Oldest 'Prashasti' Devoted To A Ram Temple Discovered In Prayagraj, Evidence Of 11th-Century Ram Navmi Celebrations Under Chandela King

As a new archaeological discovery, the oldest praśasti (eulogy) inscription devoted to Lord Ram was found during an exploration at the Garhwa Fort in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

This was a new, unpublished, 11th century inscription of Kirtivarman Chandela issued by his minister Vatsaraja. This inscription predates the famous Vishnu-Hari inscription of 12th century, which was found in the Babri structure debris.

It is also the earliest archaeological evidence of ceremonies surrounding the Ram Navmi festival. The inscription references the exile of Lord Ram and mentions the construction of a temple (matha) at an earlier aashram (resting place).

The inscription is on a large stone slab and consists of 16 lines, and barring a couple of letters on the left margin of every line, the rest is in an excellent state of preservation. The language is Sanskrit engraved in the characters of the 11th century Nagari script.

The inscription was erected in 1095 CE (Vikram Samvat 1152) on the 11th day of the waxing half of Chaitra (Chaitra Shukla Ekadashi) at the conclusion of a ceremonial procession (Raghav-yatra).

The discovery is made by archaeologist Rudra Vikrama Srivastava, who also interpreted it in its historical context based on the initial reading. The inscription is expected to be published in the near future.

After the record was re-examined and reconstructed by Kushagra Aniket (Economist and Sanskrit Scholar), with help from Dr Shankar Rajaram (Presidential Awardee and Sanskrit Scholar), the significance of the inscription became apparent.