Chronology of Asokan Pillars

7/28/2019 Chronology of Asokan Pillars

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/chronology-of-asokan-pillars 1/20

The True Chronology of Aśokan PillarsAuthor(s): John IrwinReviewed work(s):Source: Artibus Asiae, Vol. 44, No. 4 (1983), pp. 247-265Published by: Artibus Asiae PublishersStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3249612 .

Accessed: 28/03/2012 19:25

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of

content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms

of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

Artibus Asiae Publishers is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Artibus Asiae.

http://www.jstor.org

http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=artibus

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3249612?origin=JSTOR-pdf

http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3249612?origin=JSTOR-pdf

http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=artibus



JOHN IRWIN

THE TRUE CHRONOLOGY OF ASOKAN PILLARS

tudentsof ancientIndiahave been brought up in the belief that the nation's earliest

sculpturedmonuments so-called A'okan'pillars hadbeeninspiredand erectedbyAioka, first Buddhist ruler of a united India. This belief continues to be perpetuatedupto the present day by leaders of the Archaeological Survey of India, fully aware that it was

bornand nurturedunder he Britishrajover the last 15o years.Fromtheveryfirst moment

of Independence, fficialopinionin Indiahasclung tenaciously o the old beliefs,reluctantto think the problemafresh. The first Indian Director- the late N.P. Chakravarty setthe tone in 1947by declaring hat 'it is impossibleo supposethat the pillarswere raised

by anyone except Asoka'.1Twenty years later, the same opinion was repeated by hissuccessorA. Ghosh, who insisted that any otherconclusion was 'unthinkable'2 a state-mentapparentlyntendedto silence those independent cholarswho hadvaguelymootedthe possibilitythat some of the pillarsmight have been already tandingwithout inscrip-tions before Aioka came to the throne.None, however, had offered,or even dreamtofthe possibilitythatsomepillarseventuallybearingAgokan nscriptionshad beenstandingwith plain shafts before he ruled. This is surprising, or in the first Minor Rock Edict,at Rapndthand at Sahasrim,attributed o the eleventhyearof his reign, Aioka orderedthat his edicts should be engraved on stone pillars if therewerestonepillars (available). In

theseventhPillarEdict,issued n the 26thyear,he makes wo separate eferenceso pillars:in line 23 saying that for the purpose of propagating his Law (dhamma),he has erected

Pillarsof Law (dhammathambani);nd in line 32, that in orderthat his messageshouldendure it should be engraved wherever pillars or stone slabs are available. Here it is

importantto recognizethat two unrelated hings are being said: in line 23 that for the

purposeof spreadinghis messagehe has erecteda certaintype of pillar (without sayinghow many, or where, or when); and in line 32, that quite apart from those pillars that he

himself has erected, he wants his edicts engraved on stone pillars already existing - by

implication, not erected by himself.

Soon after beginning research in the 196os on the origin and meaning of the so-calledAdokan pillars, I reached the conclusion that there was no rational basis to the claim thatall of them were Aiokan, or even Buddhist monuments, but much evidence to the

1 . P. Chakravarty, The Rock-edicts of Asoka and some connected problems', AncientIndia,,Bulletin of Archaeologi-cal Survey of India, no. 4, 1947-48, P. 25. The author added: 'There is no room to doubt that the pillars are Buddhistic

and were therefore set up by Aloka himselfand no other ruler' (ibid, p. 25).2 A. Ghosh, 'The Pillars of Adoka Their Purpose', East and West, Is. M. E. O., Rome, Vol. 17, 1967, PP. 273-75.

247



contrary.3Among the sculpturesso mis-attributedwas the great Bull capital (fig. i)excavatedat Rdmpirvain 1908,which had been characterised y Sir John Marshall, heDirector of Archaeologyat that time, as 'an inferiorpiece of sculpture',and as 'wholly

alien to the spiritof Indian art'.4A chance to make my indignation felt came in 1947-48 when, in a junior role as

organisingsecretaryof the BritishRoyal Academy'sgreatWinterExhibitionof TheArt

of IndiaandPakistan the first majorexhibition of Indianart ever held, intended in thiscase to celebrate he handingover of power), I was able to use what influenceI could to

ensure that the Bull capitalwas includedamong loans from India.

Moreover, I was even able to ensure that it had pride of place at the entrance to the

exhibition. A pre-Aiokan attribution was rejectedfor the catalogueS;but it gave me

pleasure when, on the return of the sculpture to India, it was singled out by the new

Government or an honouredplace n theporticoof the President'sPalaceatDelhi, whereit remainsup to the presentday- still displayedas an 'A'okan capital'!

