Ahraura

Discovery of Ahraura Asokan Sites and Artefacts: Harry Falk Ahraura is located Mirzapur District, Uttar Pradesh (83°02' E., 25°02' N) R.G. Pandey, Exploration Assistant of the ASI, Varanasi, was possibly the first to have reported the Minor Rock Edict of Ahraura inscription prior to November 1961, when news about it was spread by several newspapers in UP. After this, several parties went to the spot and consequentially claimed priority in this discovery. The sandstone boulders of the hill are at places covered by a very smooth, concrete like surface in thin layers. The edict was written on one of these layers, which peeled off in its upper part. The preserved parts were in good condition, although thousands of devotees must have walked over it. Now that the shed protects the inscription people pelt it with stones through the door. Measurements: The surface was carefully smoothed for the inscription. The side-lines of this space are 125 cm apart (= 1.5 MY?). The upper 12 cm have been left uninscribed. The text runs for 82.5 cm in 11 lines with a width of 112.5cm never touching the side-lines. About 50 cm of smoothed space below the text are left uninscribed. The aksaras…