>WikiCleanerBot m v2.04b - Bot T20 CW#61 - Fix errors for CW project (Reference before punctuation) |
RobbyAyres (talk | contribs) fixes |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date= | {{Short description|Mauryan Princess}} | ||
{{Use Indian English|date= | {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}} | ||
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2025}} | |||
{{more citations needed|date=October 2014}} | {{more citations needed|date=October 2014}} | ||
{{distinguish|text = [[Charumitra]] or the character Charumati in the TV show [[Chandra_Nandini#Recurring_cast|Chandra Nandini]] }} | {{distinguish|text = [[Charumitra (disambiguation)|Charumitra]] or the character Charumati in the TV show ''[[Chandra_Nandini#Recurring_cast|Chandra Nandini]]'' }} | ||
{{Infobox royalty | {{Infobox royalty | ||
| image = | | image = Charumati_Stupa,_Kathmandu_(2023)_-_img_01.jpg | ||
| caption = The Charumati Vihara ( | | caption = The [[Charumati Stupa|Charumati Vihara]] stupa (pictured) was built by Charumati | ||
| spouse = Devapala | | spouse = Devapala | ||
| father = [[Ashoka]] | | father = [[Ashoka]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Charumati | '''Charumati''' ([[Brahmi]]: 𑀘𑀸 𑀭𑀼𑀼 𑀫𑀓𑀻), sometimes called '''Charumitra''',<ref>{{cite book|title=Bauddha Adhyayana Kī Bhāratīya Patrika, Volume 8|page=74|year=1996|publisher=Tara Book Agency|author=BJK Institute of Buddhist & Asian Studies}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Jk6oE4sh18C&dq=%22Charumitra%22&pg=PA193|page=193|title=India and Nepal: Sacred Centres and Anthropological Researches|author=Makhan Jha|year=1998|isbn=9788175330818|publisher=M.D. Publications}}</ref> was a daughter of the Indian [[Maurya Empire|Maurya]] Emperor [[Ashoka]] and his chief queen, Empress [[Asandhimitra]]. She was trained in nursing and caregiving by her foster mother and is believed to have tended to Emperor Ashoka in his later years.<ref>'''Dhanavajra Vajracharya''', Licchavikalin Abhilekha, Kathmandu : Nepal Asiali Adyayan Sansthan, 2030 B.S. p-392</ref> | ||
She was married to a Nepalese prince, '''Devapala Kshatriya''', and settled in the Kathmandu Valley. She is credited with founding the monastery of [[Chabahil]] (called [[Charumati Stupa|Charumati Vihara]]), which is considered one of the oldest extant Buddhist monasteries of Nepal. | |||
==Life== | |||
Charumati accompanied her father Ashoka on his Buddhist pilgrimage along with his spiritual teacher Upagupta, and according to later traditions, she helped establish the Buddhist order in Nepal. Several scriptures and chronicles, including Nepalese Buddhist oral traditions, describe her journey and role in spreading the teachings of the Buddha in the Himalayas.<ref>[http://www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/2331 Thingsasian]</ref> | |||
While references to her were found in texts, no archaeological proof existed until 2003, when a brick bearing inscriptions with her name was discovered during restoration of the Dhando Chaitya in Chabahil. The upper face is inscribed with ''Cha Ru Wa Ti'' in Brahmi, and with ''Cha Ru Wa Ti Dhande / He Tu Pra Bha'' in Bhujimol script. The brick measures 35.5 cm × 23 cm × 7 cm and weighs 8.6 kg. | |||
==Charumati Vihara (Chabahil Stupa)== | |||
The [[Charumati Stupa]] or '''Chabahil Stupa''' is a large Buddhist monument built under her patronage in Kathmandu, Nepal. It remains an important religious site and is surrounded by monasteries and Shakya households who maintain the daily rituals and festivals associated with it. The vihara is unique in that it links the Mauryan imperial Buddhist legacy with the localized Newar Buddhist traditions of the Kathmandu Valley. | |||
==Lineage and Present-day Descendants== | |||
Charumati’s marriage to Devapala symbolically united the Mauryan imperial house of India with the Kshatriya-Buddhist ruling clans of Nepal. According to both Buddhist chronicles and oral traditions preserved by Newar Buddhist priests, her descendants continued to live around the Chabahil area. | |||
Today, several families of the '''Shakya community''' in Chabahil and surrounding localities claim descent from the line of Devapala and Charumati.<ref>{{cite book|title=Licchavikalin Abhilekha|author=Dhanavajra Vajracharya|publisher=Nepal Asiali Adyayan Sansthan|year=1973 |page=392 |language=ne}}</ref> These families are recognized as hereditary custodians of the Charumati Bihar and play a key role in maintaining its rituals. This connection is often highlighted as a living link between the Mauryan bloodline and present-day Nepalese Buddhist traditions. | |||
==Legacy== | |||
