Structure covering King Ashoka's rock edicts collapses in Guj

The roof and part of a wall constructed to protect the rock edicts of King Ashoka, the third monarch of the Indian Mauryan dynasty, collapsed this morning due to heavy rains in the district, police said.
"A major part of the roof and backside wall, an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) structure, meant to protect the rock edicts of King Ashoka, collapsed today," Assistant Police Sub-Inspector (ASI) of Bhavnath, Punjabhai Dasa said.
The rock edicts are located in the foothills of Bhavnath area at Girnar mountains in Junagadh district.
Dasa said the structure collapsed in the heavy rains as it was already in a dilapidated condition.

According to the local residents, people from the district had made representations before the authorities to repair it.
The fourteen edicts of King Ashoka date back to 250 BC, while the protective wall structre had been constructed around it in the early 20th century by Sultan Rasool Khan Babi of the erstwhile princely state of Junagadh.

These inscriptions are written in Brahmi script in Prakrit language. On the same rock, there are inscriptions in Sanskrit language added around 150 AD by King Mahakshatrap Rudradaman, one of the Saka (Scythian) rulers of Malwa in the western Kshatrapas dynasty. Another inscription dates back to 450 AD and refers to the last emperor of Gupta dynasty Skand Gupta.

Police have informed about the wall collapse incident to the higher authorities of the ASI.
As per the state government figures, Junagadh district has received 279 mm rain fall till July 18.