Guwahati: The Sonitpur district administration has launched efforts to preserve the 9th-century Tezpur Rock Inscription, also known as Harjara Varman’s Rock Inscription, a priceless historical record for reconstructing Assam’s ancient past.The inscription dates back to the reign of King Harjara Varman of the Salastambha dynasty, the second historical dynasty of ancient Assam. It has deteriorated after remaining submerged for decades in the Brahmaputra near the foothills due to river erosion.The Tezpur Sahitya Sabha recently submitted a memorandum to the Sonitpur district commissioner, stating that the year 510 Gupta Era (829 AD) mentioned in the inscription has helped historians to determine the approximate reign periods of kings of the Varman, Salastambha and Pala dynasties.“Located near the historical tourist spot Bhairavpad, this rock inscription serves as a highly valuable document for the overall reconstruction of Assam’s history. It is a matter of great regret that this inscription is being left to slide into destruction right before our eyes. Written in the Sanskrit language, this nine-line rock inscription is also important from the perspective of Tezpur’s tourism,” the literary body said.Sonitpur district commissioner Ananda Kumar Das, accompanied by PWD engineers and other officials, conducted a field inspection on Sunday at the Rudrapad (Bhairavpad) site along the banks of the Brahmaputra, where the inscription is engraved on a massive rock that has remained submerged for several decades. The inspection came two days after a delegation of the Tezpur Sahitya Sabha, led by its president Dhrubajyoti Das and former president Bhupen Saikia, met the district commissioner on June 26 and submitted the memorandum seeking urgent conservation steps.The DC told the media that the administration would undertake preservation work after the monsoon through a coordinated effort involving the water resources department, the archaeological department and the PWD. Das had assured the Sahitya Sabha delegation earlier that the matter would be taken up without delay. He visited the site on Friday with PWD engineers, Tezpur Sahitya Sabha vice-president Dwijen Nath, secretary Pallab Bhattacharya and former secretary Pankaj Baruah.