A secondmasterpiecebelongingto the sameart historicalcategory,but less honouredin position, is the SankisdElephant (fig. 2) - now imprisonedbehind iron bars at its

originalsite of excavation n I8626,where its qualityeludesthe camera hencemy depend-ence at fig. 2 on a faded photograph taken at the time of discovery, damaged and

incomplete).Both the RampfirvdBull and the SankisdElephantare, in my opinion, masterpieces

of underestimated ntiquityand importance.Both sculpturesare unquestionablyof pre-Aiokan and even pre-Buddhistorigin, as I suggested a decade ago in my BurlingtonMagazine eries(see fn. 3, above). Sincethen, theseconclusionshave met with oppositionin the West as well as in India;from Buddhistsas well as non-Buddhists althoughnone

hasstated a case for his opposition).It is only now thatpublicopinionis readyto listen.A decisivemomentof changecoincidedwith the publication n Berlinof my 1979addressto the Fifth Conferenceof South Asian Archaeologists n WesternEurope,where I read

a paper offering firmproofthat the Allahabad/Praydgaformerly, 'Allahabad-Kosam')Pillar- shown here in its present-day orm at fig. 3) had been anotherpre-AsokanBull-

pillarlike the one found at Rampfirvdfig. 1)7.From this moment,letters from scholarsin otherpartsof theworldidentifying hemselveswith conclusionsarising rom this thesis

3 Those ideas were firstpubliclyadvanced n my seriesof Lowell InstituteLectureson 'The Foundationsof IndianArt' deliveredat the Museumof Fine Arts, Boston, in 1973,and latersummarizedn four successive ssues of the

BurlingtonMagaZine,ondon, vols.

i15-118,1973-76, under the title '"A'okan" Pillars: a reassessment f the

evidence'.4 SirJohnMarshall nd AlfredFoucher,TheMonumentsfSanchi, ol. I, Calcutta,1939,pp.89-90; andJ.H.Marshall,

'ArchaeologicalExplorationn India 1907-08',Journal f RoyalAsiaticSociety, ondon, 1908,esp. p. io88.5 TheArt of Indiaand Pakistan edited by Leigh Ashton),being the CommemorativeCatalogueof that Exhibition,

compiledjointlyby K. de B.Codrington,BasilGrayandJohn Irwin, London, 195yo.6 The originalexcavation eportappearsn AlexanderCunningham'srticleon 'Sankisa',Archaeologicalurvey eports

for the period I862-65 (Calcutta1871), vol. I, pp.xl-xli.7 John Irwin, 'The PraydgaBull pillar: anotherpre-Aiokanmonument?' includedin Proceedingsof the Fifth

Conference f SouthAsianArchaeologistsn WesternEuropeunder he title SouthAsianArchaeology979,ditedbyH.Hdirtel,DietrichReimer,Berlin,I981,PartII, pp. 313-340.

248



began omingn,andI then eltthat hebattle orrecognitionfpre-Aiokan illarswouldbe won.This,I believe,willbereinforced hen hesecondpartofmyPraydga-pillarhesisappearsater hisyear n theJournalf theRoyalAsiaticSociety, ondon,under hetitle

'Originsf thePre-A'okan

illar-culttPraydgaAllahabad)'8,o befollowedby another,entitledBuddhismnd heCosmicPillar', ow inpressasanofferingo FelicitationolumeinhonourfProfessor iuseppeuccio be editedby Prof.GherardoGnoli fortheIstitutoItalianoper il Medio ed EstremoOriente,Rome, due to be presented n June, 1984).

Here,I amleavingall thatasideto embarkon a different ourse,whichis to offeradefinitivehronology f the trueA'okanpillar,discountinghosewe nowknowwerepre-Adokan. n otherwords our aimis to stateclearly he orderanddates of those pillarsweknowwerebothcarvedanderectedbyA'oka- whicharethey?The latterquestion anbe answered nlyafterwe areclearaboutwhichonestheyarenot. Theydo not includethePraydgaAllahabad)illar, incewe nowknow hat hatmonument adbeenstanding

with a plain shaftbeforeA'oka instructedhis mahimitraso engraveit with his first sixPillarEdictswhichwere issued in 243B.C.9However, n addition o the latterwereengravedwo earlier dicts: hefirstof thesehadbeenaddressed yA'okato thenearestdharma-mahimitrasr 'ministers f morality'ocatedat the regionalcapital,Kosambi,30km. to the west; the secondwas one of those'SchismEdicts'firstdiscovered ndtranslatedyAlexanderCunninghamn 1870,andpublishedn facsimile ineyearsaterin thefirsteditionof InscriptionsfAloka.lot is nowimportanto recognisehatnobodybeforeCunninghamadknownabout his nscription and hereasonwhy.Myinabilityto publishanactualphotograph, ependingnsteadon a reproductionf Cunningham'sfacsimilefig.4), hasnothing o do withbureaucraticestrictionsorbidding cameranthe Fort: the truthis thateven if I hadbeenallowed to takemy camera, couldnot havephotographed he inscriptionsatisfactorily, inceit is too high andawkwardlyplacedontheshaft o betaken romthegroundwithoutspecialenses.It is likewisemportantoknow thatthe height above ground-levelat which the inscriptionnow appearss not theoriginalheight,wichwas lower on theshaft.Theexplanations thatwhentheshaftwasre-erectedn 1837(after yingfora long periodon theground), heantiquariansf theBengalAsiaticSocietywho hadplannedherestoration,eing gnorant f thereligiousfunctionof a cosmicpillarandthinkingof it only as a 'victorycolumn',went out of theirway to re-install t on a specially-designed linththatit was nevermeantto have. Up-to-date knowledgeabout the ritualfunctionof a cosmic pillartells us that in ancienttimestheywereerectedas if to appear isingnakedlyout of thesubterraneanWaters, heCosmic

Oceanof the cosmogony. The presenceof a plinthcould only serveas evidencethat theolder meaninghad been forgotten.

8 John Irwin, 'Origins of the pre-A'okan Pillar cult at Praydga (Allahabad)', since published in the third part of the1983 volume of the Journalof the RoyalAsiatic Society,London.

