The Positive Background of Hindu Sociology c7.s3.19

c7.s3.19

Rāma is said to have re-established this ancient province and renamed it as *Satya Mandir*. He founded cities, villages and temples on ancient sites. He made a gift of numerous villages in this district to learned *Brāhmaṇas*. This grant was inscribed on a copper-plate and an account of the inscription containing names of the villages granted by Rāma to the *Brāhmaṇas* has been preserved in the *Purāṇas*. This copper-plate itself was in existence even to the time of Yudhishṭhira (1416 B.C.). Later on, this inscribed copper-plate as well as all traces of the iron pillar seemed to have been lost. Thanks to the *Purāṇas*, we are told, even at the present day it is possible to identify quite a number of the villages granted by Rāmachandra to the learned Brāhmaṇas. The modern districts of Kheri, Sitapur, Gonda, Bahraich, Rampur, Budaon and Bareilly in the United Provinces are said to present the site of *Dharmāraṇya* as reclaimed by Rāmachandra. The present towns of Sitapur, Bareilly, Gonda, Chandan, Chowky, Dudhwa, Gola and Misrikh are some of the sites mentioned in the copper-plate grant. The location of the iron pillar is not certain. Very likely it stood in the village known at the present time as Lohakham in the Rampur State. The area corresponding to *Dharmāraṇya* is full of ancient mounds. It is within this area that the Banskhera copper-plate grant of Harṣavardhana containing the name of a place Vardhamāna was discovered. The name Vardhamāna appears in the *Purāṇas*. In Rāmachandra's time and even earlier the district contained numerous sites of Sun-worship, remnants of which are still to be found. Sun-worship did not come to India from Persia. The Sun represents one of Rāma's ancestors,—named Vivaswan; and the Brāhmaṇas who used to act as priests were known as Mehi Brāhmaṇas from the name of the district Moherak which was another name of *Dharmāraṇya*.