Epigraphical Profile & Archaeological Context
Location & Site:Shantinatha Temple (Temple 12), Deogarh Fort, Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh
Historical Period:Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty (9th Century CE)
Patron Sovereign:Emperor Mihira Bhoja I (Mahasamanta Vishnurama)
🖋️Primary Inscriptional Text
Devanagari (Kutila) Script • SanskritOriginal Text Transliterated in Devanagari / Regional Script:
संवत् ९१९... श्रीमद् भोजदेव राज्ये... श्री शांतिनाथ देव प्रासादे...
Romanized Transliteration (IAST):
Saṃvat 919... Śrīmad Bhojadeva rājye... Śrī Śāntinātha deva prāsāde stambho pratiṣṭhāpitaḥ...
Scholarly English Translation:
“In Vikrama Samvat 919, during the victorious reign of Paramabhattaraka Bhojadeva, this votive pillar was consecrated in the magnificent temple of Bhagwan Shantinatha at Luachhagir (Deogarh) by the assembly of the Saraswati Gachha.”
🔬Historical & Epigraphical Significance
Firmly dates the monumental architectural expansion of the Deogarh Jain fortress complex, which holds over 2,000 intact Digambara sculptures cataloged by Klaus Bruhn.
Primary Epigraphical Citations:
- Bruhn, Klaus, The Jina-Images of Deogarh, E. J. Brill, Leiden, 1969
- Epigraphia Indica, Vol. IV, pp. 309–311
Associated Archaeological Monument:
Explore MonumentsDeogarh Temple Complex (Luachhagir Fortress)
A fortified cliff-top archaeological complex of 31 structural Digambara temples and over 2,000 intact sculptures. Monographed exhaustively by Klaus Bruhn in 1969, Deogarh is the world premier laboratory of medieval North Indian Jina iconography.