Pauni is a town and a
Municipal Council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...
in
Bhandara district
Bhandara District (Marathi pronunciation: ʰəɳɖaːɾa is an administrative district in the state of Maharashtra in India. The district headquarters are located at Bhandara. The district occupies an area of 3717 km2 and has a population o ...
in the Indian
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
.
Now it has
National Highway NH-247. Pauni is also known as
Kashi
Kashi or Kaashi may refer to:
Places
* Varanasi (historically known as "Kashi"), a holy city in India
**Kingdom of Kashi, an ancient kingdom in the same place, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas
**Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi
* Kashgar, a cit ...
of
Vidarbha
Vidarbha (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the east of the Indian state of Maharashtra and a Proposed states and union territories of India#Maharashtra, proposed state of central India, comprising th ...
due to its wide swath of temples.
Geography
Pauni is located at . It has an average elevation of 226 metres (741 feet). The town is surrounded on three sides by a moat and earthen rampart, and the fourth side by the
Wainganga River
The Wainganga is a river in India originating in the Mahadeo Hills in Mundara near the village Gopalganj in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh. It is a key tributary of the Godavari. The river flows south in a winding course through the states of Madhya Prade ...
. The main language of Pauni is Marathi, the regional language of the state of Maharashtra. Pauni is surrounded by Umred-Karhandla wildlife sanctuary, famous for tigers and other wild animals.
Introduction
Pauni (Pauni derived from the name of king "Pavan") is situated on the bank of river Wainganga known as South Ganga. It is a center of market and trade for the surrounding smaller villages and connects the smaller villages to cities like Nagpur, Chandrapur, Bhandara and Gondhia. In ancient times, Pauni was famous for the handloom textile industry. It is also a place of pilgrimage and boasts of many temples, schools, a high school and a science college.
History and Archaeology
Pauni is an ancient city, surrounded by a rampart and moat, the latter partly preserved. The remains of historical monuments are scattered all over the town. The city wall, atop the rampart, is partly preserved and dates to the seventeenth-eighteenth centuries.
The Pawan Raja Fort: It is a famous fort in roughly middle of the town built by King Pavan(the town 'Pavani' get its name from the king's name).It is one of the architectural wonders in Pauni.Though in present time,only the walls of fort are standing and no remains of fort is seen,but it is said that the most part of the town was once a territory of fort.On one side of the fort is a lake which is a visual wonder.While on the entrance of the fort is a big ancient gate which facilitate connections between two sides of the town.
Archaeological sites
The excavations at Pauni have shown that the area was a center of Buddhism from the
Maurya
The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...
and
Satavahana
The Satavahanas (''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan region. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana rule began in the late ...
times, and coins of the early Satavahana ruler
Satakarni I
Satakarni (also called Sātakarnī I, Brahmi script: 𑀲𑀸𑀢𑀓𑀡𑀺, ''Sātakaṇi'') was the third of the Satavahana kings, who ruled the Deccan Plateau, Deccan region of India. His reign is generally dated to 70-60 BCE, although som ...
were discovered in connection with archaeological finds.
["The excavations at Pauni, a village in the Bhandara district of Maharashtra, conducted jointly with the ASl, deserve a prominent mention in this connection. These excavations have revealed that Pauni was an important centre of the Hinayana Buddhism from the Maurya to the Satavahana period. Remains of some stupas, one of them of a larger diameter than that of the main stupa at Sanchi, were uncovered. The Buddhism establishment, which had a beginning in the Maurya period, enjoyed great prosperity under the Satavahanas as can be inferred from the excavated objects. Some interesting Satavahana and Kshtrapa copper and potin coins were also discovered. Of these particular preference must be made to a unique potin coin which has to be attributed to one of the early Satakarnis, preferably Satakarni l." in ] One of the excavated stupas, the Suleman Tekri stupa, had a diameter of 41.6 meters, larger than the main stupa at
Sanchi
Sanchi is a Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the States and territories of India, State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometres from Raisen, Raisen town, dist ...
.
Jagannath Tekri Stupa. There is an earthen mound to the south of Pauni, outside the fort-wall on the bank of the Balasamudra water body. A temple to Jagananath is built on the mound. Nagpur University has carried out archeological excavations around the Jagannath temple in 1969. These excavations unearthed the remains of a large ''stupa'' of the early historic period. The stupa has a diameter of 38.1 meters and seems to have been worshipped from the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE, undergoing several waves of enlargements and renovations.
The excavations revealed also a number of carved pillars, some on the site, and other pieces now in the
National Museum of India
The National Museum in New Delhi, also known as the National Museum of India, is one of the largest museums in India. Established in 1949, it holds a variety of articles ranging from pre-historic era to modern works of art. It functions under ...
and the
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, (CSMVS) originally named Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, is a museum in Mumbai (Bombay) which documents the history of India from prehistoric to modern times.
