A GOOGLE SEARCH for Eksar tells us that it is a “a residential sub-locality within Borivali West, a suburb in Mumbai, India, known for its blend of modern apartments and a traditional feel. It is a growing area with excellent infrastructure, including its own Eksar Metro Station on Mumbai Metro's Yellow Line.” The accompanying pictures evoke the same monotonous, depressing feel — a homogenous sprawl of urban high-rises.
To the student of history and culture, Eksar has unmistakably become another victim of mindless urbanisation that has swallowed yet another ancient civilisational site whose antiquity dates back to at least the second century C.E.
The only remnants of Eksar’s age-old civilisational primacy is the collection of six Viragals — hero stones — now ensconced inside the compound of the posh Club Aquaria building, owned by the Wadhwa Group. The Viragals apart, the only other clue to Eksar’s rich civilisational heritage is the Eksar Gaon Devi Temple (Grama Devata) whose real identity has been obliterated by the monstrous skyscrapers enclosing it.
But this essay series is not about the full history of Eksar but an important chunk of it. More specifically, its singularity as a thriving naval hub and a strategic conduit en route to the more famous Sopara port. In fact, Eksar has a rather voluminous chapter in the neglected maritime history of Bharatavarsha.
Moti Chandra, one of India’s foremost cultural historians, dates these Viragals to the eleventh century. It must be mentioned that the compound word Viragal (Vira + Kal) is alien to Marathi. Dagada is the most common word for stone. Viragal is an import from Kannada and is used in the same sense in Marathi as well. Viragals were memorials erected to commemmorate a heroic act of a person — mostly a warrior or soldier or saviour of some sort. They are found in abundance throughout Southern India and Maharashtra.
The Eksar Viragals present a rare illustration of depicting scenes from naval battles, complete with engravings of ships. These battles had occurred during different periods. Scholars and historians such as Moti Chandra, Braz Fernandes and A.S. Altekar date these battles, chronologically as follows:
1. Paramara Bhoja Raja’s fabled conquest of Konkan in 1019 in which he defeated the Shilahara king, Arikesari. Inscriptional evidence makes it clear that it was a fierce naval engagement. To commemorate this victory, Bhoja donated lands in the general vicinity of Banaswada, Rajasthan and in Behama near Indore.
2. A naval battle had taken place between the Kadambas of Gopakapattana (Goa) and the Shilaharas of North Konkan in the 12th century CE in the surroundings of Sopara. However, beyond stray references, we don’t have much details of this engagement.
3. Someshvara, the last Shilahara king, fought his last battle in this region against the Sevuna monarch, Mahadeva in 1265. It was a dogged sea-war in which Somesvara drowned himself in the sea. Mahadeva’s renowned Prime Minister Hemadri or Hemadpant writes that “Someshvara preferred to drown himself and face the submarine fire (Baḍabāgni) rather than the fire of Mahadeva's anger.”
The objective of all these battles was to wrest the control of the prized port of Sopara, which is about 38 kilometres from Eksar.
HERE IS THE detailed description of each of the six Viragals of Eksar given by Sri Moti Chandra.
The first hero stone (10' X 3' x 6") has four panels. In the bottom panel two horsemen equipped with swords have struck down an archer. On the right side appears the dead hero along with other dead comrades floating on the clouds proceeding to Indraloka.
In the second panel on the right two horsemen are fleeing leaving behind the archer who is facing six horsemen.
In the third panel from the left a foot soldier has pierced an archer with his lance. Behind the foot soldier there are archers on elephants and below them three soldiers equipped with swords and shields are shown. In this very panel, on the right, one dead soldier with other soldiers mounted on an aerial car is proceeding to heaven. A little above, the Apsaras are guiding them to Sivaloka.
In the fourth panel the Sivaloka is depicted, and in its left a man and woman are worshipping the Sivalinga. On the right, music is being performed. Above, the Apsaras equipped with garlands are carrying the bone relic casket.
The second Viragal (10' X 3' X 6") has also four panels. In the bottom panel there are corpses lying on the ground, flowers are being showered on them by the Apsaras. On the right, mounted on elephants, is the king along with his general and minister. The king’s elephant is well decorated and the howdah is shaded by an umbrella. The elephant holding a man with his trunk and flinging him on the ground and is trampling him.
In the second panel there is the figure of a ruler. One attendant is holding an umbrella over him and a second is holding a rose-water sprinkler. On the right is a horse rider fighting with the king. Above and below are seen many people engaged in battle.
