Metadata

Support
Āyaka pillar; h. 275 ×  w. 47 ×  d. 36 cm.
Text
Middle Indo-Aryan, Southern Brāhmī script. h. 66 ×  w. 51 cm .
Date
Sixth regnal year of Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, approximately between 225 and 275 CE.
Origin
Erected originally at findspot.
Provenance
Discovered between March 1926 and October 1927 at Nagarjunakonda, Site 1, on the South side of the Mahācaitya. Mistakenly, Raghunath 2001: 197 indicates Site-2 instead of Site-1. Identified at Nagarjunakonda Museum (acc. no. 285) in February 2016.
Visual Documentation
Photo(s):
  • photos AL 2017
    • Photo(s) of estampage(s):
  • estampage Leiden N8
  • Vogel
  • Raghunath
    • Editors
    Stefan Baums, Arlo Griffiths, Ingo Strauch and Vincent Tournier.
    Publication history
    First described and edited by Vogel 1929–30a: 13, 18-9 (B4) . Re-edited here from the Leiden estampage and after autopsy of the stone.

    Edition

    (1) sidhaṁ namo bhagavato devarājasakatasa supabudhabo⟨dhino⟩ savaṁñuno sava[sa] (tā) (2)nukaṁpakasa jitarāgadosamohavipamutasa mahāgaṇivasabhagaṁdhaha[thi] (sa) (3) saṁmasaṁbugasa dhātuvaraparigahitasa mahācetiye kulahakānaṁ bālikā (4) mahāsenāpatisa mahātalavarasa vāsiṭhīputasa hirañaṁkānaṁ khaṁdacalikikaṁmaṇakasa (5) bhayā mahāsenāpatini culacātisiriṇikā °apano °ubhayalokahitasukhani(6)vāṇathanāya °imaṁ selakhaṁbhaṁ patiṭhapitaṁ ti raṁño sirivirapurisadatasa (7) ◊ sava 6 vāpa 6 diva 10

    (1) sidhaṁ namo bhagavato devarājasakatasa supabudhabo⟨dhino⟩ savaṁñuno sava[sa] (tā) -
    (2)nukaṁpakasa jitarāgadosamohavipamutasa mahāgaṇivasabhagaṁdhaha[thi] (sa)
    (3) saṁmasaṁbugasa dhātuvaraparigahitasa mahācetiye kulahakānaṁ bālikā
    (4) mahāsenāpatisa mahātalavarasa vāsiṭhīputasa hirañaṁkānaṁ khaṁdacalikikaṁmaṇakasa
    (5) bhayā mahāsenāpatini culacātisiriṇikā °apano °ubhayalokahitasukhani-
    (6)vāṇathanāya °imaṁ selakhaṁbhaṁ patiṭhapitaṁ ti raṁño sirivirapurisadatasa
    (7) ◊ sava 6 vāpa 6 diva 10 
    <ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
					          <lb n="1"/>
               <w xml:id="tok351">sidhaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok352">namo</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok353">bhagavato</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok354">devarājasakatasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok355">supabudhabo<supplied reason="omitted">dhino</supplied>
               </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok356">savaṁñuno</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok357">sava<unclear>sa</unclear>
                  <supplied reason="lost">tā</supplied>
                  <lb n="2" break="no"/>nukaṁpakasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok358">jitarāgadosamohavipamutasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok359">mahāgaṇivasabhagaṁdhaha<unclear>thi</unclear>
                  <supplied reason="lost">sa</supplied>
               </w>
					          <lb n="3"/>
               <w xml:id="tok360">saṁmasaṁbugasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok361">dhātuvaraparigahitasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok362">mahācetiye</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok363">kulahakānaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok364">bālikā</w>
					          <lb n="4"/>
               <w xml:id="tok365">mahāsenāpatisa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok366">mahātalavarasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok367">vāsiṭhīputasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok368">hirañaṁkānaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok369">khaṁdacalikikaṁmaṇakasa</w>
					          <lb n="5"/>
               <w xml:id="tok370">bhayā</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok371">mahāsenāpatini</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok372">culacātisiriṇikā</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok373">°apano</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok374">°ubhayalokahitasukhani<lb n="6" break="no"/>vāṇathanāya</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok375">°imaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok376">selakhaṁbhaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok377">patiṭhapitaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok378">ti</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok379">raṁño</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok380">sirivirapurisadatasa</w>
					          <lb n="7"/>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="10" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok382">sava</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok383">6</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok384">vāpa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok385">6</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok386">diva</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok387">10</w>
				        </ab>

    Apparatus

    • (1) supabudhabo⟨dhino⟩ This restoration is justified by the occurrence of the epithet in similar formulas, for instance in EIAD 4, l. 1 and EIAD 10, l. 1.
    • (3) saṁmasaṁbugasa The <ga> is a copying mistake. Emend -budhasa.
    • (4) hirañaṁkānaṁ hiraṁñakānaṁ JPhV . Emend hiraṁñakānaṁ.
    • (4) khaṁdacalikikaṁmaṇakasa khaṁdacalikireṁmaṇaka (sa) JPhV .
    • (7) sava saṁva JPhV .

    Translation

    (1-3) Success! Homage to the Bhagavant, worshipped by the king(s) of the gods, who completely realized Awakening, the Omniscient One, who is compassionate with all beings, who conquered and is released from lust, hate and delusion, the bull and rut elephant among great leaders, the Perfect Buddha who is ensconced in the excellent relic [or: element (i.e., nirvāṇadhātu)]!
    (3-6) At the Great Shrine, Great-General-wife Little Cāntisiriṇṇikā — child of the Kulahakas; wife of Great General, Great Talavara Vāsiṭṭhīputta Khandacalikiremmaṇaka of the Hiraññakas — established this pillar for the sake of well-being and happiness in both worlds and nirvāṇa for herself.
    (6-7) In the 6th year of King Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, in the 6th fortnight of the rainy season, on the 10th day.

    Secondary bibliography