The Early History of the Deccan (Parts I–XI) v1.c6.s6.t2: Bhogavardhana

v1.c6.s6.t2.1

The Purāṇas mention along with Vidarbha a number of janapadas among which Bhogavardhana occupies a prominent position. The name occurs very frequently in early Brāhmī inscriptions. Among its inhabitants were persons who won fame as pious donors, or as scholars well versed in the Suttantas. The territory in question lay to the west of Bāsim (Vatsagulma) and has been identified with the Bhokardan tāluk of the Aurangābād district of the Hyderabad State. Within the limits of the tāluk lie the famous caves of Ajanta. In view of this fact the reference to Suttanta scholars dwelling in ancient Bhogavardhana acquires an added significance. If the southern boundary of the ancient janapada stretched southwards as far as the Daulatābād-Jālna Hills it must have included also the village of Ellora, famous for its Buddhist, Jaina, and Brāhmaṇic caves.