It was founded during Briti ...
. A number of the pieces of this railing carry
Brahmi
Brahmi (; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system of ancient South Asia. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' ...
inscriptions. Four gateways seemingly rather similar to those of
Bharhut
Bharhut is a village located in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh, central India. It is known for its famous relics from a Buddhist stupa. What makes Bharhut panels unique is that each panel is explicitly labelled in Brahmi characters mentioni ...
were also erected.
The majority of the inscriptions record donations to the ''stupa'', but one inscription mentions
Mucalinda
Mucalinda, Muchalinda or Mucilinda is the name of a nāga, a snake-like being, who protected the Gautama Buddha from the elements after his enlightenment.
It is said that six weeks after Gautama Buddha began meditating under the Bodhi Tree, t ...
, the earliest reference to this deity in India.
Pauni railing post Prince of Wales Museum.jpg, Pauni sculptures on railing pillar, 1st century BCE. Prince of Wales museum
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, (CSMVS) originally named Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, is a museum in Mumbai (Bombay) which documents the history of India from prehistoric to modern times.
It was founded during Briti ...
ref.78.91.
Pauni sculptures on railing pillars.jpg , Pauni sculptures on railing pillar.
Pauni sculptures on railing pillars 2.jpg, Pauni sculptures on railing pillar, 1st century BCE. Prince of Wales museum
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, (CSMVS) originally named Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, is a museum in Mumbai (Bombay) which documents the history of India from prehistoric to modern times.
It was founded during Briti ...
ref.78.91.
Railing Pillar, Pauni, Bandar district, Maharashtra, 1st century BCE.jpg, Railing pillar, Pauni, 1st century BCE. Prince of Wales museum
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, (CSMVS) originally named Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, is a museum in Mumbai (Bombay) which documents the history of India from prehistoric to modern times.
It was founded during Briti ...
ref.78.91.["Provenance: Pauni, Bhandara District, Maharashtra Material: Red Sandstone Date: 1st century BC Dimensions: 120 cm x 51 cm Museum Catalogue Number: 78.91" in ]
Pauni sculptures on railing pillars 3.jpg, Pauni sculptures on railing pillar.
Pauni Carved medallion on coping.jpg, Pauni Carved medallion on coping.
![Sulaiman Tekri stupa in Pauni](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Sulaiman_Tekri_stupa_in_Pauni.jpg)
Suleman Tekri Stupa. A second ''stupa'' was excavated by Nagpur University near the village of Chandakapur, about 600 meters south of Jagannath Tekri.
The Suleman Tekri stupa has a diameter of 41.6 meters, larger than the main stupa at
Sanchi
Sanchi is a Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the States and territories of India, State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometres from Raisen, Raisen town, dist ...
, and is dated to circa the 1st century BCE, with extensions down to the 2nd century CE.
Although monumental, no sculptures or decorations were found from this stupa, suggesting a severe, unadorned, design.
Coins of
Satakarni
Satakarni (also called Sātakarnī I, Brahmi script: 𑀲𑀸𑀢𑀓𑀡𑀺, ''Sātakaṇi'') was the third of the Satavahana kings, who ruled the Deccan region of India. His reign is generally dated to 70-60 BCE, although some authors have c ...
were found in association with the stupa.
Coins of the
Western Satraps
The Western Satraps, or Western Kshatrapas (Brahmi:, ''Mahakṣatrapa'', "Great Satraps") were Indo-Scythian (Saka) rulers of the western and central part of India ( Saurashtra and Malwa: modern Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh ...
were also found.
Hardolal Tekri. This is a mound outside the town. A large megalith stone was found here, inscribed in the early historic period with the name of the ruler Bhagadatta. The stone is now in the collections of the
Nagpur Central Museum
The Nagpur Central Museum, popularly known as Ajab Bangla, is located in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. Established in 1863, Nagpur Central Museum is one of the oldest museums in India and Maharashtra. It holds important artifacts such as dinosaur ...
. This mound was not a stupa.
Coins and inscriptions
![Western_Satrap_Coin_of_Rudrasimha_I_](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Western_Satrap_Coin_of_Rudrasimha_I_.jpg)
Coins were found belonging to the
Satavahanas
The Satavahanas (''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan region. Mos ...
and the
Western Satraps
The Western Satraps, or Western Kshatrapas (Brahmi:, ''Mahakṣatrapa'', "Great Satraps") were Indo-Scythian (Saka) rulers of the western and central part of India ( Saurashtra and Malwa: modern Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh ...
(
Rudrasimha
file:Gunda inscription of Rudrasimha Saka year 103.jpg, 300px, Gunda inscription of Rudrasimha, Saka year 103.
