Vaishnava Moorings-A speculative thought rendered through the sculptures
of Udayagiri Hills, Vidisa, Madhya Pradesh

Apurva Sinha

The ancient city of Vidisa (Vaishyanagar) or ‘Vedisgiri’’, popular for many aeons is credited for the nascence of Vaishnava edifices. Located at the confluence of river Betwa & Bes, in the ancient times it was a junction point of the trade routes going to-and-fro from north to south and was also a hub for ivory carvers. It held an important position during the Mauryan times (3rd Century BCE), the Great Emperor Asoka was its governor before ascending over the Mauryan throne at Magadha and his chief queen too hailed from here. Earliest important surviving record of the Vaishnava sect of Hinduism is the colossal, ‘Garuda- Pillar of Heliodorus’ of 2nd century BCE, locally known as ‘Khambaba’.

The pillar throws light on the popularity and expanse of Vaishnava tradition that propelled in the Greek dominion of North-West frontiers and further resulted into the erection of commemorative pillar at Besnagar. Vaishnavism is a sect of Hinduism in which Vishnu and Dasavatara (ten-incarnations) are of central importance. The glory of Vaishnavism flagged at Vidisa gained its popularity again in the Gupta period (5th century CE) and consequently triggered into the genesis of rock-cut sculptural art at the Udayagiri hills.