Umachal rock inscription

{{Short description|5th century rock inscription in Assam}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}

{{Use Indian English|date=October 2017}}

The Umachal rock inscription is one of the earliest epigraphic sources discovered in Assam. Dated to the 5th century, the rock description was discovered in the north-eastern slopes of the Nilachal Hills (called Umachal), near Guwahati city.The rock inscription came into view when an old banyan tree was uprooted. {{harv|Sircar|1971|p=79}} The first report on the artifact was published by R. M. Nath {{harv|Sharma|1978|p=1}} The artifact is dated primarily on the basis of the identification of the named Surendravarman with Mahendravarman (fl. c470-494) of the Varman dynasty."...in ancient India, kings were sometimes mentioned by the synonyms of their names, Surendravarman may tentatively be identified with Mahendravarman...Surendra and Mahendra both indicate Indra." {{harv|Sircar|1971|p=81}} The script is in the Nagari variety of the Gupta script and the language is Sanskrit prose.{{harv|Sharma|1978|p=3}} Though the Nilachal Hills is known for the Kamakhya Temple, a shakta/tantra site, this temple was for Balabhadra, a god of the Vaishnavite pantheon."...It is, however, more likely that Bhagavata Balabhadrasvamin of the present inscription is no other than the Vaishnavite deity variously called Balabhadra, Baladeva, Balarama, Sankarsana etc." {{harv|Sircar|1971|p=81}}

File:Umachal_Rock_Inscription.png

Another inscription, the Nagajari-Khanikargaon rock inscription, though undated, is sometimes claimed, on stylistic grounds, as the earliest.