Pushpagiri

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Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

Puṣpagiri (पुष्पगिरि) is a fabulous mountain, the favourite resort of Varuna. [1][2]2. Pushpagiri was an ancient Buddhist mahavihara located atop Langudi Hill (or Hills) in Jajpur district of Odisha, India.

Origin

Pushpagiri (पुष्पगिरि) = puṣpa (a flower) + giri (a mountain), meaning the hill of flowers.

Variants

History

Pushpagiri Vihara, Odisha

Pushpagiri was an ancient Buddhist mahavihara located atop Langudi Hill (or Hills) in Jajpur district of Odisha, India. The complex contains ruins of stupas, rock-cut sculptures and other artifacts.

Pushpagiri was mentioned in the writings of the Chinese traveller Xuanzang (c. 602 – c. 664) and some other ancient sources. Until the 1990s, it was hypothesised to be the Lalitgiri-Ratnagiri-Udayagiri complex, also located in Jajpur district. However, archaeological excavations conducted at Langudi Hills during 1996-2006 resulted in the discovery of another site, with inscriptions describing the local monastery as puṣpa sabhar giriya, and identified by the excavators as Pushpagiri.

The visit of Xuanzang indicates that Pushpagiri was an important Buddhist site in ancient India. Along with Nalanda, Vikramashila, Odantapuri, Takshashila and Vallabhi, it is believed to be a major ancient centre of learning. It flourished between 3rd and 11th centuries CE.[3]

Chinese traveler Xuanzang (c. 602-644) describes a sangharama (monastery) named Pu-se-p'o-k'i-li in the south-west region of a country, whose name is variously transliterated as U-Cha or Wu-T-U. Scholars such as Stanislas Julien and Samuel Beal restored Pu-se-po-k'i-li as "Pushpagiri", and name of the country as Ota or "Udra".[4][5] Scholars identify this country as Odra in present-day Odisha. Xuanzang describes the monastery as follows:[6]

In the south-west of the country was the Pu-sie-p'o-k'i-li monastery in a mountain; the stone tope of this monastery exhibited supernatural lights and other miracles, sunshades placed by worshippers on it between the dome and the amalaka remained there like needles held by a magnet.

A 3rd century inscription of the Andhra Ikshvaku king Vira-purusha-datta, found at Nagarjunakonda (in present-day Andhra Pradesh), mentions that an upasika named Bodhisiri made numerous endownments to Buddhist establishments. One of these included sponsoring the erection of a stone mandapa at "Puphagiri".[7] According to Thomas E. Donaldson, this is likely same as the Pushpagiri mentioned in Xuanzang's records ("Puphagiri" being the Pali form of the Sanskrit "Pushpagiri), and was located in the present-day Odisha.[8] Pratapaditya Pal notes that if this identification is true, the site in Odisha must have been established by at least 3rd century.[9] However, some other scholars, such as Dineshchandra Sircar and B. S. L. Hanumantha Rao, identify this "Puphagiri" with Pushpagiri Temple Complex in the present-day Cuddapah District of Andhra Pradesh.[10][11]

The 9th century Buddhist monk Prajna, after spending 18 years in various places including Nalanda, settled in an unnamed monastery of Wu-ch'a (identified with Odra), before going to China.[12][13] A few scholars, such as Prabhat Mukherjee, identify this monastery with Pushpagiri.[14]

Identification: In the 20th century, a number of scholars identified the Pushpagiri mentioned in Xuanzang's records with various sites in present-day Odisha. Ramaprasad Chanda (1930) of Archaeological Survey of India believed that either Udayagiri or Lalitgiri could be the historical Pushpagiri.[15][16] Based on archaeological finds, K. C. Panigrahi (1961) hypothesized that Udayagiri, Lalitgiri and Ratnagiri formed a common complex, which was called Pushpagiri.[17] N. K. Sahu (1958) identified it somewhere in the Phulbani-Ghumsur region, based on geographical descriptions in Xuanzang's works.[18]

In 1985, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) started excavation at Lalitgiri to locate Pushpagiri. The excavation led to several important archaeological discoveries, but none of these confirmed the identification of Lalitgiri with Pushpagiri.[19]

Pushpagiri Temple Complex

Pushpagiri Temple Complex is a temple complex located in Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh, India. Founded around 7th Century CE, it houses some of the oldest temple congregations in the region. It is not to be confused with the Buddhist Pushpagiri Vihara ruins in Odisha.

