अहिच्छत्र
ahichchhatr / ahikshetr / Ahichchhtra
aanvala namak sthan ke nikat is mahabharatakalin nagar ke vistirn khandahar avasthit haian. yah nagar mahabharatkal mean tatha usake pashchat poorv bauddhkal mean bhi kaphi prasiddh tha. yahaan uttari paanchal ki rajadhani thi. 'soadhyavasaddinamana: kampilyan ch purottamamh. dakshinaanshchapi panchalanh yavachcharmanvati nadi. dronen chaiv drupadan paribhooyath patit:. putrajanm paripsanh vai prithivimanvasancharath, ahichchhatran ch vishayan dron: samabhipadyat' [1]. is uddharan se soochit hota hai ki dronachary ne paanchal-naresh drupad ko hara kar dakshin paanchal ka rajy usake pas chho d diya tha aur ahichchhatr namak rajy apane adhikar mean kar liya tha. ahichchhatr kurudesh ke parshv mean hi sthit tha-- 'ahichchhatran kalakootan gangakoolan ch bharat'. samrat ashok ne yahaan ahichchhatr namak vishal stoop banavaya tha. jainsootr prajnapana mean ahichchhatr ka kee any janapadoan ke sath ullekh hai.
chini yatri yuvanachvaang jo yahaan 640 ee॰ ke lagabhag aya tha, nagar ke nam ke bare mean likhata hai ki kile ke bahar nagahrad namak ek tal hai jisake nikat nagaraj ne bauddh dharm svikar karane ke pashchat is sarovar par ek chhatr banavaya tha. ahichchhatr ke khandaharoan mean sabase adhik mahatvapoorn dhooh ek stoop hai jisaki akriti chakki ke saman hone se ise sthaniy log 'pisanahari ka chhatr' kahate haian. yah stoop usi sthan par bana hai jahaan kianvadanti ke anusar buddh ne sthaniy nag rajaoan ko bauddh dharm ki diksha di thi. yahaan se mili huee moortiyaan tatha any vastuean lakhanoo ke sangrahalay mean surakshit haian. vebar ne shatapath brahman (13, 5, 4, 7) mean ullikhit parivaka ya parichaka nagari ka abhijnan mahabharat ki ekachaka (sambhavat: ahichchhatr) ke sath kiya hai [2]. mahabharat mean ise ahikshetr tatha chhatravati namoan se bhi abhihit kiya gaya hai. jain-granth vividh tirth kalp mean isaka ek any nam sankhyavati bhi milata hai [3]. ek any prachin jain granth tirth mala chaityavandan mean ahikshetr ka shivapur nam bhi bataya gaya hai--'vande shri karanavati shivapure nagadrahe nanake'. jain-granthoan mean isaka ek any nam shivanayari bhi milata hai [4]. t aaulami ne ahichchhatr ka adisadra nam se ullekh kiya hai [5].