Prabhavali ‘Ring of Light’

-Savitendra Datt Tripathi, NCS Mumbai

Table of Contents:

S No. Content Page No.

1. from Mystical India 1
2. Methodology 1,2
3. Objectives 2
4. Saga on Stone Unveiled 2,3
4.1. Our Glorious Past 3
4.2. Sopara on a Wider Canvas 3
4.3. Treasure Trove at Sopara 3,4
5. Tales Galore in Stone 4
6. (His)story Narrated by Prabhavali 4,5
7. In a Nut Shell 5
8. References 5,6

1. from Mystical India

India is a land of Vedas, sacred chants and holy rivers; a cradle of four religions, rich
and varied cultural heritage, architectural grandeur and skilled craftsmen. In this holy
land, every village or town was named after the deity worshipped by the people. A
temple is a place of reverence and the main deity is the image of divinity and purity
which is worshipped and venerated by generations. Further, the temples formed the
centre of every major village or town and the township developed around it.
Therefore the kings who were patrons and the artisans who were skilled at carving
these masterpieces contributed towards ornamenting these deities and their shrines
with their skillful hands. The deities always had a halo behind their heads which had
a humble beginning as a ring that later evolved into an ornate stone carving called
as ‘Prabhavali’. A detailed description of Prabhavali, that has been chosen as our
artefact will be described in the following paragraphs.

Over the centuries, the country witnessed many invasions, vagaries of nature and
many changes happened due to movement of human settlements to better horizons
but most of these temples, and its rich carved marvels lay in hibernation to give
testimony to the world at a later stage about the rich history of this country.

2.Methodology

During our quest for a suitable artefact and to know our roots we had begun to
explore various museums like Chatrapati Shivaji Vastusangrahalaya, Nehru History
Centre etc. Having no luck in finding an artefact we liked, we decided to take a day’s

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rest. It was on this very same rest day, we met Dr. Debasri who happened to be a
senior archaeologist at Centre for Extra Mural Studies in Mumbai University. The
very next day we were at her Department of Archaeology and Mr. Prashant, a
visiting Faculty was kind enough to show us the various artefacts. One of the
artefacts caught our attention and we were instantly attracted by the intricacy and
expert craftsmanship done using basic tools of the medieval period of the Prabhavali
Fragment. Dr. Prachi Moghe and Mr. Prashant Gharat gave valuable information
about its excavation from their documents. For further information on the historical
importance of the place of excavation and medieval history of Western India we took
help of the history section of our library and various websites.

3.Objectives

 To learn about the importance of the chosen Prabhavali fragment.

 To learn about the significance of the motifs and figurines used on the
carvings on the fragment.
 To learn the history of the excavated site – Nala Sopara and how it contributed
in the cultural and architectural heritage of the region.
 To learn about the contribution of the late medieval rulers of Western India in
the field of art, culture and architecture, and how temples and its iconography
have been continued tradition.

4. Saga on stone unveiled

The chosen artefact is a sculpted fragment that was part of a larger basalt rock
sculpture, likely featuring the main image of a deity and was discovered near
Mumbai in Nala Sopara. This particular section is known as a ‘Prabhavali,’ meaning
the ‘Ring of Light,’ traditionally representing the halo behind the central deity in
sculptures.

This showcased fragment originates from Jain temple ruins near Nala Sopara, has
three rows. The top row exhibits five seated male figures in Namaskar Mudra, while
the second row features an elephant in motion with a mahout as a rider. Although
the elephant's trunk is damaged, it likely held garlands. The third and final row
depicts male and female figures holding large garlands, also known as Maladhar/
( Mala = Garland + dhar = beholder).

In North and South Indian Shilpa manuals, Prabhavali is also known as ‘Mandal’ or
‘Prishth Patta’. It serves as the backdrop for relief icons, referred to as ‘Stele’ in
English. Typically, it possesses an elliptical superstructure behind the central deity,
adorned with flames and retinue figures. Functioning as the backdrop or original
slab for the high-relief carving of the image, Prabhavali alongside the central deity,
symbolises the universe. While initially symbolising the divinity of the image through

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a halo, Prabhavali evolved into an ornamental ring around the main image, often
accompanied by subsidiary figures and incorporating more than just rays of light.

Considering the orientation of the human figures and the elephant in this sculpture, it
suggests that this is the right side of the original panel, implying a mirror image on
the left side that would have completed the Prabhavali. Stylistically, this piece can
be dated to the late medieval period.

4.1.Our Glorious Past

Let us travel back in time. By the end of 2nd century, Jainism had started spreading
towards the South and many Kings were great patrons of both Hindu and Jain
scholars.

Rashtrakuta dynasty was one of them who were the successors of the Chalukyas
and contributed immensely towards the Jain art and culture. The Prabhavali
fragment is part of one of such Jain temple artefact. During the late medieval period
the Seunas ‘Yadavas’ the feudals of Chalukyas had declared independence and
established their capital at Devagiri later known as Daulatabad during the Islamic
rule. The Yadavas were the early Marathi speakers of this region and immensely
contributed to the art and architecture of this region. The Devagiri fort, Aundha
Nagnath Temple, Hindoli (one of the Jyotirlingas) and Gondeshwara Temple, Nashik
are few of them that narrate the architectural prowess of the Yadavas of
Maharashtra region.

4.2. Sopara on a Wider Canvas

Further, the Yadavas had commercial ties with the other part of the world through
their bustling sea port of Sopara.

