Maski

Maski
Town
A view of Maski city skyline from Mallikarjuna temple hill
A view of Maski city skyline from Mallikarjuna temple hill
Maski is located in India
Maski
Maski
Location in Karnataka, India
Maski is located in Karnataka
Maski
Maski
Maski (Karnataka)
Coordinates: 15°58′N 76°39′E / 15.96°N 76.65°E / 15.96; 76.65
Country India
StateKarnataka
DistrictRaichur
Languages
 • OfficialKannada
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
584124
Vehicle registrationKA 36
Websitewww.lingasugurtown.gov.in/tourism

Maski is a town and an archaeological site in the Raichur district of the state of Karnataka, India.[1] It lies on the bank of the Maski river which is a tributary of the Tungabhadra. Maski derives its name from Mahasangha or Masangi . The site came into prominence with the discovery of a minor rock edict of Emperor Ashoka by C. Beadon in 1915.[2] It was the first edict of Emperor Ashoka that contained the name Ashoka in it instead of the earlier edicts that referred him as Devanampiye piyadasi.[3][4] This edict was important to conclude that many edicts found earlier in the Indian sub-continent in the name of Devanampiye piyadasi, all belonged to Emperor Ashoka.[3] The edict is etched on a rock-face of Durgada-gudda, one of the gneissic outcrops that are present in the site.

Maski is also the place on the Raichur Doab which was also under the hegemony of the imperial Chola empire and it was here that Rajendra Chola I defeated Jayasimha II, the Western Chalukya ruler in battle in 1019-1020 AD.[5]

  1. ^ Amalananda Ghosh (1990), p282
  2. ^ V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar (1993), p41
  3. ^ a b O. C. Handa (1994), p197
  4. ^ Vincent Arthur Smith (1998), p5
  5. ^ (2003), K.A.Nilakanta Sastri, p. 166