Pratisthan Pur or Pratisthan Puram was capital of the
Lunar Dynasty
The Lunar dynasty ( IAST: Candravaṃśa) is a legendary principal house of the Kshatriyas varna, or warrior–ruling caste mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. This legendary dynasty was said to be descended from moon-related deities ('' ...
(
Chandra Vanshi or
Somavanshi), at present
Jhusi
Jhusi or Jhunsi is a town and a part of Allahabad municipal corporation in Allahabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was formerly called Pratishthan Pur or Puri.
The place is also noted for being one of the Neolithic sites ...
,
Allahabad. This archeological site has yielded a
carbon 14 dating of 7100 BC for its
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...
levels. Today it lies on the eastern side of
Allahabad, across the river
Ganges
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
and connected to the city by the Shastri Bridge, and is considered an important part of the
history of Allahabad
Prayag is an ancient holy city of India mentioned in the Vedic scriptures and texts. Some people believe Prayag was renamed Allahabad by the Mughal ruler Akbar around 1575 or even later, but others believe Prayag was never a city and Allahabad w ...
or
Prayag, city's former name.
History
Pratishthana was the most important locality of
Prayag and it was founded by King
Ila and was the capital of
Pururavas
Pururavas (Sanskrit: पुरूरवस्, ''Purūravas'') is a character in Hindu literature, a king who served as the first of the Lunar dynasty.
According to the Vedas, he is a legendary entity associated with Surya (the sun) and Ush ...
and other kings of
Lunar Dynasty
The Lunar dynasty ( IAST: Candravaṃśa) is a legendary principal house of the Kshatriyas varna, or warrior–ruling caste mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. This legendary dynasty was said to be descended from moon-related deities ('' ...
. Once belonging to the rulers of
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 ...
,
Shunga
is a type of Japanese erotic art typically executed as a kind of ukiyo-e, often in woodblock print format. While rare, there are also extant erotic painted handscrolls which predate ukiyo-e. Translated literally, the Japanese word ''shunga' ...
,
Kushana and
Gupta period, the ancient
Pratisthana has lost its identity to the modernity of
Jhunsi.
The only evidence related to this historical fact is still visible in the shape of high mounds in
Jhunsi. Surprisingly, these high mounds have further added to the significance of the city as the articles excavated from here belong to the 6th century BC and antiquities belonging to five cultural phases ranging from
chalcolithic
The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and ''líthos'', "stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin '' aeneus'' "of copper"), is an archaeological period characterized by regular ...
to
early medieval period have been found here.
As per the historians and the pre NBP ware deposit the site of
Kumbh Mela is marked at this place as the earliest culture represented at the site. Early layer of this deposit has yielded iron objects. Some pottery items and antiquities are similar to those found at different
chalcolithic
The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and ''líthos'', "stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin '' aeneus'' "of copper"), is an archaeological period characterized by regular ...
sites in
UP,
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
and
Northern Vindhyas.
Destruction
It is also said that the town was destroyed in an earthquake in CE 1359 as a result of the invocations of saint Ali Mur-taza.
The historian Dr. D. P. Dubey These traditions and the etymological meaning of the name
Jhunsi possibly indicate to the destruction and burning of the site by the Muslim invaders in the 13th century CE. The traditions relating to the scattering of
Brahmana and
Kshatriya
Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...
clans abandoning their homes in
Jhunsi and emigrating to distant places during the medieval period lend colour to this theory.
There is also the historical and sacred
Samudrakoop here which has its own story. "It is known as Samudrakoop since it belongs to the period of
Samudragupta
Samudragupta (Gupta script: ''Sa-mu-dra-gu-pta'', (c. 335–375 CE) was the second emperor of the Gupta Empire of ancient India, and is regarded among the greatest rulers of the dynasty. As a son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta I and the ...
. In fact five such wells are found in
Ujjain
Ujjain (, Hindustani pronunciation: d͡ːʒɛːn is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative centre of Ujjain district and Ujjain ...
,
Mathura
Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the town of Vrindavan, and from Govardhan. ...
,
Prayag (
Allahabad),
Varanasi
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic t ...
and Patalpur (
Pataliputra
Pataliputra ( IAST: ), adjacent to modern-day Patna, was a city in ancient India, originally built by Magadha ruler Ajatashatru in 490 BCE as a small fort () near the Ganges river.. Udayin laid the foundation of the city of Pataliputra at the ...
or
Patna
Patna (
), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...
