HISTORY

EPIC PERIOD

The Pandavas, having performed their pilgrimage on the 13th year had settled in the adjoining territory of the Ratnagiri district and when the Pandavas and the Kauravas had the famous war at Kurukshetra, the Raja of this region, Veer at Ray had accompanied them there [An inscription in Naneghat also records that the statute which stands there is of Yira who is called Maharathagranika, that is, the leader of the great heroes or the leader of the Marathas. Bhandarkar maintains that Virben Abhir was the son of Damari and Shivdutta-Bhandarkar (Bapat), 99. Mahabharat was translated from the original Sanskrit into Persian verse by Sheikh Abdul Fazl, the son of Sheikh Mubarak by order of Akbar, the emperor of Delhi. Mahomed Kasim Ferishta made abstracts of the work- Briggs, Ferishta, I, Lix. Bakhle, 89 (for Karad region).

In a passage in Mahabharat, it is stated that Arjuna, after visiting the sanctuary of Pashupati at Gokurn, travelled to all the holy places in Aparantha and following the coast, finally arrived in Prabhas, i.e. Veraval in south Kathiavar. The further pilgrimage in this district is referred to as:-"After Yudhishthira had seen these and other holy places, one after another, the wish-granted one saw the very holy Sharparaka (sopara;. Then crossing a narrow belt of sea (the Bassein creek) he came to a world-famed forest, where, in times of yore, gods had done penance and kings sacrificed to gain religious merit. Here the long and sturdy-armed one. saw the altar of the son of Richika, foremost among bowmen, surrendered by crowds of ascetics and worthy of worship by the virtuous. There he saw the charming and holy temples of Vasus of the Maruts, of the two Ashvins, king of Vaivasvata, Aditya Kubera, Indra, Vishnu and the all pervading Savita, of Bhava, the moon, the sun, of Varma, Lord of the waters, of the Sadhyas, of Brahma, of the Pitris, of Rudra with his ganas, of Sarasvati, of the Siddhas and other holy Gods, presenting the wise. Briggs, Ferishta, II, 41.]. Later, this part formed one of the three divisions of the great empire of the kings who had then Capital at Bidur, Raja Bhimsen was one of the most celebrated of this house and the history of the loves of his daughter and Raja Nala, the king of Malva are famous throughout the country [An inscription in Naneghat also records that the statute which stands there is of Yira who is called Maharathagranika, that is, the leader of the great heroes or the leader of the Marathas. Bhandarkar maintains that Virben Abhir was the son of Damari and Shivdutta-Bhandarkar (Bapat), 99. Mahabharat was translated from the original Sanskrit into Persian verse by Sheikh Abdul Fazl, the son of Sheikh Mubarak by order of Akbar, the emperor of Delhi. Mahomed Kasim Ferishta made abstracts of the work- Briggs, Ferishta, I, Lix. Bakhle, 89 (for Karad region).

In a passage in Mahabharat, it is stated that Arjuna, after visiting the sanctuary of Pashupati at Gokurn, travelled to all the holy places in Aparantha and following the coast, finally arrived in Prabhas, i.e. Veraval in south Kathiavar. The further pilgrimage in this district is referred to as:-"After Yudhishthira had seen these and other holy places, one after another, the wish-granted one saw the very holy Sharparaka (sopara;. Then crossing a narrow belt of sea (the Bassein creek) he came to a world-famed forest, where, in times of yore, gods had done penance and kings sacrificed to gain religious merit. Here the long and sturdy-armed one. saw the altar of the son of Richika, foremost among bowmen, surrendered by crowds of ascetics and worthy of worship by the virtuous. There he saw the charming and holy temples of Vasus of the Maruts, of the two Ashvins, king of Vaivasvata, Aditya Kubera, Indra, Vishnu and the all pervading Savita, of Bhava, the moon, the sun, of Varma, Lord of the waters, of the Sadhyas, of Brahma, of the Pitris, of Rudra with his ganas, of Sarasvati, of the Siddhas and other holy Gods, presenting the wise. Briggs, Ferishta, II, 41.].

The Chiplun and Kol caves show that about the beginning of the Christian era (B.C. 200 to A. D. 50), North Ratnagiri had Buddhist settlements of some importance. The Buddhists had chosen Salsette for one of their greatest monastic settlements and it is natural that in the other parts of the Konkan, their cave temples are remarkable [Nairne, Intro, XII, Altekar, The Rashtrakutas and their times, 270, 308.]. In the Ratnagiri district there are caves at Chiplun, Khed, Dabhol, Sangameshvar, Gavhani-Velgaum and Vade Padel. The Buddhist legends, in the Papanch-Sudani and Sarathappakasini record [Papanch-Sudani, II, 101; Saratthappatani, III, 176; Dikshit, Buddhist settlements of western India (Bom. Uni.) 1933, 2, 3; According to Buddhist writers, in one of his former births, Gautama was Buddhist Suparak i.e. a Buddhisatva of Sopara. Gautama almost certainly never left Northern India but Fa Hian, (A. D. 420) seems to refer to the Konkan caves and states that the monasteries were dedicated to Kashyapa, the Buddha who came before Gautama. This Kashyap is said to have been a Benaras Brahman, who lived about B. C. 1000. He was worshipped by Devdatta who seceded from Gautama. The seat was still in existence in A. D. 400-Sykes, Tour-R. A. S.-"Political State of Ancient India", IV, 290, VI, 257, 266, 334; The fame and holiness of Konkan caves date before the rise of Buddhism. The story is that Purna, the Chief of the merchants of this port, being affected by hearing the Buddhist hymns sung from Shrivatsi near Benaras, determined to become the follower of Gautama. On presenting himself as disciple, he was received with honour at Shrivatsi by Gautama. He soon rose to high place among Gautama's followers and asked leave of his master to preach Buddhism in the country of Shronaparantha, apparently the Konkan. (Aparantha, according to Bhandarkar and Pandit Bhagvanlal was the western coast below the Sahyadris, corresponding to modern Konkan). Gautama reminded him how fierce and cruel the people were, but Purna persisted and promising to overcome violence by patience, was allowed to make an attempt. His quiet fearlessness disarmed the people of Aparantha. Numbers became converts and monasteries were built and flourished.] the conversion of Konkan to Buddhism as early as the life time of Gautama (B.C. 560-481). Incidentally, it may be noted that these were the earliest centres that Buddhism found its way into the hearts of Aparantha [Dikshit, 2, 3.]. Chiplun and Kol and Dabhol caves indicate that some of them were donated by Sarthavahas or caravan-men. To-day, the total number of caves covered by western India group is 9/10th of the number of caves found in India [Dikshit, 74.].

TOP