In the third panel, on the left, three elephants mounted by drivers are seen standing one behind the other. In the foreground two bearded men are fighting, and in the middle a raja seated on an elephant is engaged in battle. The perforated ears of the soldiers wearing huge round earrings prove that they came from the Konkan. Sulayman, the Arab traveller also observed that the people of the Konkan also wore large round earrings. In the fourth panel is depicted the Kailasa mountain. To the left side appears the dead warrior. The Apsaras are showering garlands on him. On the right, women are singing and dancing. On the top is the bone relic casket, with the flying gods holding garlands.
The third Viragal (10' X 3' X 6") has four panels. In the bottom panel, there are five ships fitted with masts. On one side nine oars are seen moving. These ships are ready for battle and armed soldiers are seen on the deck. Out of these five ships, the last one is perhaps that of the king because on its bow are seen women.
In the second panel appear four ships, a part of the flotilla is represented in the bottom panel. These ships are attacking a much larger ship whose sailors are seen falling into the sea. Above this panel is an inscription of the eleventh century which cannot be deciphered now.
In the third panel, on the left, three people are worshipping the Sivalinga. On the right is the congregation of Gandharvas.
In the fourth panel, in the midst of the Himalayas with the gods, there is the representation of Siva-Parvati on Kailasa. On the top appears the bone relic casket.
In the fourth Viragal (10' X 3' X 6") there are eight panels.
In the bottom panel are represented eleven ships equipped with weapons and soldiers attacking another ship.
In the second panel five ships are seen coming from the left attacking a boat coming from the right. The wounded soldiers of the boat are falling into the sea. Below the panel there is an inscription of the eleventh century which cannot be read now.
In the third panel nine ships are returning after their victory.
In the fourth panel soldiers are seen disembarking from the ship and retreating.
In the fifth panel, from the left, the army is on the march with some eminent person along with four attendants welcoming it.
In the sixth panel, on the left eight persons are worshipping the Sivalinga; on the right Apsaras and Gandharvas are seen singing and dancing.
In the seventh panel, perhaps, Siva is represented. On the left Apsaras are seen with the warriors and on the right the horns and the conch-shells are being blown and the clappers are being struck.
In the eighth panel the temple of Lord Siva in heaven is shown.
In the fifth Viragal (6' x 3' X 6') there are four panels. In the bottom panel are represented six ships equipped with masts and oars. In one ship, the king is seated under a canopy.
In the second panel, six ships, three proceeding from the left and three from the right, are engaged in a naval battle. In this battle many wounded and dead soldiers are falling into the sea. In the central panel Apsaras are throwing garlands on the dead warriors.
In the third panel, heaven with a Sivalinga is depicted. A man seated on a chair is worshipping it. The standing women are seen carrying the articles for worship. On the right Gandharvas and Apsaras are engaged in music and dancing. In the top panel the king is holding Durbar and Apsaras are greeting him.
In the sixth Viragal (4' X 15" X 6") there are two panels. In the bottom panel a sea battle is in progress and in the top panel a warrior is shown seated in heaven.
EKSAR HAD RETAINED its prominence till the colonial British remade Bharatavarsha’s geography along economic lines. Its creation of contemporary Mumbai is arguably one of the most ambitious projects in this direction. Accordingly, the Bombay Presidency alienated 701 acres of land in Eksar so that a railway line passing through Borivali on the Baroda route could be built.
James Campbell, the British official who visited Eksar in the 1880s describes it as follows:
“Eksar…has in a mango orchard, on the west bank of a fine pond, a row of six slabs of trap, four of them about ten feet high by three broad, the fifth about six feet high by three broad, and the sixth about four feet high by one broad. All, except one which is broken, have their tops carved into large funeral urns, with long heavy ears and hanging bows of ribbon, and above, floating figures bringing chaplets and wreaths. The faces of the slabs are richly cut in from two to eight level belts of carving, the figures in bold relief chiselled with much skill. They are palias or memorial stones and seem to have been set in front of a temple which stood on the top of the pond bank, a site afterwards taken by a Portuguese granary. Each stone records the prowess of some warrior either by land or by sea.”
Clearly, both the mango orchard and the “fine pond” have disappeared long ago thanks to the unquenchable rapacity of real estate developers. The temple on the top of the pond bank was demolished by Portuguese Christian bigots and replaced with a granary.
And before unchecked urbanisation further heightens our civilisational amnesia, it is recommended to relocate these precious and endangered Viragals lying in Club Aquaria preferably to a private museum that truly venerates our heritage.
|| Sri Rama Jayam ||
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