Bhattiprolu

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name = Bhattiprolu
type = town
latd = 16.10 | longd = 80.78
locator_position = right
state_name = Andhra Pradesh
district = Guntur
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altitude = 6
population_as_of =
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Bhattiprolu is a small village in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh State in Southern India.

History

The original name of Bhattiprolu was Pratipalapura, a flourishing Buddhist town in the ancient Sala kingdom that predated Andhra Satavahanas. From available inscriptional evidence, King Kuberaka was ruling over Bhattiprolu around 230 BCE. Bhattiprolu is well known for its Buddha stupa ("Chinna Lanja dibba" and "Vikramarka kota dibba") built about 3rd-2nd century BCE. During excavations at Bhattiprolu there has been found linguistic evidence of a Telugu language that belongs to 3rd Century BCE, and the progenitor of Brahmi script, well known as Bhattiprolu Script to historians [The Bhattiprolu Inscriptions, G. Buhler, 1894, Epigraphica Indica, Vol.2] [Indian Epigrapghy and South Indian Scripts, C. S. Murthy, 1952, Bulletins of the Madras Government Museum, New Series IV, General Section, Vol III, No. 4] [Antiquity of Telugu language and script: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/20/stories/2007122054820600.htm] . Merchants took the script to Southeast Asia where it parented the scripts of Mon, Burmese, Thai, Khmer, Javanese and Balinese languages. Their similarities to Telugu script can be discerned even today.

The Stupa

Three mounds were discovered in Bhattiprolu in 1870. In 1892 when excavations were undertaken by Alexander Rea, three inscribed stone relic caskets containing crystal caskets, relics of Buddha and jewels were found. The stupa was found to be 40 meters in diameter with an additional basement of 2.4 meters wide running all around. The most significant discovery is the crystal relic casket of sarira dhatu of the Buddha from the central mass of the stupas. The Mahachaitya (great stupa) remains of a large pillared hall, a large group of ruined votive stupas with several images of Buddha, a stone receptacle containing copper vessel, which in turn, contained two more, a silver casket and with in it, a gold casket enclosing beads of bone and crystal were found.

The Script

The earliest evidence of Brahmi script in South India comes from Bhattiprolu. [ [http://www.buddhavihara.in/ancient.htm Ananda Buddha Vihara ] ] The script was written on an urn containing Buddha's relics. Historians surmise that this script gave rise to the Telugu and Tamil scripts. [ [http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/19/stories/2007031911650400.htm The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Epigraphist extraordinaire ] ] Bhattiprolu had been a great centre of Buddhism since pre-Mauryan times (4th century BCE). From there Buddhism spread to east Asia, giving rise to the modern Thai, Burmese, Javanese and Balinese scripts which bear a strong resemblance to the Telugu script. The script also spread to the Rayalaseema region.

Geography

It is located at coord|16|6|N|80|46|E. [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/2/Bhattiprolu.html fallinrain info about Bhattiprolu] ]

Villages

Some of the villages in Bhattiprolu mandal are Addepalli,Vellatur,Voleru, Chintamotu, Pedapulivarru, Gorigapudi, Guttavaripalem, Pesarlanka, Pedalanka, Pallikona, Allamudi Gudavalli and kanagala.

Transport

Bhattiprolu is around 28 km from Tenali and 15 minutes drive from Repalle. It is a station on the Repalle-Tenali railway and falls under the Guntur division of South Cental Railway.

ee also

* Amaravati

References

External links

* [http://www.bezawada.com/bez/tourism/guntur_district/Bhattiprolu.asp Bhattiprolu]
* [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/2/Bhattiprolu.html Bhattiprolu, India Page]
* [http://www.gmc.ac.in/history_of_guntur.html History_Of_Guntur_District]
* [http://www.meditationincolorado.org/stupa_fortcollins_denver.htm What is a stupa?]