Kharvela’s Hanthigumfa inscription

  • Hanthigumfa inscription was inscribed by the Jain ruler Kharvel of Chedi kingdom (earlier Kalinga) between the 2nd-century BCE-1st century CE.Everything You Need To Know About Kharvela’S Hanthigumfa Inscription

    Fig: A portion of the inscription (Image source: Wikipedia)

  • The inscription is incised in a Cavern called Hanthigumfa of the Udaigiri Hills in Odisha.Everything You Need To Know About Kharvela’S Hanthigumfa Inscription

    • It consists of 17 lines written in Prakrit language using Brahmi script.

    • It describes Kharvel’s biography, administration, and the socio-cultural aspect of his rule. It also gives and year-wise achievements of the king.

    • Significance:

      • It is the primary source of information about Kharvela.

        • It makes mention of the Magadhan conquest of Kalinga by Magadha: Mahapadmananda (or Ugrasen) annexed Kalinga, assumed the title ‘ekarat’ (the sole sovereign) and sarva-kshatrantaka (uprooter of the Kshatriyas), brought Jina as a trophy.

        • It describes Kharvela’s great victory over Magadha.

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