History of Rewa

History

In the 13th century AD, the Baghels who are believed to be originated from Solanki or Chalukya clan from Gujarat came to this area and ruled from Bandhavgarh under the first ruler Raja Vyaghradev. In the mid 1550s, Raja Ramachandra Singh Baghela maintained a musically talented court, including the legendary Tansen. In 1617, Maharaja Vikramaditya Singh moved his capital to Rewa. Maharaja Martand Singh was the last ruler of Rewa who acceded to the Union of India after the country became independent.

Birbal was born in Sidhi District of Rewa Kingdom. The great Emperor Sher Shah Suri, died fighting with Ruler of Rewa Vir Singh at Fort of Kalinjar.

Mohammed Jalaluddin Akbar, or Akbar The Great grew up in Rewa after his father, Humayun, was driven in exile. Akbar received same education and upbringing that prince Ram Singh received. Maharaja Ramchandra Singh and Akbar stayed friends. Two of the Navratnas of Akbar, Tansen and Birbal(original name Mahesh Das.) were sent from Rewa by Maharaja Ramchandra Singh once Akbar became the Emperor of India.

Rewa is also famous for its white tigers, the first one, nick-named Mohan, was caught in Rewa.

Sitar Virtuoso Pandit Ravi Shankar studied music from Alauddin Khan of Maihar, also in Rewa.

Other Historical Importance

Deorkothar (Devanāgarī: देउर कोठार, also Deur Kothar) is a location of archeological importance in Madhya Pradesh, Central India. It is known for its Buddhist stupas and was discovered in 1982.

It is situated about 5 km north-west of village Katra in Rewa district at a distance of 75 km from Rewa on Rewa – Allahabad Road. Deorkothar village is located at Longitude 81°40' East and Latitude 24°56' North in Tyonthar tehsil of Rewa district. The Deur Kothar stupa may have been established by the Maurya king Asoka in the 3rd century BCE. In the ancient times, the site was located on the Dakshinapatha (Southern Trade Route) running east-west from Patliputra (Patna) to Pratishthana in Maharashtra through Central India. Being situated centrally amongst the famous Buddhist places like Sanchi, Sagar, Kaushambi and Sarnath, Deur Kothar used to be visited by Bhuddhist monks frequently.

The discovery and excavations P.K. Mishra (Archaeological Survey of India) discovered Deorkothar in 1982 along with Ajit Singh, sarpanch of village Barhat. It was declared a monument of national importance in 1988 by the Govt of India and is being preserved and conserved by Archaeological Survey of India, Bhopal.

Realising the importance of the site, and its likely international bearing on Buddhism, the Archaeological Survey of India decided to carry out extensive, but controlled, excavations at the site. The excavations were started at the site in 1999 and continued up to 2000. The site is marked by four stupa mounds out of which two stupas No. 1 and 2 were subjected to archaeological excavations. There are remnants of 40 stupas made of stones or bricks. In the area around there are rocks with old rock paintings. Some rocks have inscriptions in Brahmi language.

The Buddhist firmament is abuzz with word of amazing discoveries at the newly excavated site of Deorkothar in Madhya Pradesh, India. Situated on the ancient Dakshinapath (southern trade route), Deorkothar lies between Bharhut and Sanchi, two major Buddhist centers established in the third century BC. It is surprising that Alexander Cunningham, the nineteenth-century doyen of Indian archaeology who did extensive work in the area, missed the site. Excavations at Deorkothar, which seems to predate the late Mauryan-Sunga period (fourth through first centuries B.C.), when most early stupa (temple) complexes were built, promise to throw light on the genesis and spread of Buddhism in Central India, providing missing links in the history of Buddhist art and architecture.

Deorkothar inscription Also recovered pieces of a pillar with a six-line inscription in Brahmi, the precursor to modern Indian alphabets, the earliest examples of which date to the rule of the Mauryan empire, Ashoka (273 BC-232 BC). The six line Brahmi inscription on the Deorkothar pillar is given below in Devanagari script:

भ ग व तो बु ध

उ त र मि त्रो उ त र मि त्र स अ

भ ड्‍ भ ड्‍ स आ ते वा सि ना दि नु

उ पा स क स आ ते वा सि स व ज य स व

ध म द वे न के क डी के न ब स ति ये

उ स पि तो भं भो आ आ च रि ये न क सि

In brief, the translation of the aforesaid inscription at Deokothar is as follows:

"The inscription opens up with Lord Buddha as first line of the inscription clearly suggests. The gist of the inscription, pertains to the erection and dedication of stone pillar at place by Upasaka and his disciplines in memory of Buddha, the enlightened one."

The inscription speaks about an Acharya, named Dharamdev, and his three disciplines - Uttarmitra, Bhadra and Upasaka, who used to reside in the monastery. They installed this pillar, dedicating it to the Buddha.