9P. H. L. Eggermont, The Chronologyf thereignof Asoka Moriya, Leiden (Brill), 1956, p. 67, and Supplement III.o10lexander Cunningham, Inscriptions fAsoka, Archaeological Survey of India, Corpus nscriptionumndicarum,Calcutta,

1879 (The 'Schism Edict' is reproduced in facsimile at Plate XXII under the heading 'Kosambi Edict').

249



The mostimportant ointthattranspirest the present tageof our thesis s that the

Praydga/Allahabadillarnow turnsout to be the firstsurvivingso-called)A'okan'pillarto have been inscribed;as we now know (see fn.7, above), that it was alreadystanding

with a plainshaftwhenit wasengraved.The 'SchismEdict'wasin factthe firstpillarinscription f anykindknownto have been executed. ts style s not trulycalligraphic,but thework of a relativelynexperiencedngraverworking roma scaffold r ladder.

At the time the 'SchismEdict'wasengraved,helocationof thePrayaga/Allahabadpillarwas already ecognisedas 'the holiestspot in India',andwas veneratedby all

religiousects,asfullydiscussednmytwoPraydga apersseefootnotes7and8,above).Thisspotcoincidedwiththe HolyConfluence f two sacred ivers, he Gangiandthe

Yamund,which was in turnsynonymousn cosmogonicmythwith the Spotat whichHeavenandEarthwereseparatedin thebeginning' inillotempore).

Thefacsimile t fig.5 showsthe openingsectionof the SixPillarEdictsas theyappear

on the shaftof thePrayiga/Allahabadillar.As long agoas 183 ,JamesPrinsepknownas the'father f Indianarchaeology')laced hisfacsimileide-by-side ithfacsimiles fthe same section as it appearson the pillarsat Lauriya-Araraj,auriya-Nandangarh,nd

Delhi/Topra, otingthat the Allahabadersionwas crude n comparisonwith the fine

cuttingof the others.Thispromptedhim to ask: 'Whydid suchcarelesslyut lettersfeature n a shaftso regularlyapered ndpolished?'Thequestions aspertinento-dayas it was in I835 when it was left unanswered.In the meantime,Prinsep'sre-discoveryof thescript esultedn his sensationalevelationhat heauthorwasnoneother han he

greatAioka- thus aying hefirstfirm oundationsor thestudyof ancient ndia. nthe

ensuingexcitement,hequestionwasputasideandforgotten,never o be raised gainuntilnow, whenwe areat last in a position o answer.

The answerpresents tselfin the followingway.On every pillarnow known withcertainty o have beenboth inscribedanderectedby Asoka,the lettering s neat and well-

spaced:heevidencepresentstselfmostclearly nthe twopillars aisedo commemorateAioka'stourof the BuddhistHoly Spots n 257 B.C. (figs.6a & b). In eachcase,the

inscription ctually aysthatAiokawasboth the inscriber ndthe erector.How, then,do we explainheconspicuous ifference etween helettering f these wo inscriptions,on the one hand,andthecrudeness t Prayga/Allahabad,n the other?

Before trying to answer,it must first be consideredexactly how stone-engraversnAioka's time set about their task. We find that there were two alternativemethods,

according o whethera shaft was lying horizontallyon the ground beforerection,or was

alreadystandingas described n line 32 of the Seventh PillarEdict.11 n the former case,the answercan be suppliedby anybodykeeping their eyes open at buildingsites in India

up to the presentday. I have the recordof many photographs.At fig. 7, for instance,wesee a master-craftsman etailing a column to be built into a new Jain temple near

Ahmedabad, n Gujarat,whereit was takenin I979, without the craftsman'sknowledge,in orderto illustratehis pose. Squattings natural o the Indianphysiqueand living habits.

11 . Hultzsch, Inscriptions f Asoka, CorpusInscriptionumndicarum,Oxford, 1925, P- 137.

250



:.ii-._i~iii~ii~i~ii~i~ii~iii!iiiiiiiiiiiiii

i:i-ii'i!•iiiiij-iiji~ii:iii!ii!ii!!

i•:iiiiiiii:ji/i-i/i•iiiiiiiii~iiiiiiii'ii:iiiiiiiisii

:iiiliii~i-iiiii

•ii-ii:i:--

iiii-:iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-i~iiiii•.............................`i

'i i

::-

iii~i-i~-i-i!i-i-i

iiii-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii'i;;ii

i-i: : :: ._ :..: :i~iiiiiiiiiiii!iii~iiiii

:i'iliiliiiiiiiiiiiii!i•i

......

ili?i-ii:-i•i:.•ii:,2::iil ..........i•,•,iiiii::•!•

. . .i •i •

i:iiiiij

::::::

!:-:..ii-

....i'i''i'ig~i

iii-

.....

ji-i

Fig.i Rdmp-rvdBull capital,CalcuttaMuseum



... .....

to

....?.

.

.......

.

lot••??i~ i?ii:• •?::: ?IX.@

..........

t 4 .........

. . . . . . . ......

