Brahmi-Inscribd Stone Discovered in Guwahati State

Please take this article with a large grain of salt.  After reading a few paragraphs it was clear to me that this discovery is being used to advance the Brahmin (Hindu) side of the ongoing cultural wars taking place in India.  I do not know how that war will eventually resolve itself - or perhaps it never will.  But readers should be aware of the ongoing tensions in Indian culture and how, unfortunately, this has carried itself over into archaeological discoveries.  Rather like the United States today.  Sad.  Very sad.

From The Assam Tribune
Rare stone inscription unearthed

Staff reporter

GUWAHATI, May 21 – The Archaeology Directorate here has acquired a Brahmi stone inscription that is described to be the largest of the stone inscriptions in Brahmi script found so far in the State. This has established beyond doubt expansion of the Brahmanical culture to far eastern areas of North Bank part of the State.

The piece of this stone inscription was discovered on April 23 last at the Tipling Sarbajanin Sankar Ashram Siva Mandir, Bhogpur, Narayanpur under Bihpuria Police Station in Lakhimpur district. Mahendra Hazarika of Tipling Kachuwa village under Narayanpur Revenue Circle stumbled upon this precious piece of stone at the Siva Mandir complex.

Archaeology Director Dr HN Dutta told this newspaper that the piece of the stone measures 85 cm in length, 34 cm in width and 15 cm in thickness. It has 19 lines of writing engraved in Brahmi script, of which 16 lines are in its edge and all lines are executed horizontally in the smooth surface of the stone. The inscription is datable to 900 AD, said Dr Dutta.

This is the only Brahmi inscription found in Lakhimpur district so far. After the Harzarbarman Rock Inscription of the 8 th Century AD, this is the only Brahmi inscription found so far in the North Bank of the State, Dr Dutta said.

The evidence of the expansion of Brahmanical culture, beyond Da-Parbatia archaeological site in Tezpur, on the North Bank of the State, is found only recently at Gardaul archaeological site, Tezpur and Bamgaon archaeological site at Biswanath Chariali. The Da-Parbatia archaeological site was discovered in 1936.

The discovery of this stone inscription in Pathalipahar has proved the expansion of Brahmanical culture to far eastern region of the North Bank. Earlier, the discovery of stone temple relics at Lonpani Devalaya, Gosaipukhuri, now known as Yuba Nagar in Laluk area of Lakhimpur district, had threw some lights on the expansion of the Brahmanical culture to this part of the State.

However, archaeological evidences of the mediaeval period are found in this part of the State.

The piece of stone was preserved by the Tipling Siva Mandir committee with much care after it came to its knowledge that the stone contains the valuable inscription. It was handed over to the Archaeology Directorate by the temple committee at the instance of the police and civil administration of the district.

The origin of the piece of stone has been traced to Pathalipahar campus of the Sankaradeva Mahavidyalaya. It came to the Siva Mandir with the earth removed from the Pathalipahar area by the college authorities for construction activities. The dug out earth of the area was taken to the site of the under-construction railway over bridge on the NH-52 for earth work.

Following this discovery, Dr Dutta has asked the Sankaradeva Mahavidyalaya authorities to abandon further digging activities in the Pathalipahar area without the prior permission of the Archaeology Directorate.