). It was dumped with garbage once but the efforts of a sage Dayaram brought its historical importance to limelight."
Archaeology
From the pre-
Northern Black Polished Ware
The Northern Black Polished Ware culture (abbreviated NBPW or NBP) is an urban Iron Age Indian culture of the Indian Subcontinent, lasting c. 700–200 BCE (proto NBPW between 1200 and 700 BCE), succeeding the Painted Grey Ware culture and Blac ...
(
NBP Ware) period (ca. 700 BC–200 BC) to the
Gupta period there had been continuous settlement at the site. However, there appears to be a cultural gap between the end of Gupta period and the beginning of early medieval period. "There is every likelihood that the site may show up no gap at all when excavated extensively. This possibility is based on the strategic location of the site itself which, by virtue of the same reason, would have never been abandoned after having been once occupied. The excavations in the area only hint at the above fact."
The ruins of ancient Pratishthana which are represented by the high mounds of
Jhunsi on the eastern bank of the
Ganges
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
are spread over an area of about four square miles. Research on lost heritage of
Allahabad under
Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is a non-profit charitable organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
In 2007, the United Nations awarded INTACH a special consultative status with Unit ...
(
INTACH
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is a non-profit charitable organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
In 2007, the United Nations awarded INTACH a special consultative status with Unit ...
) suggests that the site is slowly losing its identity on account of continuous erosion of the
Ganges river. "The high mound, which belong to
Kushana period, has few bricks exposed right now".
In literature
Kalidasa too mentions about Pratishthana in his
Sanskrit drama
The term Indian classical drama refers to the tradition of dramatic literature and performance in ancient India. The roots of drama in the Indian subcontinent can be traced back to the Rigveda (1200-1500 BCE), which contains a number of hymns in ...
Vikramōrvaśīyam
''Vikramōrvaśīyam'' (Devanagari विक्रमोर्वशीयम्), meaning ''Ūrvaśī Won by Valour'') is a five-act Sanskrit play by ancient Indian poet Kālidāsa, who lived in the 4th or 5th Century CE, on the Vedic love story ...
. He has given an imaginary account of this palace of
Pururavas
Pururavas (Sanskrit: पुरूरवस्, ''Purūravas'') is a character in Hindu literature, a king who served as the first of the Lunar dynasty.
According to the Vedas, he is a legendary entity associated with Surya (the sun) and Ush ...
which was magnificent. Various myths are also associated with this site. An inscription of
Trilochanapala, the Pratihara king, was discovered from the site in 1830.
In his book, VN Pandey mentions that the naming of
Jhunsi too has a legend associated with it. It was once ruled by
Har-bonga, an imbecile and foolish king in whose reign chaos prevailed everywhere. When the cup of his inequity was full there was an upheaval on the earth and the capital Pratishthana was turned upside down hence now known as '
Ulta Quila'.
There was conflagration which completed the destruction of the city and the ruins went by the name of
Jhunsi, a burnt town from the Hindi root 'jhulasna'.
Ramdhari Singh Dinakar wrote "Urvashi", a poem which narrated the story of love between Urvashi, a celestial nymph, and Pururava, the king of Pratisthan Pur.
Ulta Kila
It is said that once the saint Ali Mur-taza (maqdoom sahab) was invited on the lunch by the king haribong who lived on this kila. King Haribong gave him the wrong things to eat. This made Saint Ali-Murtaza angry and he ordered the planet Mars (named ''Mirrikh'' in Arabic) to fall on that kila, and as the order the star fell on the kila and the whole kila burnt out and this gave it the name, ulta kila and also this was the origin of the name jhuns (which means burnt).
Kamayani is written by Jai Shankar Prasad based on battle between Pururava and Ila and later they had fierce love, in the backdrop of Pratishthanpur.
Andher Nagari chaupat Raja, Take ser bhaji, Take ser khaja, a play by Bhartendu Harishchandra.
See also
*
Places of interest in Allahabad
References
{{coord missing, Uttar Pradesh
Allahabad district
History of Uttar Pradesh
Former populated places in India
Archaeological sites in Uttar Pradesh