Mughal era graveyard found in Maharashtra village

A historian here claims to have discovered a 350-year-old graveyard belonging to 17th century deep inside a forest in Maharashtras Chandrapur District.

By A. Rajkarne

Chandrapur (Nagpur), June 22 : A historian here claims to have discovered a 350-year-old graveyard belonging to 17th century deep inside a forest in Maharashtra's Chandrapur District.

Ashok Singh Thakur, a historian and coordinator for the Indian National Trust for Art, Culture and Heritage (INTACH), a voluntary organisation, is said to have discovered the graveyard having 115 memorial tombstones near Mohogaon Rith village.

According to Thakur, the images at the graveyard indicate their relation with the Bhonsle Dynasty founded in 1730 and belonging to the Maratha warrior Chatrapathi Shivaji.

The pillars erected at the graveyard carry images from the war zones. There are some images of soldiers wearing Mughal and Bhonsle-style turbans.

Thakur said: "This graveyard is as old as 300 or 350 years. Seeing the headgear on the head of soldiers inscribed over the stones, we can say that the work belongs to Bhonsle Dynasty. A look on the order of precedence of these graves, however, also suggests it belonged to Mughal era."

The biggest pillar in the graveyard is (over six foot in height) -- eighty inches height and thirty inches in width and the smallest (over three foot) forty inches in height and ten inches in width. The pillars bear inscription in ancient Modi and Devnagri language.

"The grave of a King sitting on an elephant comes first in the row. The King's grave is followed by the commander of the army, who has been depicted riding a horse and they are followed by general soldiers."

Local tribes, mainly Gonds, have turned the graveyard into a revered place and smeared it with vermillion following local custom.

Some people have said that the State archaeological department should verify the claim and take care of the place.

Prakash Sharma, a journalist, feels that smearing the images by vermillion by the Gonds is likely to disfigure and mutilate the work. "It may hinder the archaeologists' work to obtain more information about the statues."

ANI