* Establishment of one of the oldest known Buddhist stupas in Nepal. | |||
* Preservation of Mauryan imperial bloodline through intermarriage with Nepalese Kshatriya clans. | |||
* Revered as a symbol of the Maurya–Nepal connection and as a cultural bridge between India and Nepal. | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist | {{reflist}} | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
* [[List of Stupas in Nepal]] | * [[List of Stupas in Nepal]] | ||
* [[Buddhism]] | * [[Buddhism in Nepal]] | ||
* [[Ashoka]] | * [[Ashoka]] | ||
* [[Chabahil]] | * [[Chabahil]] | ||
{{coord missing|Nepal}} | {{coord missing|Nepal}} | ||
{{authority control}} | {{authority control}} | ||
[[Category:Nepalese royalty]] | [[Category:Nepalese royalty]] | ||
[[Category:Mauryan | [[Category:Mauryan princesses]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Children of Ashoka]] | ||
[[Category:Indian Buddhists]] | |||
[[Category:Nepalese Buddhists]] | |||
{{Nepal-royal-stub}} | |||
Latest revision as of 19:55, 26 September 2025
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2014) |
| Charumati | |
|---|---|
_-_img_01.jpg) The Charumati Vihara stupa (pictured) was built by Charumati | |
| Spouse | Devapala |
| Father | Ashoka |
Charumati (Brahmi: 𑀘𑀸 𑀭𑀼𑀼 𑀫𑀓𑀻), sometimes called Charumitra,[1][2] was a daughter of the Indian Maurya Emperor Ashoka and his chief queen, Empress Asandhimitra. She was trained in nursing and caregiving by her foster mother and is believed to have tended to Emperor Ashoka in his later years.[3]
She was married to a Nepalese prince, Devapala Kshatriya, and settled in the Kathmandu Valley. She is credited with founding the monastery of Chabahil (called Charumati Vihara), which is considered one of the oldest extant Buddhist monasteries of Nepal.
Life[edit | edit source]
Charumati accompanied her father Ashoka on his Buddhist pilgrimage along with his spiritual teacher Upagupta, and according to later traditions, she helped establish the Buddhist order in Nepal. Several scriptures and chronicles, including Nepalese Buddhist oral traditions, describe her journey and role in spreading the teachings of the Buddha in the Himalayas.[4]
While references to her were found in texts, no archaeological proof existed until 2003, when a brick bearing inscriptions with her name was discovered during restoration of the Dhando Chaitya in Chabahil. The upper face is inscribed with Cha Ru Wa Ti in Brahmi, and with Cha Ru Wa Ti Dhande / He Tu Pra Bha in Bhujimol script. The brick measures 35.5 cm × 23 cm × 7 cm and weighs 8.6 kg.
Charumati Vihara (Chabahil Stupa)[edit | edit source]
The Charumati Stupa or Chabahil Stupa is a large Buddhist monument built under her patronage in Kathmandu, Nepal. It remains an important religious site and is surrounded by monasteries and Shakya households who maintain the daily rituals and festivals associated with it. The vihara is unique in that it links the Mauryan imperial Buddhist legacy with the localized Newar Buddhist traditions of the Kathmandu Valley.
Lineage and Present-day Descendants[edit | edit source]
Charumati’s marriage to Devapala symbolically united the Mauryan imperial house of India with the Kshatriya-Buddhist ruling clans of Nepal. According to both Buddhist chronicles and oral traditions preserved by Newar Buddhist priests, her descendants continued to live around the Chabahil area.
Today, several families of the Shakya community in Chabahil and surrounding localities claim descent from the line of Devapala and Charumati.[5] These families are recognized as hereditary custodians of the Charumati Bihar and play a key role in maintaining its rituals. This connection is often highlighted as a living link between the Mauryan bloodline and present-day Nepalese Buddhist traditions.
Legacy[edit | edit source]
- Establishment of one of the oldest known Buddhist stupas in Nepal.
- Preservation of Mauryan imperial bloodline through intermarriage with Nepalese Kshatriya clans.
- Revered as a symbol of the Maurya–Nepal connection and as a cultural bridge between India and Nepal.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ BJK Institute of Buddhist & Asian Studies (1996). Bauddha Adhyayana Kī Bhāratīya Patrika, Volume 8. Tara Book Agency. p. 74.
- ↑ Makhan Jha (1998). India and Nepal: Sacred Centres and Anthropological Researches. M.D. Publications. p. 193. ISBN 9788175330818.
- ↑ Dhanavajra Vajracharya, Licchavikalin Abhilekha, Kathmandu : Nepal Asiali Adyayan Sansthan, 2030 B.S. p-392
- ↑ Thingsasian
- ↑ Dhanavajra Vajracharya (1973). Licchavikalin Abhilekha (in नेपाली). Nepal Asiali Adyayan Sansthan. p. 392.