Fig. 2 Sankisa Elephant capital(after an old photograph taken in the 186o's, now in the

India OfficeLibrary, London)



A.

r r ?-3hAr:~ 4

c:

I-::i:::ik--::-:*AkMiiiii'iaiiiiiii~iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii--iiii~iii:: :40-i:_:__::-:: ---::i-_::-:--:::::::-:::::::::

?b: :::-::::-::ii;i::ii:::::::::~:":--IN:':::N,::::: :::::::::'i:i~iiii'ili'iii: .-:::i::4-iioi

Fig. 3 The Allahabad/Prayaga pillar, as seen today in Allahabad Fort

(Photo by Elinor Gadon)



:iiii;iiiiliiic8iiiiijii:iiliiiiijiiiiij:i:i:i:i:iiiiiiiiiii:iiiiiiiiiiifiiiii

:i:-l:i:l:::::::::::i:::::::-:::-:::::-::::::::::::--:::::':':':':':':::':':'-:',:i:iii:i:i::iiiiii:i:::i:i--i:i:::-i:i

i:iii--i:ii.iil:ii::iiiiiiiiii:iiii"iii ....:.:.':':":':':':::::lii:iiiiiii"iii;iiiiffiii:i:iiSiiiLiiiiliii:irii:i8i:ii;iiiii;ii

:::::'::::':::::-:i':'i'i'i'il'i'i'i':;:::::::::"::::::::::::::::::::::

::::::;::;::i::::::r:::-::::::::::i:i:-iiii~iiii.iii~iiiliiiiiiii~iiiii.iiii.iiiiiic:iiiii:i:::::::::::::::::::::iiiiii:iliiiii.iiiii'iiii:iiiiliiii~iii~iii

iiLiiiiaiiiiiiiiiii:iiiiiiiiii~:,:,:,:i:c:::i:i:i:i:i:i-:i:i-:i:i:I:::::::::-:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::i:::::::::::::::i:::i:i:i:i:i:i;:i:ii:i:i::: ::::-?? :-:-:::-:-:--:-:;:::::i::::i::::-::::::::i:i:i:i:::(:i:i:i:::i:::;i:,:i:i:i:i:'::::::::::::-:-::?:-:-:-:-:-:::::::::::::::i::::::::

::

::::i::::?::::::::::::::::::i::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::-:::::i:i:':::i:i:,i:::(i:i:i:;i:::i:i:i:::l:::::-:::r:::::::::::::::r,::::::

:

~iiiiiiii:iiiiiii?iijiiiiii~i

:::::::::::::::::-::_:::-:i:::::::i:l:i:iiiijiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.iiiiiiiiii

ii~iiiiiii;ii~j~.i:iiiiiii-iiiiii;iiii:i~iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii:iiiiii:i:i'iliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii;ii

~iii:iiii'.iiii:iiii:iiii?iiCiiii;iiiii

~iiiiiiiii~iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

:iiiii:iiiii.~~::ii:ii-i:''-ii-?ii'i-iiiiil_

I:i:::i:i:::i:::i:ui:::i:i:1::::::::::::

iiiiiii~iii:iiiii:iii:iii;iiiiiiiiii:iii

:i:ic'i:iiiiiiiii~iiiii.iii-iiiiiiiiiii~~iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii:iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiii

.?iiiiiiiiiiiii:iiiiiiiiiii~:~*iiiiiiiiip:::::i-i:::::iii~i~::_:/_:::::_:_/_:::j

:- iiiiiliiiii:iii~iiiiiiiiiiii~ii~~:iiiiiliii~iiiiiiiiiiiii:iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~aiiiiiii-iiii~iiiiiiiiiiiiii-i::ii:i:i:ic.iii:-i:i:?-i:iliiiii:lii'

:::::i:i:i:I:::::---::,:::i-ii,:,:il:i::::::::::?:: :::::::::?::::?::?:::-:::-:-;

i:iiiii:-i:i:il:i:i-:::::i:i:iiiiiiiiiij iii?iiiiiliiiiaiiii:ii:iiiiiiD-;~i'li'i:::::::::-:::::-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-::::::::::::::;:::::::::::::::::::::::::::iiiii~iii-iii:i:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;:::-:::-:::::::i:::::::::::?:::ii:::i:::i:i':'::_::

_::::;::::::,::,::::::-:iiiii=ii:iiiii:it-i:ilii:siiiiil:i:ici:::::::::::-:-:::-:-:-:-::::::::::::::::

::::;::::::::::::::'"::::::::::::::'::::::::::::'::::::::::::::'::::i:::ji:i:l:::':::i-:-:::::::i::-::::::::::I::::_

:::::i::::::::::::-:::::i:::::j::::::::::i:i:iii:l:ili:l:i:i-(:::i:l::i:i :::::i:::::i::::::::::::::::::::::-::-:_ :::::::::::_:::--:-:?:?::--:::::::::::i::::::::::-::i:-:-:::-::i:-:--::::::::::::: :::::::'::":::::::

:::::::::-::::~?:_1:i:*:i:i:I:i:i:;':i:

i::,:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::,::;::::::::-:::::::::-::::::;:::i::i:::l::::::-:;::-i::--::--:-:---:;::::;i:i:i-I:::::i:':i:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::i:::::j::::::::::::::::::::-:::::::::::::::-::::::::::::::::::-:::':::::::::::

:::::::::::;:::::::::I:::::::"::::::::':::::::::::::::::::':::::;;:::::'::-:::::::::-,-i-i:,:::::ii:i:iii:i_::,,,,::::::::-:::::::::

