देवी सरस्वती का सिंहासन, कालिदास-बाणभट्ट का महान विश्वविद्यालय… कितनी प्राचीन है राजा भोज की भोजशाला की विरासत – madhya pradesh high court declares dhar bhojshala as temple based on asi evidence ntcpvp
Indore Bench of the High Court in Madhya Pradesh on Friday gave an important verdict in the Dhar Bhojshala case. The case was related to Bhojshala, an ancient historical-religious place. Whose claimants were both Hindu and Muslim parties. Just as this case was similar to the Ayodhya Ram temple situation, its decision has also come in a similar manner. The court has declared this Bhojshala complex located in Dhar district as a temple, and in its comment also said for the Muslim side that they can demand land for themselves from the government.
Idols and havan pot found in Bhojshala premises
Among the arguments given in the High Court for considering Bhojshala as a temple, the arguments of ASI are the most prominent. Where on the basis of the idols, Havan Kund and verses inscribed on the pillars found in the complex, it was considered a temple complex. But, in the order that has come in the context of the High Court’s decision on Bhojshala, one title unknowingly attracts attention. To understand this entire decision, it becomes very important to seriously look and understand the part titled ‘Historical Literature, Archaeological Features and Its Discussion’ included in this order.
Mention of historical heritage in Jain texts
It is mentioned in the Jain text Prabandh Chintamani that the famous Parmar ruler Raja Bhoj built the Bhojshala temple for the worship of Goddess Saraswati in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh in 1034 AD. This temple was a major center of Hindu philosophy and Sanskrit language.
Besides this, it was also a big and famous residential university. Here about 1400 great scholars, poets and theologians, like Magha, Banabhatta, Kalidas, Bhavabhuti, Manatunga, Bhaskar Bhatta and Dhanapal etc. lived under the patronage of King Bhoj.
Many world famous texts like Avani Kurmashtam, Saraswati Kantha Bharana, Rajmartand and Tithi Saranika were composed in Bhojshala. According to Dhar District Gazetteer, Bhojshala was a great center of study of almost all the prevalent Indian beliefs and knowledge at that time. Raja Bhoj himself was adept in 72 types of arts and 36 types of military skills. He had composed 84 texts on various subjects like astrology, Ayurveda, grammar, politics, iconography, philosophy, chemistry, vastu etc.
Raja Bhoj has been the bearer of Hindu culture
KK Munshi has underlined the importance of Raja Bhoj’s Hindu cultural contribution in the words that ‘During his reign the civilization of Malwa reached an unparalleled peak. He writes that the picture of the era painted by Raja Bhoj in ‘Shringaramanjarikatha’ is a living and credible glimpse of the most glorious period of medieval Indian history. On understanding how Raja Bhoj was the supporter and conductor of all the great achievements of Hindu culture, the respect for him increases even more.
In 1903, the Education Superintendent of Dhar State, K.K. Lele discovered Sanskrit-Prakrit inscriptions from the time of Arjunavarman (about 1210–15 AD) in the walls of the building. This inscription is still displayed inside the entrance gate. It contains excerpts from a play named ‘Vijayashrinatak’, which was composed by the king’s Acharya Madan, also known as ‘Bala Saraswati’.
Why was the complex named Bhojshala?
Lele also mentioned other inscriptions, on a large stone slab the verses of Kurmasataka composed in praise of the Kurma incarnation of Lord Vishnu are inscribed. A serpentine inscription shows the rules of Sanskrit grammar. Especially this grammatical inscription became the reason due to which Lele called this building ‘Bhojshala’ or ‘Hall of Bhoja’ after the name of Raja Bhoj, because Raja Bhoj (circa 1000–1055 AD) was the author of many texts on rhetoric and grammar like ‘Saraswati Kantha Bharana’. The first published mention of the word ‘Bhojshala’ is CE. Luard did it in 1908.
India Imperial Gazetteer 1908, Volume XI, page 295 mentions that ‘Raja Bhoj’s School’ is another mosque built from Hindu remains in the fourteenth–fifteenth century. Its present name derives from the numerous stone tablets inscribed with the rules of Sanskrit grammar that were laid out on the floor.
The temple was dedicated to Goddess Saraswati
This building stands on the site of an ancient temple, which is probably the remains of the same temple mentioned in the Natya inscription found here, that temple was dedicated to Goddess Saraswati and which has been called the ‘jewel’ of the eighty-four squares of Dharnagari. On two pillars, a brief summary of Sanskrit inflected suffixes is engraved in the shape of a snake, which is why it was called ‘Sarpabandhi’.
Bhojshala is mentioned in Article XI of the chapter titled ‘Dhar and Mandu’ in the 1904 journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. It is written there that this mosque adjacent to the grave of Kamal‑ul‑Din is known as ‘Raja Bhoj’s Madrasa’ in the local Hindu community. In its present form it is contemporary with the surrounding buildings, but all its material appears to have been taken from Hindu temples.
Verses of Anushtup Chhanda were also found
Above the main table two Sanskrit verses of Anushtup stanza are engraved; In the first the name of Udayaditya and Naravarman appears and in the second only the name of Udayaditya appears. Both these kings were almost immediate successors of Raja Bhoj who ruled Dhar. The meaning of these verses is that the swords of King Udayaditya and Naravarman were always ready to protect both the four varnas and the letters of the alphabet equally; This pillar was established by Udayaditya to give satisfaction to the poets and kings. Apart from this, even today, residual marks of ancient inscriptions can be seen at many places on the black stones in the floor of the mosque, which were almost completely erased by the Muslim conquerors.
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