->Viswajeet kumar sriwastava: Significance

2021-08-12T10:17:15Z

Significance

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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox ancient site
| name = Rampurva capitals
| native_name =
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| image = [[File:Rampurva_bull_in_Presidential_Palace_high_closeup.jpg|300px]]
| alt =
| caption = Original bull capital of Rampurva, one of the [[Pillars of Ashoka]], now located in the Presidential Palace of [[Rashtrapati Bhavan]], [[New Delhi]]. 3rd century BCE.
| map_type = India# India Bihar
| map_alt =
| map_size =
| relief = yes
| coordinates = {{Coord|27|16|11.75|N|84|29|58.08|E|region:IN_type:landmark_dim:20|display=inline, title}}
| location = [[West Champaran district]], [[Bihar]], [[India]].
| region =
| type = Settlement
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{{Other places|Rampurwa (disambiguation){{!}}Rampurwa}}
The '''Rampurva capitals''' are the [[capital (architecture)|capitals]] of a pair of [[Pillars of Ashoka|Ashoka Pillars]] discovered in {{Circa|1876}} by [[A. C. L. Carlleyle]].<ref name="eb">{{cite web | url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/490791/Rampurva | title=Rampurva | publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica | accessdate=7 October 2014}}</ref><ref name="allen">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VAPq4yGXmIIC | title=The Buddha and Dr. Führer: An Archaeological Scandal | publisher=Penguin Books India | author=Allen, Charles | authorlink=Charles Allen (writer) | year=2010 | pages=66–67 | isbn=0143415743}}</ref> The archaeological site is called Rampurva, and is located in the [[West Champaran district]] of the [[India]]n state of [[Bihar]], situated very close to the border with [[Nepal]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bihartourism.gov.in/districts/west%20champaran/Rampurva.html | title=Rampurva | publisher=Bihar Tourism | accessdate=7 October 2014}}</ref> The lion capital is now in the [[Indian Museum]] in [[Kolkota]], while the bull capital is located at the center of the porch of the [[Rashtrapati Bhavan]], the Indian Presidential Palace.

==Buddhist significance==
[[Laurence Waddell|Waddell]] in 1896 suggested that the death or [[parinirvana]] of [[Gautama Buddha]] was in the region of Rampurva: "I believe that Kusīnagara, where the Buddha died may be ultimately found to the North of [[Bettiah]], and in the line of the Açōka pillars which lead hither from [[Patna]] (Pāțaliputra)."<ref>"A Tibetan Guide-book to the Lost Sites of the Buddha's Birth and Death", [[L. A. Waddell]]. [[Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal]], 1896, p. 279.</ref> Modern scholarship, based on archaeological evidence, believes that the Buddha died in [[Kushinagar]] (Uttar Pradesh).<ref>{{cite book|author=United Nations|title=Promotion of Buddhist Tourism Circuits in Selected Asian Countries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F9ZhFMWSYKsC&pg=PA23|year=2003|publisher=United Nations Publications|isbn=978-92-1-120386-8|pages=23–24}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Kevin Trainor |title=Buddhism: The Illustrated Guide |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_PrloTKuAjwC |year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-517398-7 |pages=41 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Elizabeth Lyons|author2=Heather Peters|author3=Chʻeng-mei Chang|title=Buddhism: History and Diversity of a Great Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hkdxmAYVbJUC&pg=PA17|year=1985|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology|isbn=978-0-934718-76-9|page=17}};<br>{{cite book|author=Fred S. Kleiner |title=Gardner's Art through the Ages: Non-Western Perspectives |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TlVeuxIgjwQC |year=2009|publisher=Cengage |isbn=0-495-57367-1 |pages=13, 31 }}</ref>

==Rampurava lion capital==
[[File:Rampurva pillar north face.jpg|thumb|left|Rampurva edicts on the lion pillar.]]
The lion pillar is inscribed with the [[Major Pillar Edicts]] of the [[Edicts of Ashoka]], Pillar Edicts I, II, III, IV, V, VI.<ref name="BA">''Buddhist architecture, Huu Phuoc Le, Grafikol, 2010 [https://books.google.com/books?id=9jb364g4BvoC&pg=PA36 p.36-40]</ref>

==Rampurva bull capital==
The Rampurva bull capital is noted as one of the seven remaining animal [[capital (architecture)|capitals]] from the [[Pillars of Ashoka]]. It is composed of a [[List of plants known as lotus|lotiform]] base, with an [[abacus (architecture)|abacus]] decorated with floral designs, and the realistic depiction of a [[zebu]] bull.

