 One of the Shiva temple ruins at Ahichhatra . | |
  Ahichchhatra Shown within South Asia Show map of South Asia Ahichchhatra Ahichchhatra (Uttar Pradesh) Show map of Uttar Pradesh | |
| Location | Uttar Pradesh,India |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 28°22′16″N79°08′10″E / 28.371°N 79.136°E /28.371; 79.136 |
| Type | Temples |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 1500 BCE |
| Cultures | Ochre Coloured Pottery culture,Black and red ware,Painted Grey Ware culture,Gupta Empire |
Ahichchhatra orAhikhet (Sanskrit:अहिच्छत्र,IAST:Ahicchatra) orAhikshetra (Sanskrit:अहिक्षेत्र,IAST:Ahikṣetra), near the modernRamnagar village inAonla tehsil,Bareilly district inUttar Pradesh, India, was the ancientcapital of NorthernPanchala, a northern Indian kingdom mentioned in theMahabharata.[2]
Most of the city was half a mile north-east of the modern village, with a large mound, popularly called the fort, two miles west of this. Several significant finds of sculpture, in both stone and (especially)terracotta of the early centuries CE, have been made at the site and are now in various museums. Excavations have uncovered nine strata, the lowest from before the 3rd century BCE and the latest from the 11th century CE.[3]
The city appears to have reached its height during the period of theGupta Empire. The region lacks sources of good stone and was a centre for makingIndian pottery at various periods, and in the early CE the temples were decorated with unusually large terracottarelief panels and sculptures, many of very high quality.[4]
The wordAhi meanssnake orNaga inSanskrit.Nagas were a group of ancient people who worshiped serpents. The wordkhsetra meansregion in Sanskrit. This implies thatAhi-kshetra was a region of Nagas.
Vividha Tirtha Kalpa, composed by Jain Acharya Jinaprabha Suri in the 14th century CE, mentions Samkhyāvatǐ as the earlier name of Ahichchhatra and describes two Jain temples dedicated to Parshvanatha in the area. Ahikshetra is mentioned asShankavai Samkhyavati inVividhatirthakalpa.[5]
According to Jain Tradition, the history of Ahichchhatra traditionally starts from the period of1st Tirthankara Rishabhanatha. It was visited by all 24 Tirthankaras. Ahichchhatra is believed to be the place whereParshvanatha, the 23rdTirthankar of Jainism, attainedKevala Jnana (omniscience).[6]
Ahichchhatra was one of the sixteenMahajanapadas.[7] Several ancient Jaināyāgapaṭa were excavated from this site, including the famousNāṃdighoṣa āyāgapaṭa dated earlyc. 15 CE.[8][9][10] 27 Jain inscriptions discovered here bear dates prior to 100 CE.[11]
Alois Anton Führer excavated a Jain temple constructed during the reign ofIndo-Scythians dynasty, enhrining idols from 96—152 CE.[12] A number of Jain temples were discovered byAlexander Cunningham during excavation.[13] Many idols, stupas and pillars from theKushan andGupta periods have been discovered in Ahichchhatra.[14]
Vividha Tirtha Kalpa, composed by Śvetāmbara Acharya Jinaprabha Suri in the 14th century CE, mentions Samkhyāvatǐ as the earlier name of Ahichchhatra and describes two Jain temples dedicated to Parshvanatha in the area.[15] According toAhicchatra-nagri-kalpa, this place was visited by GoddessAmbika.[16]Kaivalyamala, written by ŚvetāmbaraJain acharya Udyotansuri inc. 778 CE,[17][18] mentions that Harigupta of theGupta Empire tookdiksha here.[14][19]
Its history reaches back to lateVedic times, at which time it was capital of the Panchala kingdom. The name is writtenAhikshetras as well asAhi-chhatra, but the local legend of Adi Raja a Naga Descendent, who formed a Naga canopy over his head, when asleep, shows that the later is his correct form. The fort is said to have been built by the Adi Raja, aNāga Descendent fromVasuki[20] whose future elevation sovereignty was foretold byDrona, when he found him sleeping under the guardianship of a serpent with expended hood. The fort is also calledAdikot.[21]
The last independent ruler of Ahichatra wasAchyuta Naga, who was defeated bySamudragupta, after which Panchala was annexed into theGupta Empire.[22] The coins of Achyuta found from Ahichatra have a wheel of eight spokes on the reverse and the legendAchyu on the obverse.[23]
The site was briefly explored by SirAlexander Cunningham in 1871, and then excavated by the ASI from 1940 for "about five years".[3] The excavations found brick fortifications and continuity of occupation from a period before 600 BCE to 1100 CE.[24] During the first excavations in 1940–44, thePainted Gray Ware pottery were found at the earliest level. Ruins of this city could be identified from theremote sensing imagery of IRS (Indian Remote Sensing) satellites. The ruins reveal that the city had a triangular shape. Recent excavations in Ahichchhatra showed it was first inhabited by the middle of the second millennium BC withOchre Coloured Pottery culture people, followed byBlack and Red Ware culture. Around 1000 BC, it reached at least 40 hectares of area, making it one of the largestPainted Grey Ware culture sites. Evidence of construction of early fortifications were discovered around 1000 BC indicating first urban development.[25][26] Near Ahichchhatra, 2 km to its west there is a big pond which is said to trace its ancestry to the time of Mahabharata. The pond, located in the village of Jagannathpur is said to have been made by the pandavas at the time of their forest dwelling (vanvas).
In the early Gupta period a section of the city set aside for pottery contained very large firing pits, some 10 or 12 feet deep.[27]
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Ahichchhatra is believed to be the place whereParshvanatha, the 23rdTirthankar of Jainism, attainedKevala Jnana (omniscience). The temples in Ahichchhatra are built to commemorateParshvanatha attainingKēvalajñāna kalyāṇaka.[28] This temple is dedicated to Parshvanatha and is major Jain pilgrimage center.[29][30] According toUttar Pradesh Tourism, Ahichhatra Jain Temple witnessed over 4 lakh visitors in 2017.[31] Ahichhatra Jain Mela is the primary festival of this temple and is organized annually in March.[30]
According toVividha Tirtha Kalpa, Kamath in an attempt to obstruct Parshvanatha from achievingKevala Jnana caused continuous rain. Parshvanatha was immersed in water up to his neck and to protect him the serpent godDharanendra held a canopy of thousand hoods over his head and the goddessPadmavati coiled herself around his body.Ahichchhatra Jain temples are built to commemorate Parshvanatha attainingKēvalajñāna kalyāṇaka.[28][32]
From the Revati Bahoda Khera Station on Chandosi – Bareilly Line, vehicle of Kshetra and other vehicles are available.Road: - Buses are available from Delhi, Meerut, Aligarh, Lucknow, Kasganj & Badaun.Train: - Trains are available from Delhi, Bareilly, Agra, Moradabad, Aligarh to Revati Bahoda Khera Station and vehicles are all time available for Ramnagar from Revati Bahoda Khera Station.Airport: - Delhi 250 km
Nainital – 180 kmHastinapur Atishaya Kshetra – 200 kmKampilji Atishaya Kshetra – 180 kmManglayatan (Aligarh) – 180 kmBareilly – 55 km
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