Ter

History

The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mentions a trading centre called Tagara, which has been identified with modern Ter. There is an ancient miraculous idol of the 24th tirthankara of the Jains, Lord Mahavira, more than 800 years old. The temple has unearthed inscriptions which say that the samavshara of lord Mahavir came to this place. Ter, settled along both banks of the Terna River, is a historically important village in Osmanabad district some 32.19 km (20 miles) from the tehsils headquarters. Its antiquity traces as far back as the Puranas, wherein it is referred to as Satyapuri and in the ancient period of our history as Tagarnagar. It was mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as one of the two pre-eminent centres, along with Pratisthana, in modern Paithan in Aurangabad district. The Periplus says that all kinds of mercantile goods from throughout the Deccan Plateau were brought to Tagara and from there conveyed in carts to Bharuch. It traded with the outside world, especially Greece and Rome; Roman coins recently discovered here lend weight to this fact. It reached the height of its commercial prosperity during the Satavahana period. Ter was the capital of one of the branches of the Silaharas, many of whose seals and coins depicting an elephant giving a bath to Mahalaksmi, the family deity of the silaharas, have been unearthed here. In the same way objects like potsherds, beads, garlands, combs, dolls, conch shells, old bricks and many ivory objects uncovered in the excavations undertaken at Ter and its environs throw valuable light not only on the history of the village but also on the cultural, architectural and various other aspects and accomplishments of the people who inhabited the region in ancient times. Deeper excavations are being…

Most-observed species

• Red-vented Bulbul

  Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  50
• Saxicoloides fulicatus (Linnaeus, 1766)

  Saxicoloides fulicatus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  35
• Common Myna

  Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  30
• Ashy Prinia

  Prinia socialis Sykes, 1832 · Aves
  30
• Purple Sunbird

  Cinnyris asiaticus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  30
• Red-wattled Lapwing

  Vanellus indicus (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  28
• Indian Pond-Heron

  Ardeola grayii (Sykes, 1832) · Aves
  26
• Asian Koel

  Eudynamys scolopaceus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  26

Most recent

• M 4 — 2011-09-19
  11 km NW of Umarga, India
• M 3.6 — 2007-09-06
  21 km S of Ausa, India