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Ahichchhatra
Ahichchhatra or Ahikhet (Sanskrit: अहिच्छत्र, IAST: Ahicchatra) or Ahikshetra (Sanskrit: अहिक्षेत्र, IAST: Ahikṣetra), near the modern Ramnagar village in Aonla tehsil, Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh, India, was the ancient capital of Northern Panchala, a northern Indian kingdom mentioned in the Mahabharata.
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.
The city appears to have reached its height during the period of the Gupta Empire. The region lacks sources of good stone and was a centre for making Indian pottery at various periods, and in the early CE the temples were decorated with unusually large terracotta relief panels and sculptures, many of very high quality.
The word Ahi means snake or Naga in Sanskrit. Nagas were a group of ancient people who worshiped serpents. The word khsetra means region in Sanskrit. This implies that Ahi-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 as Shankavai Samkhyavati in Vividhatirthakalpa.
According to Jain Tradition, the history of Ahichchhatra traditionally starts from the period of 1st Tirthankara Rishabhanatha. It was visited by all 24 Tirthankaras. Ahichchhatra is believed to be the place where Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankar of Jainism, attained Kevala Jnana (omniscience).
Ahichchhatra was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas. Several ancient Jain āyāgapaṭa were excavated from this site, including the famous Nāṃdighoṣa āyāgapaṭa dated early c. 15 CE. 27 Jain inscriptions discovered here bear dates prior to 100 CE.
Alois Anton Führer excavated a Jain temple constructed during the reign of Indo-Scythians dynasty, enhrining idols from 96—152 CE. A number of Jain temples were discovered by Alexander Cunningham during excavation. Many idols, stupas and pillars from the Kushan and Gupta periods have been discovered in Ahichchhatra.
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Ahichchhatra
Ahichchhatra or Ahikhet (Sanskrit: अहिच्छत्र, IAST: Ahicchatra) or Ahikshetra (Sanskrit: अहिक्षेत्र, IAST: Ahikṣetra), near the modern Ramnagar village in Aonla tehsil, Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh, India, was the ancient capital of Northern Panchala, a northern Indian kingdom mentioned in the Mahabharata.
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.
The city appears to have reached its height during the period of the Gupta Empire. The region lacks sources of good stone and was a centre for making Indian pottery at various periods, and in the early CE the temples were decorated with unusually large terracotta relief panels and sculptures, many of very high quality.
The word Ahi means snake or Naga in Sanskrit. Nagas were a group of ancient people who worshiped serpents. The word khsetra means region in Sanskrit. This implies that Ahi-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 as Shankavai Samkhyavati in Vividhatirthakalpa.
According to Jain Tradition, the history of Ahichchhatra traditionally starts from the period of 1st Tirthankara Rishabhanatha. It was visited by all 24 Tirthankaras. Ahichchhatra is believed to be the place where Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankar of Jainism, attained Kevala Jnana (omniscience).
Ahichchhatra was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas. Several ancient Jain āyāgapaṭa were excavated from this site, including the famous Nāṃdighoṣa āyāgapaṭa dated early c. 15 CE. 27 Jain inscriptions discovered here bear dates prior to 100 CE.
Alois Anton Führer excavated a Jain temple constructed during the reign of Indo-Scythians dynasty, enhrining idols from 96—152 CE. A number of Jain temples were discovered by Alexander Cunningham during excavation. Many idols, stupas and pillars from the Kushan and Gupta periods have been discovered in Ahichchhatra.