Damau dhara
Encyclopedia
Damau Dhara is a religious place and popular picnic spot in district Janjgir-Champa of Chhattisgarh
near Gunji village. Gunji is attached to Barpali village and are together called Gunji (Barpali). In the north, on the other side of the hill is village Rainkhol. Damau Dhara is located on a road between Sakti
and Korba
. It is approximately 14 miles from the nearest city of Sakti which is on Kolkata-Nagpur National Highway 200
.
Damau Dhara is locally called Damau Dahra meaning 'Ravine of Damau' because a deep gorge has been made by a waterfall from a small river Gupt Godavari that runs from Satpura Range
. Damau Dhara is located at the southern extreme of Satpura Range
. There is a small temple at the hill-top from where a long view is possible and one can see far off to Sakti and other places. A big mela
is organized every year in the month of January (Magha
in Hindi). Sadhus from many places assemble at Damau Dhara on every Solar Eclipse
and take bath at the kund
after the eclipse is over. However, it is the wild monkeys that take the lead to plunge into the canyon the moment solar eclipse is over.
There is an inscription on one of the walls near the waterfall which has an ancient writing in many languages. It is said in the folklore that it has some message written in all the possible languages of the world at that time. Archeological study has dated this inscription to 1st century C.E. and the language is Pali
. As per the report of Archeological Survey of Western India, Volume IV, page 146:
"...It consists of two parts, the first of which begins with salutation to Bhagavat, and is dated on the I5th day of the 4th fortnight of Hemanta in the 5th regnal year of a king named Sri Kumara Vasanta, and contains the words Bhagavato Usubha-tithi, the name of a thera Godachha and the name Vaslthiputa. Can this last be the same Vasithiputa mentioned in the Ajanta Cave inscription 1? This would take back our record to the first half of the second Century B, C., but it is ascribed to the first Century A. D. by Mr. D. R. Bhandarkar. The second part of the inscription is dated on the second day of the 6th fortnight of Grishma in the 8th year of Kumara Vasanta's reign. Damau Dahra is just a little solitary place like Rupanath, which has an Agoka record, and a likely place which a few Buddhist monks may have selected for their residence."
Another attempt of study on these inscription has been done by L P Pandey in his 1966 published book Maha Kosala Kaumudi.
In local folklore, it is also believed that anyone who can decipher the writing of all the languages inscribed there will get wealth (gold and silver kept in big bronze utensils (गंगार) having the wealth which would suffice two and half days financial transactions of the whole world) which has been submerged in Damau Dehra. The king of Sakti, Raja Bahadur Leeladhar Singh father of Raja Surender Bahadur Singh once brought Pandits from Kashi and tried that the writings be deciphered. However, the Pandits could not succeed and the king in anger fired gunshot on the writing which damaged some of the writing area. However, now government has put a tin shed above the writing of the rocks to preserve the writings.
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000....
near Gunji village. Gunji is attached to Barpali village and are together called Gunji (Barpali). In the north, on the other side of the hill is village Rainkhol. Damau Dhara is located on a road between Sakti
Sakti State
Sakti State was one of the princely states of the Eastern States Agency of India. Today it is located in the state of Chhattisgarh. It had an area of 357 km² and, in 1982, a population of 22,819 inhabitants. Its rulers were Hindu and had a privy purse of 29,000 rupees...
and Korba
Korba
Korba is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He is one of Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides' Fedaykin death commandos in the original novel Dune , and later one of the chief priests of the religion of Muad'Dib in Dune Messiah .Korba was portrayed by Karel Dobrý in the 2003...
. It is approximately 14 miles from the nearest city of Sakti which is on Kolkata-Nagpur National Highway 200
National Highway 200 (India)
National Highway 200 is a National highway in India that connects Raipur, the state capital of Chhattisgarh to Chandikhole in Orissa. It covers a distance of 740 km.-Chhattisgarh:* Raipur* Dharsinwa* Simga* Nandghat* Baitalpur* Bilaspur...
.
Damau Dhara is locally called Damau Dahra meaning 'Ravine of Damau' because a deep gorge has been made by a waterfall from a small river Gupt Godavari that runs from Satpura Range
Satpura Range
The Satpura Range is a range of hills in central India. The range rises in eastern Gujarat state near the Arabian Sea coast, running east through Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to Chhattisgarh. The range parallels the Vindhya Range to the north, and these two east-west ranges divide the...
. Damau Dhara is located at the southern extreme of Satpura Range
Satpura Range
The Satpura Range is a range of hills in central India. The range rises in eastern Gujarat state near the Arabian Sea coast, running east through Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to Chhattisgarh. The range parallels the Vindhya Range to the north, and these two east-west ranges divide the...
. There is a small temple at the hill-top from where a long view is possible and one can see far off to Sakti and other places. A big mela
Mela
Mela is a Sanskrit word meaning 'gathering' or 'to meet' or a Fair. It is used in the Indian subcontinent for all sizes of gathering and can be religious, commercial, cultural or sports. In rural traditions melas or village fairs were of great importance...
is organized every year in the month of January (Magha
Magha
Magha may refer to:* Magha , a month in the Hindu calendar* Magh , the same month in the Bengali calendar* Magha , an 8th century Sanskrit poet, who wrote Shishupala-vadha...
in Hindi). Sadhus from many places assemble at Damau Dhara on every Solar Eclipse
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
and take bath at the kund
Kund
Kund is a village and one of the 51 Union Councils of Khushab District in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. It is located at 32°24'40N 72°12'17E.-Location:...
after the eclipse is over. However, it is the wild monkeys that take the lead to plunge into the canyon the moment solar eclipse is over.
There is an inscription on one of the walls near the waterfall which has an ancient writing in many languages. It is said in the folklore that it has some message written in all the possible languages of the world at that time. Archeological study has dated this inscription to 1st century C.E. and the language is Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
. As per the report of Archeological Survey of Western India, Volume IV, page 146:
"...It consists of two parts, the first of which begins with salutation to Bhagavat, and is dated on the I5th day of the 4th fortnight of Hemanta in the 5th regnal year of a king named Sri Kumara Vasanta, and contains the words Bhagavato Usubha-tithi, the name of a thera Godachha and the name Vaslthiputa. Can this last be the same Vasithiputa mentioned in the Ajanta Cave inscription 1? This would take back our record to the first half of the second Century B, C., but it is ascribed to the first Century A. D. by Mr. D. R. Bhandarkar. The second part of the inscription is dated on the second day of the 6th fortnight of Grishma in the 8th year of Kumara Vasanta's reign. Damau Dahra is just a little solitary place like Rupanath, which has an Agoka record, and a likely place which a few Buddhist monks may have selected for their residence."
Another attempt of study on these inscription has been done by L P Pandey in his 1966 published book Maha Kosala Kaumudi.
In local folklore, it is also believed that anyone who can decipher the writing of all the languages inscribed there will get wealth (gold and silver kept in big bronze utensils (गंगार) having the wealth which would suffice two and half days financial transactions of the whole world) which has been submerged in Damau Dehra. The king of Sakti, Raja Bahadur Leeladhar Singh father of Raja Surender Bahadur Singh once brought Pandits from Kashi and tried that the writings be deciphered. However, the Pandits could not succeed and the king in anger fired gunshot on the writing which damaged some of the writing area. However, now government has put a tin shed above the writing of the rocks to preserve the writings.