Devanampiye and Piyadasi (meaning ‘Devanampriya’ and ‘Priyadarshi’ in Sanskrit and ‘beloved of the gods’ and ‘one with a benevolent gaze’ in English) were the two names that were widely referred to, either separately or together, in the ancient inscriptions and Buddhist literature found across South Asia. Since nobody could authentically ascertain the identity of the person, different historians came up with different opinions. In the course of lengthy debate, some even attributed them to an imaginary personality and a great mythological figure.
The reading of a minor rock edict found at Maski town in Raichur district in 1915, however, solved the puzzle and unmasked the mysterious personality once and for all. The eight-line Pali inscription etched in Brahmi script on a mid-size rock lying at a cave in the middle of an Inselberg convincingly declared that Devanampiye was none other than Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. The inscription that starts with Devanampiye Asoka, is the first discovered edict of Emperor Ashoka to have his name as Asoka in contrast to all other inscriptions discovered earlier that had either Devanampiye or Piyadasi or both to refer to him.
The English translation of the edict is thus:
[A proclamation] of Devanampiye Asoka.
Two and a half years [and somewhat more] (have passed) since I am a Buddha-Sakya.
[A year and] somewhat more (has passed) [since] I have visited the Samgha and have shown zeal.
Those gods who formerly had been unmingled (with men) in Jambudvipa, have how become mingled (with them).
This object can be reached even by a lowly (person) who is devoted to morality.
One must not think thus, — (viz.) that only an exalted (person) may reach this.
Both the lowly and the exalted must be told: “If you act thus, this matter (will be) prosperous and of long duration, and will thus progress to one and a half.
“As leading epigrapher, Prof. K.R. Ganesh put it at a seminar at Hampi Kannada University in 2003, the discovery of Maski edict was an important milestone in the process of constructing the history of Indian sub-continent and South Asia. Because of this edict, historians could conclude that all the edicts having the names Devanampiye and/or Piyadasi discovered earlier belonged to the Ashokan period. Another rock edict found at Gujarra in Madhya Pradesh also mentions Ashoka by his name and titles. But it was discovered much later in 1953,” said Prof. Basavaraj Kodagunti, a linguistic scientist and researcher at the Central University of Karnataka near Kalaburagi in Karnataka. Maski is Prof. Kodagunti’s native place.
The discovery of the historically significant edict was, in fact, completely accidental. Maski, Hutti and surrounding areas in the present-day Raichur district had historically been known for their rich reserves of different metals, especially gold. It is believed that Hutti goldmine, which is just 35 km away from Maski, is one of the oldest gold mines in the world. There are historical records to indicate that the mine was extensively and intensively explored and mined even during the pre-Ashokan era. The carbon dating test of a timber piece recovered from the bottom of the Hutti mine convincingly indicated the mining activity in the mine about 1,900 years ago. The Nizam Government of Hyderabad rediscovered this ancient mine in the 1880s and its Hyderabad (Deccan) Company began gold mining in 1887.
As part of its ambitious gold exploration plans, the Nizam government sent C. Beadon, a British geologist and mining expert, to explore more gold mines in Raichur Doab, the vast area between two massive rivers – the Krishna and Tungabhadra. Beadon focused his exploration in and around Hutti which had already had a long history of gold mining and indicated rich gold deposits around it.
“One fine morning in 1915, Beadon chanced upon an inscription etched on a boulder lying in a cave formed by a huge rock in one of the rocky hills of Maski. He did not realise that he had stumbled upon something more precious than the gold he was searching for since the script and the language used in the edict could not be read and understood at the time. The importance of the Maski edict was realised after it was read and understood after some time,” says Mr. Kodagunti.