Fig. 4 The<Schism

Edict> on the Allahabad shaft, as published byA. Cunningham in CorpusInscriptionumndicarum,Vol. I,

at Plate XXII after its first discovery in 1879

; - - -: ~ ~ " : -~ S A W i - t

Ani

Fig. 5 Facsimileof openingof Aioka's First Six PillarEdicts(interlineatedwith a later- medieval inscription),AllahabadafterE.Hultzsch,1925)



AIL-

^k iA0ii-

w - - - - - - - - - - - -

14K

Ilk

- - Iop

Figs. 6 a, b A'oka's pillar inscriptions at Rummindei (above) and Nigali Sagar (below), afterKlaus Ludwig Janert, AbstiindeundSchlussvokalverzeichnungenn Aoka-Inschriften, Verzeichnis der

Orientalischen Handschriften in Deutschland, Supplementband rio,Wiesbaden, 1972

...

iii

ii::iiiiiii:iiiiiiiii:iiii;iii-iii'iiii-iiii

':::::-:::-:':':':':':':':':':':':'::::;:i:i:i.i:i::::i:::::i:i:i:i:iiiii.iiiiiiiiiii:iiiiiisiiii%iiiii:iii'ii-?iii

iiiilii'_:i:i:iii'ic-iiii

iiii-ii:::iiiiiixiii~i~iii:i::'-i'i:':::':-:':'::'::iiiiii;iiii~

:i:i:si-i:-:ii-:::::-:::i:::i:i:iL8i'i'iiiiEiii-iiii~iiii::::::::::j::::::i:i:::i:::i:i:i:i:iiilii:iiii~iiii'?ii'~ii:??cCi~iii~iii,

.:~?~?:.~~~??~as~"l^"i',:i:-:-:::i-:::::-:-----iiiiliii-iii:iiii;iii'ii8::::::::::::::::::?::-::::::::::::::::::::::?:::::::-:.:-:-::i::i'i::::::::: .... ::::::::::::::::::::::::'----i:,i-:,iiBi'i:i:iii:ii:i::::::::::::: :::::::iiiiiii::,'-iiii;.:i::iii:i'i:iilii:::i -:" ::::::::::::::-:::-_:-::i:::i--::':ii:i:-i:i:::::::::::::::::__-_:::i---i--:_::-::i-l:i:l:,:::::-:::::: ::::::::::::::::::-::::::i:::i::::::::::::::: ..:::..:. ::::::: ::::::::::::::::_:::_:::i:i:l:i:ii~:i:-iir:~'?::.=~iil.i=iiii"iii'iii;::iii~iiiiiiiiii~iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~iiii~ii:':?:-:-::::::::.. :_::--::::::i:i:-::i:::i:::::i;:i:i:i-c:::::::::::::::::..::::'::i:-:-:::--::i:'jj:j/iiiij:iiii::-::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

:: ::::: :::::::':::::::'::iii~c~:??eaasp-i-?~aa_-~.;iH_?`rrl~`i-$-Btg:.~.:l::::: ::::::::::i:::::l:::i':i:i:-:':-:-:-::ii:l:ii:-:-.-:::::: :: :-::::::.:.:.:::::::.._::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::i::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::'::::;'::-:: ::::::::-i'i:i-i-i:i-iiiii(iiiii:i:i:iii:--::ii_:::ii:-:i:;:i:i:-:i-i-':i-::::::':::::i::::-:::::-:i:i:i-::::_:i:i:i:i:i:::i:::i:::;i:i:iiii::::::::':':':':::-''::i:iiiiliiiiiiiiiii:::.-:.::--:::i:I:-:::-:-:-:-:--:-:-:-:-:::::-:i:i:::-:-:::-:::-:-:::':::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::':::::::::::::-:-:-:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::ii:.:iiii-iii-iiii-iiii. ? :::?:?:::::-:::::_:::::i::i:i:i:i:i:::::::::::-:-::ii___i-::__:_:::::-:::::'iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-iiii-.iiiiliiii-i:i:i

:::?::::::::::::::::::::::i:i:lili:i:i:i:i:;i:i:i-l:i:i-::i:i:ii:-:::::::::::::::::i:iiiii:-i:i:ii:::i:i-ii:__::i:::::i:i:::::::::::j::::::-::::i:i:i:i:i:i:::i:i::::::i:r:i:iiii:iiiiliiiiiii?,,i.ii~?~ii:iiii-iiiiiiiii~iiii~iiiiaiii:iiiiiiiiii::lii;,iii:::::ri:i:ii:i~ii::lic:::-:i:i:i::-iiii:~iii~iiiiisiiiiii'-ii::::::::::-:-:::::::i:::::::i:i:i?:i:i:-:::::i:i:aiiii?-iiiii-iiiiiiiiiii'::':-::i:c:-:::i:;:::::i:_-----:-:-:::i:i:--,iici-,i:iii.iii~ii::::?::::::::::::::?:::::,:::::-:::i:::::::::::--:::::::::::i::::i::::::?:::::::::i

Fig. 7 A master mason detailing a

Jain temple north oTaken by the author, without t



& .a u g q t q X 00

? a h w w w tc l%

M L L ? U P M c u P ; " - & V c t

4 0 t . + m d 7 l u f ow W W ~

O V I R U M W ) 6 1 - a ~ ~ r b 4 ~

pw 4 4 p i g ? q o ( 4 w ~ t ~

W l a d ~ ~ , oA a l c y

? c V I ~ o bC 4 ? p v

e t p & T J C A u g v t f A

B U I d L A V z o i x L 4 t ~

L r e t ~ G1 ~ X

X e a a ~ q p ? ,1 4 4 A W

Fig. 8 Copy of an Edict as it

on shaft of Lauriya-Araraj

pillar shaft.

