of the mosque for ablutions. Today thats been closed.

It is a functioning mosque and prayers are offered here thrice a day.

(This photograph by Subir Dey)

I talked to them but there was a caption in Urdu that “yahan aurton ka aana mana hai , so didn’t dare risk their ( and their spirit friends) ire by photographing them!

A conversation with the Imam and his friend there reinforced the idea of the benevolent Djinns. According to him, every masjid has Djinns and they guard the citadel and in fact Delhi.

As long as Djinns live in Delhi no harm can come to it!

This beautiful circular baoli is now out of bounds for the public and its well has been enclosed in a steel grill after an unfortunate incident a few years ago

How Ashoka’s Pillar became Laat Waale Baba

ranasafvi — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 19:30:52 +0000

The antiquarian that he was during his travels he saw two Ashoka pillar and ordered these to be brought to Delhi. One he put in his palace at Ferozabad ( present day Firoz Shah Kotla) and the othe rnear his Kushk e Shikar on the Ridge.

The one in the Kotla is from Tobra, near present Ambala.

An eye witness account from “Sirat e Firozshahi’ (from a text composed in 1370 A.D.)

a bed of ‘senwal’ silk cotton was made to cushion the pillar when it was uprooted from its old position, so that it had a soft, cushioned fall. The cotton was then removed carefully and it was covered with reed and raw skins for transportation. It was pulled in a carriage with 42 wheels and had ropes attached to each wheel, with 200 men pulling each rope. Next time you see it do spare a thought for the labour of these men!

The Sultan came to greet it when it entered Delhi, after which it was transferred to a boat capable of carrying 2000 maunds and then brought via the Yamuna.

( From Metcalfe’s Dehlie Diary)
“An account of the Raising of the Obelisk -When the pillar was brought to the palace, a building was commenced for its reception, near the Jámi’ Masjid, and the most skilful architects and workmen were employed. It was constructed of stone and chúnam, and consisted of several stages or steps (poshish). When a step was finished the column was raised on to it, another step was then built and the pillar was again raised, and so on in succession until it reached the intended height. On arriving at this stage, other contrivances had to be devised to place it in an erect position. Ropes of great thickness were obtained, and windlasses were placed on each of the six stages of the base. The ends of the ropes were fastened to the top of the pillar, and the other ends passed over the windlasses, which were firmly secured with many fastenings. The wheels were then turned, and the column was raised about half a gaz. Logs of wood and bags of cotton were then placed under it to prevent its sinking again. In this way, by degrees, and in the course of several days, the column was raised to the perpendicular. Large beams were then placed round it as shores, until quite a cage of scaffolding was formed. It was thus secured in an upright position, straight as an arrow, without the smallest deviation from the perpendicular. The square stone, before spoken of, was placed under the pillar. After it was raised, some ornamental friezes of black and white stone were placed round its two capitals (do sar-i án), and over these there was raised a gilded copper cupola, called in Hindí kalas”. ( Shams Siraj Afif in Tarikh e Firoz Shahi)

This is a sketch of what the pyramidical structure could have looked like. (from this site)
It was called Hawa Mahal because of the many windows and entrances it had

However that would be then, today it is called the Laat waale baba as according to belief the Chief of the Djinns residing in the fort stays in the pillar!

From what I could gather is that in 1970s a faqeer named Ladoo Shah, who after the demolition of Turkman Gate where he used to live, came and started living in the ruins with his Djinns. Today the cells and rooms under the mosque and the pillar are full of letters to the Djinns asking for their needs or with diyas as mark of respect or flowers after fulfillment.

The amazing fact is that I have always seen the diyas/ lamps burning even in daylight and its lights are always bright and lighten up all the dark nooks and crannies of this remarkable place.

Try it sometime on a Thursday. Who knows there may be a wish waiting to be fulfilled there!

A walk in the City of Djinns

ranasafvi — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 18:18:03 +0000

10th September 2014

Whenever I have any free time in Delhi I love to connect with Asif Khan Dehelvi and go exploring in Delhi.
10th was no different. Having finished some work in the afternoon I joined Asif in CP and we started exploring options. Red Fort would be closing in a little while, Begumpur was too far, so we decided to go to Firoz Shah Kotla.
My first visit to this hauntingly beautiful place had also been with Asif and I was looking forward to another equally wonderful visit.
Ferozabad as it was known was Delhi’s fifth city built by Firoz Shah Tughlaq on the banks of the Yamuna River in in the village of Gawin in 1354. Today popularly known as Firoz Shah Kotla, it is eclipsed by the stadium of the same name, near it.
Though today it is in ruins it must hsve been a majestic fort in its time. Its stones were stripped for the building of the 6th city of Shahjahanabad.

The grand entrance leading to the diwan e aam , going on to diwan e khaas and then the palaces today bear mute testimony to their former grandeur.
It was used by the Mughals as a prototype for their forts.

It was to this city that Firoz Shah Tughlaq brought Ashoka’s pillar from Tobra, near present Ambala, which he had seen on one of his travels.
The journey of that pillar to Ferozabad is another story for another day.

However, this city’s claim to fame is neither its past majesty nor the beautiful pillar but the resident spirits or Djinns who grant wishes and who have many devotees in and around the area as well as further away.
It doesnot matter what time of the day you go there you will see incense sticks and diyas/ lamps and candles burning in various nooks and corners of the place as well as in the underground areas.

It has a grand functioning mosque which was built by Firoz Shah Tughlaq’s Prime Minister, Khan e Jahan. It is one of 7 mosques that he built in Delhi. There used to be a madarsa attached to it , with underground rooms for students and teachers to stay in, which is today believed to be populated by the Djinns and is always lit with lamps and incense sticks.

It is Built on a high plinth and steep steps lead up to it. There is a huge courtyard surrounded by walls and as in the case of Begumpur Mosque also built by Khan e Jahan
, once upon a time the side aisles must have been covered by small domes. Today they are no longer extant but we can conjecture.
There are Imams appointed by Delhi Waqf Board to lead prayers here and they can usually be found in one of the niches in the wall.

As per Islam Djinns are created from smokeless fire and were created before man. In fact when Iblees the chief Djinn was asked to prostrate to Adam he refused on the grounds that he , originating from fire, was superior to Adam who was made from clay. This led to his fall from grace and becoming the accursed Satan.
Jinn is a plural noun in Arabic literally meaning “hidden from sight”, and it derives from Arabic root j-n-n (pronounced: jann/ junn جَنّ / جُنّ) meaning “to hide” or “be hidden”.
As in human race, there are good and bad Djinns. The word genie who fulfills ones wishes comes from the Arabic djinn and in folk lore have great powers to grant wishes.
The village my ancestors come from was established by Jalaluddin Khilji and has a mosque dating to back then. I have grown up hearing stories of Djinn Mamus from my grandmother and other relatives. We have a Djinn waali masjid there and of course many tales.
Therefore I have a very open mind towards the spirits and do my utmost to respect the traditions of the place.
When I was asked by a lady in white, sitting in one of the rooms to take my slippers off and enter, I did.
She seemed a kindly soul and was deeply immersed in prayers herself and promised to pray for me too.
When prayers are fulfilled people bring offerings of food, sweets and flowers and Thursday is the day to be there.

A mannat fulfilled.

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