“James Prinsep, British antiquary and colonial administrator, is often credited to be the first person to decipher Ashokan edicts. There were so many edicts discovered from all over South Asia. But they could not be read and understood. Prinsep could successfully read and understand one of such edicts found in present-day Afghanistan. The edict that Prinsep decoded the Ashokan edict for the first time was a bilingual and biscriptual inscription. The content of the inscription was in two languages – one in Aramaic language written in Kharosthi script followed by Pali in Brahmi script. With the help of the relatively familiar Aramaic language in Kharosthi script, Prinsep could read the Pali lines in Brahmi script. This paved the way for the deciphering of all Ashokan edicts written in Pali with Brahmi script that were found across South Asia,” Mr. Kodaganti says, adding that the edict in Afghanistan convincingly indicated the presence of Aramaic speakers in that region.
The Ashokan edict in Maski, which is well-conserved by the natural roof and walls of heavy rock, is given additional protection with an iron wire mesh around it by ASI.
Prehistoric settlements:
Maski also provides you with a wonderful site for historical research and investigation into human life dating back to the prehistoric period extending from 12,000 BCE to 2200 BCE. Historians believe that the availability of fertile agricultural land and abundant water coupled with plentiful mineral resources had created ideal conditions for human habitation in the vast Raichur Doab formed by rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra and their tributaries.
The Maski Archaeological Research Project (MARP), an interdisciplinary project of five field sessions and one study season conducted between 2010 and 2018 by a team of researchers headed by Andrew M. Bauer from the Department of Anthropology, Stanford University in the USA and Peter G. Johansen from the Department of Anthropology, McGill University in Canada, conclusively established the fact of prehistoric human settlements in Maski hills. The intensive pedestrian survey recorded the location of 271 archaeological sites including a variety of settlements, artefact scatters, grain-milling stations, megaliths, cemeteries, iron-working locales, gold-ore mining and processing areas, rock-art panels and occupied rock shelters in the 35 square km area and around 9000 artefacts spread across the region around the study site.
“Prehistoric settlement in the region is characterised by several small Neolithic period occupations and a comparatively high number of settlement sites that are attributed to the Iron Age based on the distribution of typical diagnostic surface ceramics. Most of these sites are located on the Inselberg hills of the region and the Iron Age settlements are concentrated on and around the central Inselberg, the Durgada Gudda, where there is also evidence of occupied rock shelters during this period and expansive panels of rock art,” Andrew M. Bauer and Peter G. Johansen noted in their research paper.
The excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) conducted in Maski in the 1950s have also found the human settlements attributable to the Neolithic period between 3000 BCE and 1200 BCE. Historians also found the connections between the cities in the Indus Valley civilisation and the settlements in Maski by the fact that the stones extracted from Maski quarries were found in the form of artefacts in Harappan cities.
Till today, one can find thousands of prehistoric rock art depicting different animals on the rocks spread across hills around Maski. Unfortunately, many of the images that are easily accessible have recently been discredited by people insensitive to the historical evidences.
The Chola inscription:
Maski has even more to offer you if you are curious about the history. There is an inscription engraved on a rock which gives you an authentic insight into the bloody battle between the heavy armies Chola and Western Chalukya Empires.
Historians say that the Chola Emperor Rajendra Chola led a massive army of around 9,00,000 soldiers and defeated Chalukya Emperor Jayasimha II in Maski 1019 – 1020 CE. As a mark of his significant victory that gave him unquestionable dominance over vast areas of Deccan, the Chola Emperor left behind a Sanskrit inscription scripted in Tamil on a rock in Maski. The inscription also included the royal slogan and official emblem of the Chola Empire. It is said that this is the farthest Chola inscription in the north.
Unfortunately, little is done to protect the inscription except for a signboard erected by ASI to warn people against any disfigurement. Not even fencing or a roof-like structure is put in place to conserve the historically significant evidence.
Maski is undoubtedly an important historical site as it provides historical evidences for human habitation in the region right from the prehistoric periods and their changing social, economic and cultural life in the subsequent ages. It could be developed into a tourist destination.
Sannati (an archaeological site on the bank of Bhima River in Chittapur taluk of Kalaburagi district where ancient Buddhist Stupa built over 2000 years ago and the stone image of Emperor Ashoka were retrieved in the excavations) and Maski, if put in the Buddhist Circuit of the country and given adequate publicity at the international level, could attract a large number of tourists from across the world, especially from the countries inhabited by Buddhists.