Rudrasimha I was a Western Kshatrapa ruler, who reigned from 178 to 197 CE. He was son of Rudradaman I, grandson of Jayadaman, and gran ...
). These Satavahana coins, among them coins of the early Satavahana king
Satakarni
Satakarni (also called Sātakarnī I, Brahmi script: 𑀲𑀸𑀢𑀓𑀡𑀺, ''Sātakaṇi'') was the third of the Satavahana kings, who ruled the Deccan region of India. His reign is generally dated to 70-60 BCE, although some authors have c ...
, were found at the two stupa sites, confirming that ancient
Vidarbha
Vidarbha (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the east of the Indian state of Maharashtra and a Proposed states and union territories of India#Maharashtra, proposed state of central India, comprising th ...
was part of the
Satavahana Empire
The Satavahanas (''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan region. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana rule began in the late ...
(1st century BCE - 2nd century CE).
A few dozen donative inscriptions in the
Brahmi
Brahmi (; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system of ancient South Asia. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' ...
script have been found at the site of Pauni, in a style similar to the inscriptions of
Bharhut
Bharhut is a village located in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh, central India. It is known for its famous relics from a Buddhist stupa. What makes Bharhut panels unique is that each panel is explicitly labelled in Brahmi characters mentioni ...
and
Sanchi
Sanchi is a Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the States and territories of India, State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometres from Raisen, Raisen town, dist ...
.
Great Satrap Rupiamma (2nd century CE)
![Pauni Mahakshatrapa Rupiamma pillar inscription](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Pauni_Mahakshatrapa_Rupiamma_pillar_inscription.jpg)
A memorial pillar with an inscription in the name of "Mahakshatrapa Kumara
Rupiamma
Rupiamma was a Great Satrap in India during the 2nd century CE, who is known from an inscription found at Pauni in Central India, south of the Narmada river.
Pillar inscription
A memorial pillar with an inscription in the name of "Mahakshatrapa ...
" has been recovered in Pauni, and is dated to the 2nd century CE.
Rupiamma is probably related to the
Saka
The Saka ( Old Persian: ; Kharoṣṭhī: ; Ancient Egyptian: , ; , old , mod. , ), Shaka (Sanskrit ( Brāhmī): , , ; Sanskrit (Devanāgarī): , ), or Sacae (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples who hist ...
Western Satraps
The Western Satraps, or Western Kshatrapas (Brahmi:, ''Mahakṣatrapa'', "Great Satraps") were Indo-Scythian (Saka) rulers of the western and central part of India ( Saurashtra and Malwa: modern Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh ...
.
This memorial pillar is thought to mark the southern extent of the conquests of the Western Satraps, much beyond the traditionally held boundary of the
Narmada River.
As a "Great Satrap", Rupiamma may alternatively, or jointly, have been a feudatory or representative of the
Kushan Empire, which would suggest that Kushan control also extended this far south, beyond the generally accepted southern boundary formed by the
Narmada river. The use of the word "Kumara" may also mean that Rupiamma was the son of a Great Satrap, rather than holding the title himself.
Demographics
India
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
,
Pauni had a population of 26250. Males 51% of the population and females 49%. Pauni has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 63%. In Pauni, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. It was the ancient Buddhist city. Many pilgrims have been found near and in the Pauni.
The river Wainganga flows on the northern side of the town. Number of bathing ghats viz. Diwan Ghat, Ghode Ghat, Vajreshwat Ghat, Hatti Ghat etc. are constructed along the river bank. Some of these ghats are still in good condition. There is renumber of small lakes along the fort wall. It appears that there are remains of what once was the water barrier which served the purpose of defending the town from the invaders.
There are about 150 temples scattered all over the town. Pauni has therefore been described as temple town. The important temples are The Great Goddess Bhangaram Mata Twemple, the Dattatraya temples in Vitthal Gujari, the Nilkanth temple, Panchmukhi Ganesh temple, the Chandakai temple, Murlidhar temple, the Vaijeshwar temple,Dhobi Talav Maruti Temple and Ram temple. The entire existing town is located on remains of ancient settlement. Number of ring walls constructed of bricks or by placing earthen pots over one another can be seen at several places in Pauni. These were used for the purpose of draining the sewer.
Pauni is one of the famous place after Nagpur where Dasara festival is celebrated.
Transportation
It is connected to the cities of Bhandara, Nagpur, Chandrapur, Gadchilroli via State Highways. Pauni is not far from NH6, It is hardly from NH6. It has nearest railway station at Pauni Road at Amgaon (Railway Station) which goes from Nagpur to Nagbhir.
References
External links
{{Bhandara district topics
Cities and towns in Bhandara district
Talukas in Maharashtra