Sopara ( ) was an ancient port town and the capital of the ancient Aparanta
("Western Border" - Northern Konkan) in western Maharashtra. In ancient times, it
was the largest township on India's west coast, trading with Mesopotamia, Egypt,
Cochin, Arabia, Southern Europe and Eastern Africa.

‘Sopara’ gets name from ancient Kingdom Surparaka. The Mahabharata and the
Puranas state that the Surparaka was reclaimed from the sea for the dwelling place
of Parashurama and it became a tirtha for this reason.

4.3.Treasure trove at Sopara

In April 1882, Bhagvanlal Indraji, a noted archaeologist, numismatist and epigraphist
excavated at the Burud Rajache Kot mound in Merdes village, near Sopara. Ruins
of a Buddhist Stupa was found there. From the centre of the stupa (inside a brick
built chamber) a large stone coffer was excavated which contained eight bronze

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images of Maitreya Buddha which belong to the 8th-9th century CE. This coffer also
enclosed relic caskets of copper, silver, stone, crystal and gold, along with
numerous gold flowers and fragments of a begging bowl. A silver coin
of Gautamiputra Satakarni (Satvahana) was also found from the mound.
The Bombay Provincial Government presented the Sopara relics to the Asiatic
Society of Bombay. In an old Muslim graveyard near Ramkund, the fragments of 7th
and 9th century major rock edicts were found. These rock edicts can be viewed in
the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastusangrahalaya, Mumbai.
5.Tales Galore in Stone
We clearly understood that artisans used materials found in that particular region for
construction. As in this case, basalt (extrusive igneous or volcanic rock that is very
strong) was used for making this Prabhavali fragment. The intricate carvings often
had motifs of flowers, mudras and animals like elephants or lions.
Elephant were always used on temple structures as its size symbolises its wisdom,
fertility, power and as a means of transport for various Hindu gods. The elephants
were revered in Buddhist culture too. Here we can see the elephant in motion with
its mahout as the rider. The mahouts are the elephant trainers so is quite natural to
be carved with the figure. Further, elephants always offered garlands to the deities
and the royals during the temple ceremonies in the past. It is even followed till date
in few southern states of India.
Flowers were venerated as manifestation of their divinity, innocence and purity. In
Indian religious traditions each flower carried its own significance and was
associated with specific deities and rituals. In this fragment, we can find men and
women holding garlands so it can be interpreted that they are offering the same to
their deity.
Further the figurines in namaskaar ( ) or prarthna mudra ( ) can be
interpreted as if they are worshipping the deity and praying for purity and clarity of
one’s mind.
The orientation of the figurines and the elephant clearly indicates that this is right
part of the fragment and a mirror image of the same would have completed the
Prabhavali. This carving is done on basalt, so they cannot use any die or mould
method for doing the same. This proves the skill and expertise of the artisans who
worked with their basic tools to intricately carve the mirrored images with such
precision.
6. (His)story narrated by Prabhavali
History is like a magic box. It can stay hidden for centuries and suddenly when it is
discovered, it unravels so many mysteries. History takes us in a time machine to

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that era and narrates the wonderful stories of that land. The stories that we
considered as fiction changes overnight into a historical fact.
We went through a similar time machine ride after choosing this Prabhavali fragment
as our artefact. The Prabhavali took us to the land of Maharashtra ruled by the
Yadavas who were great patrons of art, culture, Marathi language and architecture
of this region. As they were feudals of Chalukyas – the successors of Rashtrkutas;
obvious influence in the style of temple architecture was evident. They had
commercial ties with other nations through Nala Sopara sea port. Further, we also
learnt about the spread of Jainism from North India their art work and carvings on
their caves and temples.
These wonders chiselled on stones, will always beacon archaeologists for further
excavations and to unravel many more such marvels deep down from the lap of
mother earth.
7.In a Nut Shell
After extensively researching on this artefact, we indeed feel happy that though our
history books gave us very little insight of the Rashtrakutas, Chalukyas, Yadavas
Hoysalas etc., but this artefact made us learn more about these medieval rulers of
Indian history and their contribution to our rich and varied heritage. We discovered
more about a period that was almost considered negligible after the Moghul rule and
their Indo-Persian style of architecture used in the construction of their mosques.
After that period, spotlight shifted on colonisation and their Victorian Gothic, late
Renaissance and Art-deco style of architecture on Churches and other monuments.
Somehow the medieval period’s architecture used in temples and construction of
forts didn’t garner much attention as many marvels were razed by the invaders.
Even after facing such unpredictable situations
These excavations in Maharashtra region are a treasure trove and provide deep
insight to architectural prowess of the late medieval kings who ruled the region.
8.References

1. Goldberg, M. (2009, March 5). Yadava dynasty. Encyclopædia Britannica.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Yadava-dynasty

2. Grover, N. (2024, February 14). Art and literature of yadava dynasty - medieval India history notes.
https://prepp.in/news/e-492-art-and-literature-of-yadava-dynasty-medieval-india-history-notes

3. Maharaj, J. B. B., & Shah, M. D. (2019, January 1). Sopara: An ancient port, trade center and a Teertha.
Presented at The Yatra Conference,BHU Published on www.indictoday.com.
https://www.academia.edu/45600889/Sopara_An_Ancient_Port_Trade_Center_and_a_Teertha

4. Moghe, Dr. P., Ghosh, Dr. D. D., & Gharat, P. (n.d.). (rep.). Nala Sopara Excavations. Mumbai, Maharashtra:
Centre of Extra Mural Studies.

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.5. Niharika (no date) Depiction of elephants in Indian art. Available at:
https://arfjournals.com/image/45804_8_niharika.pdf (Accessed: 02 March 2024).

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