Discovery of Ancient Footprints in Raisen Forest
Deep inside the forests of Raisen district in Madhya Pradesh, an archaeologist has uncovered a trail of footprints engraved in stones, stretching across nearly 800 metres of rocky terrain in Jamgarh village. The footprints are accompanied by an inscription in early Nagari script, tentatively dated to around the 10th–11th century CE. The inscription mentions that the footprints belong to a holy man who walked through the area a thousand years ago. Historians now believe the pathway may have deep Jain associations.
Field Survey Leads to Unexpected Find
The discovery was made during a field survey by Nancy Sharma and her colleague Milnath Petele of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Bhopal Chapter. Nancy, an archaeologist who led the survey with the help of local villagers and officially reported the site, said the discovery emerged unexpectedly. “I had gone to a nearby site for an inspection when some of the locals told me about this site that was way above the village and not so easy to find unless you were looking for it. Some of the footsteps have withered with time, some have been tampered with, but most of them are still well-preserved,” she said.
What transformed the find from a curiosity into a major archaeological discovery was a weathered two-line inscription engraved beside the first prominent pair of footprints. Written in the early Nagari script and tentatively dated to around the 10th–11th century CE, it contains words such as ‘Śrī’, ‘siddha’, ‘pāda’, ‘pandita’ and ‘kāritaḥ’ — terms linked to sacred commemorative traditions, explained M M Upadhyay, convener of INTACH MP.
Expert Analysis Confirms Script and Historical Context
“The findings were examined by Ravi Shankar, former director of the epigraphy department of the Archaeological Survey of India, who identified the script as early Nagari characters of the Parmar period,” said Upadhyay, adding that the region once formed part of the Parmar empire. This historical context provides a solid foundation for dating the inscription and understanding its cultural significance.
Jain Associations and Historical Significance
Historians now believe the pathway may have deep Jain associations. Parmar history expert and veteran archaeologist Ramesh Yadav said, “In the 10th-11th century, there are many instances of Jain temples coming up in MP. Jain temples near Bhojpur are an example. These footprints found in Raisen could most likely be of a very learned Jain saint. Use of the word ‘siddha’ in the inscription points to this fact as this term has been prominently used for Jain munis. The way those footsteps end almost 600 metres from the caves points out that the saint could be on the way to his moksha samadhi.”
Another word in the inscription — ‘pandita’ — may deepen that link further. “There are different categories of munis in Jainism. ‘Pandita’ here may have been used to denote the elevated stature, wisdom and enlightenment level of the saint. There is an ancient inscription describing 2nd century Jain saint Kundakunda as a ‘pandita’,” said Arvind Jain, an expert on ancient Jain history.
Rarity of the Discovery
Sacred footprints are known in Buddhist, Jain and Shaiva traditions, but archaeologists say a long-inscribed pathway carved across living rock is exceptionally rare — turning Jamgarh into not just an archaeological site, but perhaps the preserved echo of a saint’s final journey into silence. The discovery adds a unique chapter to the region's rich historical tapestry, offering a tangible connection to spiritual practices of the past.
