“This will surely open a new horizon in the history of the Kathmandu Valley’’

When it comes to Emperor Asoka’s children, the standard line in most textbooks is about how Mahinda and Sanghamitta were sent to Ceylon to spread Buddhism. There is not much mention about his other children and what they did.

He had other sons named Kunala and Tivara[14]. Apparently he also had a daughter named Charumati, and recently one stupa constructed by her was found in the Kathmandu Valley.

Archaeologists at the Department of Archaeology, a government institution to conserve and protect ancient monuments of the country, said this is the first time something has been found in the Kathmandu Valley written in Brahmi script, which was prevalent in 300 BC.

Only two inscriptions have been found so far in Brahmi script in Nepal — one in Lumbini and the other in Lignihawa, both erected by emperor Ashoka.

“We were just enlightened. We could not believe when we found bricks with a word in Brahmi script. This will surely open a new horizon in the history of the Kathmandu Valley,”said senior archaeologist Prakash Darnal.

The brick has a Dharma-Chakra emblem, two Swastikas, a word “Cha-ru-wa-ti”in Brahmi script and also two other words in the most ancient form of Nepalbhasa script, Bhujimol.

“Till date, historians believe that the sixth century AD inscription of Mandeva at the Changu Narayan is the oldest inscription found in the Valley and a statue of Jaya Barma, found at Mali Gaon, is regarded as made in the second century AD”, he said.

“What we have found in Chabahil may prove that Katmandu has a 2,300-year-old written history,”Darnal said. But he also added that the evidence is not yet scientifically tested and the word could have been written later in Brahmi script that was extinct by the second century in Nepal.

“The word “Charuwati”proves the legend of Charumati, said to be Ashoka’s daughter, and this has some grounds in the history”, he said.[2300-year-old inscription found in Chabahil]

The equals of Men by Nandita Krishnan

Excerpts

I was recently researching the women of ancient India when I came
across a startling piece of information. Seventeen of the Seers to
whom the hymns of the Rig Veda were revealed were women - Rishikas
and Brahmavadinis. They were Romasa, Lopamudra, Apata, Kadru,
Vishvavara, Ghosha, Juhu, Vagambhrini, Paulomi, Jarita, Shraddha-
Kamayani, Urvashi, Sharnga, Yami, Indrani, Savitri and Devayani. The
Sama Veda mentions another four: Nodha (or Purvarchchika),
Akrishtabhasha, Shikatanivavari (or Utararchchika) and Ganpayana.
This intrigued me so much that I had to learn more about them, but I
drew a blank. Who were these wonderful women who were on par with
their men and produced the greatest and longest living literature of
the world?

In the Vedic period, female brahmavadinis (students) went through
the same rigorous discipline as their male counterparts, the
brahmacharis. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad describes a ritual to
ensure the birth of a daughter who would become a pandita (scholar).
The Vedas say that an educated girl should be married to an equally
educated man. Girls underwent the upanayana or thread ceremony,
Vedic study and savitri vachana (higher studies). Panini says that
women studied the Vedas equally with men. According to the Shrauta
and Grihya Sutras, the wife repeated the Vedic mantras equally with
their husbands at religious ceremonies. The Purva Mimamsa gave women
equal rights with men to perform religious ceremonies. Vedic society
was generally monogamous, and women had an equal place.

There are several instances of individual women who sought to
educate themselves. Pathyasvasti went North to study and obtain
titles. The well-known lady philosopher, brahmavadini Gargi
Vachaknavi, was an invitee to the world's first conference on
philosophy, convened by King Janaka of Videha, and challenged
Yajnavalkya to a public debate. Her acknowledgement of defeat and
praise of Yajnavalkya induced the king to gift him 1,000 cows and
10,000 gold pieces, which Yajnavalkya rejected and retired to the
forest, followed by his wife Maitreyi, an equally educated and
spirited woman.

There were shaktikis or female spear bearers according to
Patanjali's Mahabhashya, and women soldiers armed with bows and
arrows in the Mauryan army, according to Kautilya's Arthashastra.
The Greek Ambassador Megasthenes mentions Chandragupta Maurya's
armed female bodyguard. Thus education was not the only vocation for
women.