Sudarshan Lake and Rock Edict of Junagadh

Sudarshan Lake and Rock Edict of Junagadh  

Rock Edict of Junagagh is a valuable monument of ancient history of India as it takes us from the days of Samrat Asok (262 BCE) to Rudradaman (130-150 AD) and to Skandagupta (450 AD). The practice of inscription was developed by the Achaemenid rulers which was copied by Asok.. 

Asok’s Rock Edicts inscriptions neither talks about his governor nor about his grandfather but talks about 14 edicts. Rudradaman inscription talks about building of a dam and a lake by previous ruler, its breach and remake by him. Skandagupta inscription also talks about its breach again and remaking of it. The inscription of Rudradaman gives history of the dam and Sudarshan Lake in उर्जयेत mountain (गिरनार) ordered by the provincial head of Chandragupta Maurya and built by the yavan governor of Asok. The present town of Junagagh was called Girinagar and the Mount Girnar was called Mount Urjavat in 150 AD. The present name Junagagh is apabhransha of Yunagarh, a town inhabited by the Yunani (Persian-Greek). 

The Rudradaman Edict of Junagagh is being considered the first edict in Sanskrit in Brahmi Script. It has inscribed building of a dam and a lake for public welfare. Few lines are missing but it carries important information regarding building of the dam, its breach and remaking. 12 of the 19 lines of the edict are in the praise of Western Kshatrap King Rudradaman who built Sudarshana Lake by rebuilding the breached Dam three times stronger than the earlier. The prose is poetic: "मौर्यस्य राज्ञः चन्द्रगुप्तस्य राष्ट्रियेण वैश्येन पुष्यगुप्तेन कारितम अशोकस्य मौर्यस्य कृते यवनराजेन तुषाष्फेनाधिष्ठाय प्रणालीभिरलं कृतम्”। 

Tusasp the governor of Surasta (सौराष्ट्र) under Asok was an Iranian as his name तुषास्प has Iranian influence. Horse in old Iranian was called अस and median Iranian अस्प which became अश्व in Sanskrit. तुष means thirst, तुष्स्प means whose thirst is satisfied. Dental half स and प are used mostly in median Iranian. The presence of Iranian (यवन) as Governor in Yuna/Junagagh is an evidence of political collaboration between the two great empires of the West and the East. Winged lion griffins (a symbol of prosperity, power, bravery, wisdom, and royalty) of Greek-western on the pillars of Khapara (singles) Kodiya (spotted skin) caves is another proof of inhabitation of Greek-Yavan in this area.

The dam building was first ordered by Vaishya Pushyagupta, the Provincial Governor of Chandragupta Maurya. However, it was built by Persian ruler of the Region, King Tushasp (3rd century BC) under Ashok. Sudarshan lake was an artificial reservoir, was built for checking floods and irrigation of the agricultural land around. The Dam was breached when the region had stormy rainfall flooding the two rivers Suvarnasitaka, Palasini and other streams. The downpour was so heavy (could be cloudburst) that it tore down the hill tops and removed many trees and the earth around was submerged like in the ocean. By the breach 420 cubits (194 mtr) long, just as many broad and 75 cubits (35 mtr) deep, all the water escaped, so that the lake, almost like a sandy desert, became extremely ugly to look at. One cubit approximately equal to the length of a forearm, about 18 inches. Therefore the volume of the breach was roughly 193 x 193 x 35= 13 lakh m3. When his ministers (councillors and executive officers) were averse to the task because of enormous extent of breach could turn into futile exercise and when the people of the town had lost their hope of rebuilding the dam it was carried out by his minister Suvishakha, the son of Kulaipa, a Pahlava, who was appointed by the king to rule Anarta (Malwa) and Surastra (Saurastra). The minister was able, patient, not wavering, not arrogant, upright (and) not to be bribed, and who by his good government increased the spiritual merit, fame and glory of his master. Who won’t expect these qualities in his ministers and subordinates? 

Rudradaman was a Mahakshatrap of the territory made of present day Malwa (MP), Gujarat, Marwar (Rajasthan), Maharashtra (Konkan) and Pakistan (Sindh, Multan). He was lord of the whole of eastern and western Akaravanti (Akara: East Malwa and Avanti: West Malwa), the Anupacountry, Anarta, Surashtra, Svabhra (northern Gujarat), Maru (Marwar), Kachchha, Sindhu Sauvira (Sindh and Multan), Kukura(Eastern Rajputana), Aparanta (Western Border- Northern Konkan), Nishada (a tribe of Malwa and parts of Central India) and other territories gained by his own valour. His towns, marts and rural parts of which were never troubled by robbers, snakes, wild beasts, diseases. He could curb the warrior tribe (probably present days Jadejas) the heroes among all Kshatriyas. He fought two battles with Satakarni, the lord of South and defeated him and reinstated him as deposed King. He was attached to Dharma of not slaying humans except battles. He had studied grammar, music, logic, other sciences; management of horses, elephants and chariots; use of swords and shield etc. Tributes, toll and shares (crop share) were sources of the income for the treasury which was over flooded with gold, silver, diamond, beryl stones and other precious things. Such a Mahakshatrapa Rudradaman, in order to (serve) cows and Brahmans for a thousand of years, and to increase his religious merit and fame without oppressing the inhabitants of the towns and country by taxes, forced labour; spent vast amount of money from his own treasury and in not too long a time made the dam three times as strong in breadth and length with all embankments and made the lake (Sudarshan) more beautiful to look at. The dam and lake stayed for 300 years and it was again repaired under the Skandgupta’s reign (415 AD- 455 AD) by his governor Parnadatta. 

The names of the two small rivers mentioned in the edict suggest that Suvarnasitaka (now called Sonarakh) was flowing through the catchment forest of probably Greek (Sitka) / Teak trees and river Palasini was flowing through the catchment forest of Palas ((खाखरो-केसूडो) trees. The north and southern parts of the mountains are rich in teak and palas respectively. The drainage of rainwater from the mountain is towards the north where Damodar Kund and the city of Junagadh is located. One river flowing from its east and another from its west were meeting at a location where the dam was built most probably near the Ashok edicts and the entire village of present Bhavnath was probably a Sudarshan lake. The Vishnu Temple near Damodar Kund was built by the son of the governor of Skandgupta is another proof of the location near the edict. The temple God (Vishnu) was worshipped by Bhakt Narsinh Mehta who stayed nearby and used to come and pray everyday. 

The inscription is written in Sanskrit but the script is Brahmi, therefore was unknown to Indians for centuries. How could Indian linguists forgot reading Brahmi script so that the country remained in darkness of its history till Alexander Cunningham deciphered the inscriptions of Ashoka? One has to find out when was the dam breached fourth time and the lake vanished. Now a pond of few cubic metres near the Ropeway station has been preserved as a memory of the great Sudarshan Lake of ancient India. 

Punamchand

Junagadh, 4th February 2025 

NB: There is a story of Kalyavan (son of Sage Sheshirayan), Sage Muchukund and Lord Krishna in the great epic Mahabharata. Kalyavan kicked Sage Muchukund thinking he was Krishna and died as Muchkund had a boon from Indra that anyone disturb while sleeping will turn into ashesh. When Krishna went to Hastinapur (present Meerut) from Dwarika he saw mount Revantak (Urjavat-Girnar) on his way. It suggests that the gate way of India (Dwarika) was located south of Girnar and was most probably the present day Diu. Arabian Sea was known as Ratnakar Sagar.