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Topra Kalan
Topra, combined name for the larger Topra Kalan and adjacent smaller Topra Khurd, is a Mauryan Empire-era village in Yamunanagar district of Haryana state in India. It lies 14 km west of Yamunanagar, 14 km from Radaur and 90 km from Chandigarh.
Earlier the village was named as Nigambondh after Buddha, also likely the Kamasdhamma the place mentioned in Pali texts in the Kuru country where the Buddha delivered three of his major sermons: Mahasatipatthana Sutta, Magandiya Sutta and Mahanidana Sutta.
Vedic era's Painted Grey Ware (PGW), tentatively dated to 1500 BCE, were found at Topra Kalan during an exploration by the Haryana Archaeology Department in 2025. After conducting the in situ on-ground exploration, Ground Penetrating Radar survey by IIT Kanpur was conducted which showed several structures, such as "hollow structures, round structures, and walls," buried 5 meter deep around the village temple. Excavation is yet to be carried out.
There use to be 4 Buddhist stupas as mentioned by Xuanzang, now extinct, at this village making it one of the largest Buddhist site in Haryana.
Situated in Pong valley of is the original home of Delhi-Topra pillar (originally located at 30°07′44″N 77°09′35″E / 30.12889°N 77.15965°E), one of many pillars of Ashoka, that was moved from Topra to Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi in 1356 CE by Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1309-1388 CE).
The original inscription on the Delhi-Topra Ashokan obelisk is primarily in Brahmi script, but the language was Prakrit, with some Pali and Sanskrit added later. The inscription was successfully translated in 1837 by James Prinsep. This and other ancient lats (pillars, obelisk) have earned Feroz Shah Tughlaq and Delhi Sultanate fame for its architectural patronage.
The Sultanate had wanted to break and reuse the Ashokan pillar for a minaret. Feroz Shah Tuhglaq, however decided to erect it near the mosque instead. At the time of re-installation of the obelisk in Delhi, in 1356, no one knew the meaning of the script engraved in the stone.
About five hundred years later, the script (Brahmi) was deciphered by James Prinsep in 1837 with help from scripts discovered on other pillars and tablets in South Asia.
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Topra Kalan
Topra, combined name for the larger Topra Kalan and adjacent smaller Topra Khurd, is a Mauryan Empire-era village in Yamunanagar district of Haryana state in India. It lies 14 km west of Yamunanagar, 14 km from Radaur and 90 km from Chandigarh.
Earlier the village was named as Nigambondh after Buddha, also likely the Kamasdhamma the place mentioned in Pali texts in the Kuru country where the Buddha delivered three of his major sermons: Mahasatipatthana Sutta, Magandiya Sutta and Mahanidana Sutta.
Vedic era's Painted Grey Ware (PGW), tentatively dated to 1500 BCE, were found at Topra Kalan during an exploration by the Haryana Archaeology Department in 2025. After conducting the in situ on-ground exploration, Ground Penetrating Radar survey by IIT Kanpur was conducted which showed several structures, such as "hollow structures, round structures, and walls," buried 5 meter deep around the village temple. Excavation is yet to be carried out.
There use to be 4 Buddhist stupas as mentioned by Xuanzang, now extinct, at this village making it one of the largest Buddhist site in Haryana.
Situated in Pong valley of is the original home of Delhi-Topra pillar (originally located at 30°07′44″N 77°09′35″E / 30.12889°N 77.15965°E), one of many pillars of Ashoka, that was moved from Topra to Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi in 1356 CE by Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1309-1388 CE).
The original inscription on the Delhi-Topra Ashokan obelisk is primarily in Brahmi script, but the language was Prakrit, with some Pali and Sanskrit added later. The inscription was successfully translated in 1837 by James Prinsep. This and other ancient lats (pillars, obelisk) have earned Feroz Shah Tughlaq and Delhi Sultanate fame for its architectural patronage.
The Sultanate had wanted to break and reuse the Ashokan pillar for a minaret. Feroz Shah Tuhglaq, however decided to erect it near the mosque instead. At the time of re-installation of the obelisk in Delhi, in 1356, no one knew the meaning of the script engraved in the stone.
About five hundred years later, the script (Brahmi) was deciphered by James Prinsep in 1837 with help from scripts discovered on other pillars and tablets in South Asia.