(Drawn by Margaret Hall

under author's direction)

*:g

:::lx-:--"i:i

r~~ac~~~~? tx::l::

ika~:15~"

II;

t ?,iL

,r-BB~

Cm.~Q;-:-B-

:::e?i-1_)

: ?

C: I:g

4-":.:b

~%

i,:i:jds

:::::~:

"ii;;

::I

::?*

ar

~1

7$

Fig. 9 Edict nos. 6 and 7, photographed exactly as seen today on

Delhi-Topra pillar.

(Photo by the author, '1979)



1

.............................iii

iii~ ii iiiiii iiiii

i~iiiiiiiiiiii~i~iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii:jo

i:::i-i::;iiii-iiiiii~i~isi:iiiiiiiii!!!ii•

...6

:ii-::::--:::-::---:-:-i--i-i::::::i:--::i-:i'-:::::--i:c--:ii:iiiiiiiiii-~iiii-iisii:i I:::::::-:Siiiii'iii'iii-iii

7 ig.ii iiition ofiiscriptioin elii-Toira p ilir i!iii!

8i

9iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiemiiiiiiiiiiii

10iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

11iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

12iiiiiiiiii!|

.....................3l

14iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

15i~~iiiiiiiiiiiiiil

18•i~ii

Fig. 10 Sectionof inscriptionon Delhi-Toprapillar shaft,showing exactly where Edict no. 6 ends and no. 7 continues at a later date,

in the hands of anotherstonemason.AfterJanert

-----------------------i .~::::::-:--:--:::I-::--:--::::::--:-:::-::-::i::-:--:------:-::-::--::::-----:-:-i--:----:-:-:--::::-:::iii~ii-i:l-::--iiiii~i~i-i~~i~ii~iiiiiiiiiiiiiiLxii,

_ : ~ - i - i i i i : i i i i : _ ~ - - ~ i i : : : i ii ~ - i - l i ~ - i ~ ~ i - i i i i i ~ i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i :-~l:::-:---iiiczi,-ci; ; ~ ~ ~ i i i ~ : : ~ ~ i ~ i ~ : ' : - - - - - - - : ki

o;--:ii i i i i i i i i i i i i ~ ~ - ~ - i i - ~ - - i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i ii i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i : : - ~ ~ i ~ : : : : : : - : : - : : : : : - - i i _ : i : i : i i - ~ ~ l : i i i i i i i i i i i i i ~ i - i i i i ~~_~~l i i i i i : - - : : ' ' ' ' ' - ' : : : - ' " ~ " ' " ' ' ' ' ' ' ' : i i L i i : i i - -i j _ ' i ~ i ~ : : / j i : : j iiiiiiIfFiiiiiiiiii-

: - ' i ' ~ ~ i ' ' i i ' ~ i s i i i - i i i i i ?srrIs?- ~ ~ i i i i - ~ ~ i i i - ~ ~ i i i i i i - i i i i ii i i i ~ i - i i i i i ~ i - i ; i i i ~ ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ~ ' ' ' ' ' _ _ ~_:::::-:::--------j-i L A L ,~i

? ? ? ; i : : - - -i i i i i - . - i i i i: : i : ~ i i i i i i . , s i i~iiii.iiiiii,::i:--:~;:iiJti'~ " ' ' ' ' : : : ' ' ' ' ' ' - ' ' ' : ' ' ,~ziiiai-ii;iii~iiiiiii~iiiiii~iiiiiiiiiiii~ - i i i iiniiiiiark-iii:ii

1j,:-~~---:~~: : : . : i i : : : - - - : - : : i ' ' ' : i i i i i ~ i ~ i i i : : : : : : , i i i i ~ i ~ ~ i i i ~ i l

it..:..

:-::--::-::::AF"(::

::::::1-14 A:

::-:::::::k::::::~:- ~-ii--ii--Iliai--

Fig. I I The finish of Edictno. 7 on the Delhi-Topra haft,showinghow it continuesrightround the column.AfterJanert



. . .iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. . .........i

... .. ........iiiiiiii.................................iiiiiii~i

.mmiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

i~ii~i~i!!i..

......iii

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~iiiiii.i

.

...l;!i

Fig.I2

The SarnathLion capital now in the site museum,Sarnath).Author'sphotograph



-%mm

AMF

" T o w

EM

........................

Qg::

. . .

WTI. e

OF1,

wr

l i l t

I . . ,l i l t ' : V : ? :

Fig. 13 The Schism Edict, found as the only inscription on the

Sdrndthpillar when the stump of the shaft was excavated in 1905



......angAn

ewx* &

Interof oe/ are

..........e

R A H L i o n C O , F a I A na ? o ia

..............l

Fig. 14 Drawingof left forelimbof lion on Sdrndthapital,contrastedwith a real-lifeanatomical tudy, by MargaretHall



iii~..........

i:i

Fig. I5 The Lion capital of an A'okan pillar excavated at Rampurvi, Bihir.CalcuttaMuseum,photographed by the author

Fig. I6 Sdfichi Lion capital, be



AOL-

..................... . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .

iwii

......... ........i

.... i!!iiiiiii~iiiiiiiiIiiii..

