Swapnil's Discovery of Bastar : Part -1 : Raja Dandak and Dandakaranya (Bastar Culture)

Bastar's History: A idea of Literary, Geographical, and Mythological Sources

The history of Bastar can be seen as a rich tapestry woven from diverse narratives found in literary, geographical, and mythological sources. The stories of common people, tribal legends, and accounts from the era of royal rule – all these elements, when harmonized, can provide us with a direction for exploring Bastar. Directly pointing to a single specific document or archaeological discovery as the oldest source of Bastar's history can be challenging, as its history is composed of various periods and evidences. However, mentions of Bastar are found in mythological texts and ancient records, which offer glimpses into its most ancient history.

King Dandak: The Tale of King Dandak and Sukracharya

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In ancient times, the region of Bastar was known as South Kosala. This area was also famously known as Dandakaranya during the mythological period. Behind this name lies the story of King Dandak, one of the ancestors of Lord Shri Ram. According to mythological beliefs, King Dandak of the Ikshvaku dynasty mistreated the daughter of his guru, Sukracharya. As a result, Sukracharya cursed him and his entire kingdom to be destroyed. Due to this curse, his prosperous kingdom transformed into a dense and terrifying forest, which later came to be known as Dandakaranya. This very Dandakaranya region encompasses the large area of present-day Bastar and its surroundings, indicating the extremely ancient and mythological connection of this area. It was in this Dandakaranya that Lord Ram spent most of his exile. This narrative provides us with a completely different perspective. It is worth considering that Guru Sukracharya's ashram (then a center for education and scientific research) was located in the Dandakaranya region of Lonar, Maharashtra, where an ashram of his still exists today. This implies that during the reign of King Dandak, the extent of Bastar, or Dandakaranya, must have stretched to the geographical area of Maharashtra. If we try to visualize it on a map, its expansion would have been from the north of the Godavari River, passing through the present-day Chandrapur and Gadchiroli regions of Maharashtra, up to the Raoghat and Kanker areas in the north. To the east, its boundary would have extended to the present-day Koraput region of Odisha. The east-to-west width of this region would have been around 260 kilometers, and the north-to-south width around 280 kilometers. A precise estimate is very difficult, but this expansion would have been more than 57,000 square kilometers. It was bigger than present Bharatian state of keral or Hariyana.

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The Period of King Dandak :

Regarding the timeline of King Dandak, only speculative estimates can be made, as finding actual sources is impossible.

If we consider the reference of English historians, according to whom Gautam Buddha was born around 500 BCE, then it is accurate that the Ramayana period predates it. If the Vedic period is considered to be around 3500 years ago, then Ram's birth can be assumed to be even earlier. We can say that Ram's birth was around 3500 years ago. By this logic, it can be self-established that King Dandak, an ancestor of Ram, must have ruled the Dandakaranya region around 4000 years ago, when cities like Harappa in the north and Lothal in the west existed.

King Dandak in Jain Mythology 

A forest on the banks of the Karnarava River ( Indravati River ). Previously, there was a country called Dandaka, with a king named Dandaka. This king's actions transformed the country into a forest, and it was called by that name because of the king's name.

Dandaka was the king of the Karmakundal city. His queen was a devotee of wandering monks. Once, this king had a dead snake placed around the neck of a meditating Digambara monk. He was deeply moved when he saw it remain intact for a long time. The queen's secret lover, a wandering monk, became dissatisfied with the king's devotion to the monk. He became a renunciate and committed adultery with the queen. Enraged by this misdeed of the fake monk, the king had all the monks drowned in a pot. One monk escaped death by escaping elsewhere. Seeing this disgusting act of the king, the sage became angry and uttered the word 'ha' from his mouth and fire appeared and everything was burnt to ashes.

Additionally, mythological texts like the Ramayana and Mahabharata also describe the forests, rivers, and tribes of this region, proving its extreme antiquity. Archaeological evidence, such as ancient temples, sculptures, and inscriptions, also plays a significant role in understanding Bastar's ancient history. However, pinpointing one "most ancient source" is complex, as it is a combination of literary and archaeological evidence from various periods.

Article By : - Swapnil Tiwari