Metadata

Support
Bottom part of an octagonal pillar. Dimensions: h. 116 ×  w. 31 ×  d. 22.5 cm.
Text
Middle Indo-Aryan, Southern Brāhmī script. Inscribed area: h. 21.5 ×  w. 29 cm; the vertical space between lines 1 and 2 is larger than between the following lines.
Date
Sixth regnal year of Siri-Vijayasātakaṇṇi, approximately 221 CE.
Origin
Presumed to have been erected originally at or near findspot.
Provenance
Found at Nagarjunakonda “quite close to Site 126” according to Sarkar 1965-66 . In ARIE, however, we read “Slab discovered in Site No. 125, near the Royal Burning Ghat No. 127”. Identified at Nagarjunakonda Museum (acc. no. 79) in February 2016.
Visual Documentation
Photo(s):
  • AL 2017
  • JM 2017
    • Photo(s) of estampage(s):
  • Sarkar 1965-66
  • Raghunath 2001
    • Editors
    Arlo Griffiths and Vincent Tournier, with contributions by Stefan Baums and Ingo Strauch.
    Publication history
    First described and edited by Sarkar 1965-66 . Re-edited here on the basis of available documents and after autopsy of the stone.

    Edition

    (1) [na]mo bhagavato ◊ °agapogalasa (2) raṁño gotamiputasa ◊ sirivijayasa(3)takaṁṇṇisa ◊ sava 6 gipa 4 diva vesa(4)khapuṇima

    (1) [na]mo bhagavato ◊ °agapogalasa
    (2) raṁño gotamiputasa ◊ sirivijayasa-
    (3)takaṁṇṇisa ◊ sava 6 gipa 4 diva vesa-
    (4)khapuṇima 
    <ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xml:space="preserve">
					<w xml:id="tok1">
						<lb n="1"/>
						<unclear>na</unclear>mo</w>
					<w xml:id="tok2">bhagavato</w>
					<space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					<w xml:id="tok4">°agapogalasa</w>
					<lb n="2"/>
					<w xml:id="tok5">raṁño</w>
					<w xml:id="tok6">gotamiputasa</w>
					<space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					<w xml:id="tok8">sirivijayasa<lb n="3" break="no"/>takaṁṇṇisa</w>
					<space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					<w xml:id="tok10">sava</w>
					<num xml:id="tok11" value="6">6</num>
					<w xml:id="tok12">gipa</w>
					<num xml:id="tok13" value="4">4</num>
					<w xml:id="tok14">diva</w>
					<w xml:id="tok15">vesa<lb n="4" break="no"/>khapuṇima</w>
					
				</ab>

    Apparatus

    • (2) raṁño raño HS .
    • (2-3) -satakaṁṇṇisa -satakaṇṇisa HS .
    • (3-4) vesakhapuṇima vesākhapuṇima HS .

    Translation

    Homage to the Bhagavant, highest man! 6th year of King Gotamīputta Siri-Vijayasātakaṇṇi, 4th fortnight of the hot season, full-moon day of Vaiśākha.

    Commentary

    • (4) According to Raghunath 2001 , two visarga-like dots at the end of the inscription serve to denote the end of the record, but we consider these accidental.

    Secondary bibliography