The abacus in particular displays a strong influence of [[Greek art]]: it is composed of [[honeysuckles]] alternated with stylized [[palmette]]s and small [[rosette (design)|rosettes]].<ref>"Buddhist Architecture" by Huu Phuoc Le, Grafikol, 2010, p.40 [https://books.google.fr/books?id=9jb364g4BvoC&pg=PA40]</ref> A similar kind of capital can be seen at the basis of the [[Sankassa]] elephant capital. A similar frieze is also visible on the [[Diamond throne]] built by Ashoka at [[Bodh Gaya]]. These design likely originated in Greek and Near-Eastern arts.<ref>"Buddhist Architecture" by Huu Phuoc Le,
Grafikol, 2010, p.44 [https://books.google.fr/books?id=9jb364g4BvoC&pg=PA44]</ref>

The bull is without inscriptions, presumably because its twin pillar, the Rampurava lion pillar already had them and therefore there was no need to repeat.<ref name="BA"/> It is thought that the bull symbol is not related to the bull [[Nandi (bull)|Nandi]] of [[Hinduism]], as Ashoka was quite eclectic in his choice of animals for his pillars anyway: lions, elephants, camels, geese, and horses are known.<ref name="BA"/>

<gallery mode="nolines" heights="100">
File:Rampurva Pillar excavation 1877.jpg|Rampurva pillar excavation 1877.
File:Rampurva pillars.jpg|Remains of the pillars today.
File:Original Rampurva bull at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New delhi, India.jpg|Original Rampurva bull up the stairs of [[Rashtrapati Bhavan]], [[New Delhi]].
</gallery>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 80%; width: 100%;" cellpadding="3" align="center" colspan="2"
| colspan="2" style="background:#F4A460; font-size: 100%;" align="center" | '''Rampurva capitals'''
|-
| style="font-size: 100%; width: 1%;" align="center" |Lion capital
| colspan="1" style="font-size: 100%;" align="center" |
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
Rampurva lion excavation 1907.jpg|Rampurva lion excavation in 1907.
Lion Capital - Chunar Sandstone - Circa 3rd Century BCE - Rampurva - ACCN 6298-6299 - Indian Museum - Kolkata 2014-04-04 4432.JPG|Front, right quarter. The [[abacus (architecture)|abacus]] is decorated with [[Hamsa (bird)|hamsa]] geese.
Lion Capital - Chunar Sandstone - Circa 3rd Century BCE - Rampurva - ACCN 6298-6299 - Indian Museum - Kolkata 2014-04-04 4345.JPG|Front, left quarter
Lion Capital - Chunar Sandstone - Circa 3rd Century BCE - Rampurva - ACCN 6298-6299 - Indian Museum - Kolkata 2014-04-04 4368.JPG|Left side
Lion Capital - Chunar Sandstone - Circa 3rd Century BCE - Rampurva - ACCN 6298-6299 - Indian Museum - Kolkata 2014-04-04 4343.JPG|Back, left quarter
Lion Capital - Chunar Sandstone - Circa 3rd Century BCE - Rampurva - ACCN 6298-6299 - Indian Museum - Kolkata 2014-04-04 4350.JPG|Back, right quarter
</gallery>
|-
| style="font-size: 100%; width: 1%;" align="center" |Bull capital
| colspan="1" style="font-size: 100%;" align="center" |
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Rampurva bull excavation 1907.jpg|Rampurva bull excavation in 1907.
File:Rampurva bull at time of discovery.jpg|Rampurva bull at time of discovery.
File:GODL Rampurva bull front.jpg|Rampurva bull, front
File:GODL Rampurva bull in profile.jpg|Rampurva bull, in profile
File:GODL Rampurva bull left side.jpg|Rampurva bull, left side
</gallery>
|}

==See also==
{{Commonscat|Rampurva}}
* [[Pillars of Ashoka]]
* [[Edicts of Ashoka]]
* [[Early Indian epigraphy]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Edicts of Ashoka}}
[[Category:Monumental columns in India]]
[[Category:Indian inscriptions]]
[[Category:History of Bihar]]
[[Category:Mauryan art]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Bihar]]
[[Category:Sculptures from Bihar]]

Rampurva capitals - Revision history

->Viswajeet kumar sriwastava: Significance