Geographically Pushpagiri temple complex is located on the banks of the Pinakini river that meanders through the District which has origins on Nandi Hills in Karnataka and is at a distance of about 16 kms from the district headquarters.[20]

The river Pinakini flows from west to east, changing its course towards the south at Pushpagiri and soon after the hamlet of Sivalapalle, the river changes its course again to travel east finally opening into the sea in Nellore District.[21][22]

पुष्पगिरि

विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर[23] ने लेख किया है .....1. पुष्पगिरि (AS, p.573): पौराणिक कथाओं में वर्णित वरुण देव की विहार स्थली-- देखें डॉउसन, क्लासिकल डिक्शनरी- 'वरुण'

2. पुष्पगिरि (AS, p.573): मैसूर हालेविड से 2 मील पर पुष्पगिरि नामक पहाड़ियां हैं जहां से कृतमाला नदी निकलती है-- मार्कंडेय पुराण 57. यही मल्लिकार्जुन का मंदिर स्थित है.

3. पुष्पगिरि (AS, p.573): युवानच्वाङ्ग द्वारा उल्लिखित उड़ीसा का एक विहार.

पु‍ष्पगिरि तीर्थ

पु‍ष्पगिरि तीर्थ इंदौर-भोपाल मार्ग पर स्थित है जो कि इंदौर से 60 किमी, उज्जैन से 61 किमी. देवास से 25 किमी, भोपाल से 130 किमी तथा सोनकच्छ से 4 किमी दूरी पर है। नजदीकी रेल्वे स्टेशन- देवास, इंदौर, उज्जैन और भोपाल। नजदीकी एयरपोर्ट- इंदौर एवं भोपाल।[24]

External links

References

  1. ↑ Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary
  2. ↑ https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/pushpagiri#history
  3. ↑ Scott L. Montgomery; Alok Kumar (2015). A History of Science in World Cultures: Voices of Knowledge. Routledge. p. 121. ISBN 9781317439066.
  4. ↑ Hiuen Tsang (1885). Buddhist records of the Western World. Translated by Samuel Beal. J. R. Osgood. p. 204.
  5. ↑ Thomas Watters (1905). Thomas William Rhys Davids; Stephen Wootton Bushell (ed.). On Yuan Chwang's travels in India, 629-645 A.D. London: Royal Asiatic Society. pp. 193–194.
  6. ↑ Thomas E. Donaldson (2001). Iconography of the Buddhist Sculpture of Orissa. Abhinav. pp. 4–. ISBN 978-81-7017-406-6.
  7. ↑ ratapaditya Pal (2001). Orissa Revisited. Marg. p. 29
  8. ↑ Thomas E. Donaldson (2001). Iconography of the Buddhist Sculpture of Orissa. Abhinav. pp. 4–. ISBN 978-81-7017-406-6.
  9. ↑ Pratapaditya Pal (2001). Orissa Revisited. Marg. p. 29.
  10. ↑ D. C. Sircar (1939). The Successors of the Sātavāhanas in Lower Deccan. University of Calcutta. p. 33.
  11. ↑ B. S. L. Hanumantha Rao (1993). Religion in Andhra. Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of A.P. p. 87.
  12. ↑ Pratapaditya Pal (2001). Orissa Revisited. Marg. p. 29.
  13. ↑ Bimalendu Mohanty (14 May 2014). Odisha's contribution to Buddhism written in golden letters. The Pioneer.
  14. ↑ Prabhat Mukherjee (1964). The Buddhist Remains of Orissa. Cuttack: Government of Orissa. p. 3.
  15. ↑ The Brooklyn Museum Annual, Volume 8. Brooklyn Museum. 1966. p. 118.
  16. ↑ Ramaprasad Chanda (1930). Exploration in Orissa. Memoirs of the Archaeological Survey of India No.44. Calcutta: Govt. of India, Central Publication Branch. p. 6.
  17. ↑ Krishna Chandra Panigrahi (1961). Archaeological Remains at Bhubaneswar. Orient Longmans. p. 33.
  18. ↑ N. K. Sahu (1958). Buddhism in Orissa. Utkal University. p. 50
  19. ↑ "ASI hope for hill heritage – Conservation set to start at Orissa site". The Telegraph. 29 January 2007.
  20. ↑ Subramanyam, M. V. (3 August 2012). "Rope suspension bridge at Pushpagiri". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X.
  21. ↑ "Ground Water Brochure, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh" (PDF). Central Ground Water Board. GOI.
  22. ↑ "Cuddapah District Administration". Cuddapah District Administration Website. Government of Andhra Pradesh.
  23. ↑ Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.573
  24. ↑ पु‍ष्पगिरि तीर्थ
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