.......i~i

............... .........

ii~iiiiii~ii•!iiiiii!!il;;;iIbiiiisw

-iiiig

IMFW

Alti

II

Fig. 17 The <Schism Edict>, found as the only inscription on the Sdfichipillar when excavated in 1913



By sitting astride a column and looking down at his work, the craftsmanachievesmaximumcontrolof the chisel. This is the positiontraditionally mployedwhen the linesof an inscriptionare short; but if the text to be copied is a long one, like the Six Pillar

Edicts, anotherposition has to be sought, becauseaftercutting the first few words, thewhole columnwould have to be rolledover, in orderto bringa fresh surface o the top;and at the end of eachline, it would have to be rolledbackto the starting-point or the

beginningof the next line. For a long text, this is a very unsatisfactorymethod, since itinvolves greatlabour,with at least four rollingsfor eachline, and forty or more for theusualten lines - no mean task for an A'okan column weighing some thirtytons!

A simplermethodthereforebecomesdesirable,n order o reduce he need forfrequentand laboriousrolling.This can be achievedonly by keepingthe lines to be copiedas shortas possible,to facilitateprogressfrom the end of one line to the nextwithoutanyrollingat all. This is exactlywhat we find in the case of every pillarknown to have been bothinscribed and erected with the famous Six Pillar Edicts. The method characteristically

adoptedwas to arrange he lay-out of the text on what printers n their jargoncall the'verticalbox' system.Inthisway,each edict wasarrangedo face one of the fourdirections,which meant that no shaft would need to be rolled on the groundmore thanfour times.

(An exampleof this lay-out is indicated n the sketch at fig. 8).Switchingyour mind next from a shaftlying on the ground before erection,to one

alreadystandingbefore it was engraved,the solution would then be the opposite. Thisis exactlywhathappenedwhen the Pray ga/AllahabadPillarwas inscribed: here is everyindication hatthe stonemasonhad beenworkingfrom the shakyfoundationof some kindof ladderor scaffold,the lines of the text being long, and almostcompletely circulatingthe shaft, thus minimizingthe number of changesin level.

There is no need to spend more time on this part of my thesis, since it is fully discussed

and illustrated in my 1979 paper (see above, fn. 7). There is, however, one exception to

prove the rule, and here I allude to the Delhi-Topra nscription(figs. 9 and Io). In that

case,thepillarbears in addition o the famousSix Edicts- an evenmore famousSeventh,sometimescalled 'Aioka's LastTestament',because t was issuedafterthe firstSix, in thelast years of Aioka's long reign.

Whereas the first Six had been engraved when the shaft was lying on the ground before

erection, the Seventh was later added to the shaft when alreadystanding. In this case only,the two methods were separately employed (fig. 9). Having started the Seventh Edict on

the 'vertical box' principle described above, and illustrated here at figs. 8 and o, a sudden

change follows at line 31 where his predecessor had left off, alreadystarting to lose control

of level and uniformity of lettering. Breaking off at that point (fig. Io), he continues theSeventh Edict by the second method, carrying the remainder of the text right round the

shaft (fig. I1).

In my final remarks, I should like to correct a misjudgement in my 1973lectures (see above,

fn. 3). Looking at the pillars with a less mature eye, I singled out, as high watermark of

the series, the Sarnath Pillar (fig. 12). That choice I now recant. As I then put it, the great

appeal of the Sarnith Pillar is a timelessquality, which I identified as 'worldly authority

263



idealised'.To-day, I see no reason to revise that description,since it fits with what weknow of Aioka's politicalidealism.Yet, the world has since moved on, and manyof ushave now become innately suspicious of 'worldly authorityidealised',and see it as a

shallowcompliment.Brilliant houghthe execution of the Sdrndth apitalundoubtedlys,we fallbackon seeingit asessentiallyheraldic.Thesentiment t expressess corresponding-ly public, lackingin 'soul', as a mysticmight say. It cannot on thataccountbe placedinthe highestcategoryof creativeart,or on equalterms with suchpre-Aiokanmasterpiecesas the RdmpuirvBull (fig. i) and the SankisdElephant(fig. 2).

Nobody is likely to doubt that the Sdrndth apital s Asokan.In our presentcontext,the most significantfact to be noted is that it is another of the 'SchismPillars',as its

inscriptionreveals(fig. I3). Therefore,we now know that it was carvedbeforeanylion-

pillar bearingthe Six PillarEdicts, which were issued in 243 B.C.; it was inscribedat atime when experience n stone-engravingwas still minimal n India.

The styleof the Sdrndthnscription fig. I 3) recallseven moreforciblyPrinsep'squery

about the Praydga/Allahabadngraving: 'Why such carelesslycut letters on a shaft soregularly aperedand polished?'We now know that the SdrndthPillar, n common withother 'SchismPillars'alreadydiscussed, s amongthe firstpillars nscribedby Aioka. Farfrommarking he culminationof a trulyAlokantradition asI once supposed), t markedthe beginning. Moreover, as now seems to be clear, it was inaugurated under the tutelageof craftsmenformerlyemployed in the Perso-Hellenistic raditionof the Achaemenid

dynasty,who hadapparently eenbroughtto Indiaby Asokaespecially or thatpurpose.12In patronising he firstpillarto incorporatehis own conceptionof kingship,Aioka hadbrokenawayfromtheolder,Indianconceptionsexpressedn pre-Aiokancapitals. t mighteven be supposedthathe was impatientof the earliermagico-religiousassociationsof thebrahmanical illar-cultbased on worship of Indra as 'king of the gods'. The latter hadcome into being when India was basically ribalor semi-tribal.Now the earliercult was

beingchallengedby conceptsof imperial overeigntyAioka had takenfrom theAchaeme-nid example.Hence, the moustachioed ions of the Sdrndth apital (fig. 12) belong to a

totallydifferenttraditionof animalsculpture,not only aesthetically,but also in terms ofanatomicalobservation(fig. 14). The SmrnthLions cannot be compared n any sense of

stylewith the RdmpfirvaBull or the SankisdElephant figs. I and2) as repositoriesof thetrueIndiangeniusof animalart. We cannotescapethe observation hatthe SdrndthLionswere first in the series of Lion capitalsAioka was subsequently o commission, nscribe,anderect,terminatingwith the capitalexcavated lose to the siteof the famousBull(fig. I)at Rampfirva, the Lion now being preserved in Calcutta Museum (fig. I5).

12 wouldlike at thispointto paybelatedacknowledgemento my respected riendandcolleague,KarlKhandalawala,with whom I have sometimesexpresseddifferencesof interpretation,n this case in opposinghis view (whichon

hindsight appears o be entirely correct)that the Sdrndthpillar reveals the influences of foreign (Achaemenid)influence. hopethis eminentarthistorianwill now acceptmy personalapologyandwithdrawal.On this particularissue I amready o admit hathe wasright,thoughI reservemydifferences n other ssues nvolvingAgokanpillars.A further ssuereflectinghis correctnesss embodied n the self-styled itle A'oka used as theopeningwordsof manyof his inscriptions

(Devdanampiyaiyadassi), ften translated s 'Beloved of the Gods'. A centuryago, this term was

rightlyrecognisedby the brilliantFrench ndologistEmileSenart,asborrowed rom earlierAchaemenidnscriptionsin Persia,yet sincethen ignoredby all authoritieswritingon A'oka in English.

264



Whenallhasbeensaidabout heSdrndth onument, do not believe hat tsfamous ion

capitalwas the firstlion sculpture arvedon Indiansoil. In contradiction ith otherscholars, havealways elt thatcredit or thatachievementhouldgo to carvers f the

Vais'lilion-pillar,sarguedn partI of my Burlingtoneries n 1973 seefn.3, above).(I by-passhere what seems to me to be the specious case arguedas recentlyas 1980 -

ostensiblyby an officersigninghimselfas a memberof the Archaeologicalurveyof

India.13)A'oka, afterpackingoff to their Iranianhomelandn 2z58B.C. the Perso-Hellenisticutorswhohadguided he creation f the Sdrndthapital, ext commissionedanother ioncapitaln whatwasto mark hebeginning f a new Indian radition. t wasalsoanotherSchismPillar',histimeerected tSafichi fig.16),carvedn astyleverycloseto the Sdrndthapital ndclearlymodelled n thelatter,perhapswithina few monthsora year. Yet, it is not improbable hat Perso-Hellenisticartistswould have regardedas

unintelligibleome features f the Sdfichi bacuswith its Indianisedotus-eating eese(hamsas) reviously amiliar n pre-Asokan apitals. n fact, t wasonlyin India,and never

in Persia, hatgeesewere used to representhe CosmicWaterswhich,as we learn romothercosmogonicraditionse.g. as recordedn the Book of Genesis, ,6-7) divided heWaters bove the firmamentromthose below.

It is no surpriseo us thatthe Sdfichimonumentwas yet another SchismPillar',inscribedwhenit wasalreadytanding,nd before the existenceof anyof A'oka's Six-EdictPillars.14

13Kalyan Priya Gupta, 'New evidence from Kolhua (Vaisali) Pillar', in Purdatattva, ulletin of the ArchaeologicalSociety, New Delhi, 1979-80, pp. 145-47, with two pages of plates. Although he signs himself as an officer of the

Archaeological Survey, the author's case is oddly compounded with a mixture of unacknowledged and distorted

plagiarisms, inaccuracies, and absurdities (including the transposition of Prinsep - spelt 'Princep' - into theISthcentury, long before he was born) and interspersed with amateurish archaeological sketches. I cannot afford space

in this context to take it seriously, knowing that his 'new evidence' could not carry weight even with a first-yeararchaeological student.

14It is very much to the credit of H. Cousens, as an officer in the Archaeological Survey of Western India, that hecommented in i900oo:I think the (Sifichi) Pillar must have been engraved long after it was set up, the pillar simplyoffering a suitable surface for it. The lines are slanting and it is not by any means neatly engraved as it would havebeen in connection with the setting up of the pillar' (see fig. 17). H. Cousens, ProgressReportof theArchaeologicalurveyof Westernndia,Government of Bombay, for the year ending June, 1900, p. 4. The only point on which disagreementmight now be expressed is in his interposition of the word 'long', since the interval is not likely to have been morethan a few years (if as much).

265

Chronology of Asokan Pillars

Documents

Transcript of Chronology of Asokan Pillars