Early Inscriptions of Āndhradeśa

EIAD 25

Pillar from monastic hall of site 1 at Nagarjunakonda — reign of Siri-Vīrapurisadatta

Metadata

Support: Broken pillar; dimensions unknown.
Text: Middle Indo-Aryan, Southern Brāhmī script. Remains of 12 lines on two text blocks whose relation to each other is unclear.
Date: Reign of Māṭharīputta Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, i.e., approximately between 225 and 275 CE.
Origin: Erected originally at findspot.
Provenance: Discovered in the cold season of 1927-1928 by A.H. Longhurst at Nagarjunakonda, Site 1, in the monastic hall of Cāntisirī, close to the eastern side of the apsidal temple. Not identified during fieldwork from February 2016 onward.
Visual Documentation: Photo(s) of estampage(s):
Vogel

Sarkar 1969, pl. I (vi).
Editors: Stefan Baums, Arlo Griffiths, Ingo Strauch and Vincent Tournier.
Publication history: Fragments first described and edited individually by Vogel 1931-32: 66-8 (M6, M7, M13, M17, M19, [M20]) , then pieced together by Sarkar 1969: 176-7 (vi), who gives the first reconstruction of the inscription. Re-edited here after Sarkar’s plate VI.

Edition

(1) ma(hā) [r] /// (ājasa) … (2) °agiho/// (tāgiṭhomavājapeyāsamedhayājisa) (3) (°a)nekahiraṁṇakoṭigo/// (satasahasahahalasatasaha) (4) (sapad) [ā]yi[sa] /// …

(1) + /// ? ? ? /// … (2) savathesu ◊ °apat(i) [ha] (tasa) /// (ṁkapasa) (vāseṭhiputasa) (3) [°i]khākusa ◊ siricaṁtamūlasa ◊ sa/// (hodarā) (bhagi) ///ni (mahāsenāpatisa) (4) (ma) ///hātalavarasa ◊ vasiṭhīputa[sa] /// (pūkīyānaṁ) /// ka[ṁ]dasirisa ◊ [bha] /// (riyā) (5) (mahā) ///talava[r]i [kha]ṁ(dasāgaraṁnagamatā) cātisiri °apano /// (jāmātukasa) (6) (raṁño) /// mā[ṭha] (r) [ī] (putasa) (°ikhakunaṁ) (si) [ri]vira[p]uri(sa) [data]sa /// (7) (°ayuvadhanike) (vijayave) /// [ja]yike °api [ca] °apa[no] /// (8) ? ? ?

(1) ma(hā) [r] /// (ājasa) …
(2) °agiho/// (tāgiṭhomavājapeyāsamedhayājisa)
(3) (°a)nekahiraṁṇakoṭigo/// (satasahasahahalasatasaha) -
(4) (sapad) [ā]yi[sa] /// …

(1) + /// ? ? ? /// …
(2) savathesu ◊ °apat(i) [ha] (tasa) /// (ṁkapasa) (vāseṭhiputasa)
(3) [°i]khākusa ◊ siricaṁtamūlasa ◊ sa/// (hodarā) (bhagi) ///ni (mahāsenāpatisa)
(4) (ma) ///hātalavarasa ◊ vasiṭhīputa[sa] /// (pūkīyānaṁ) /// ka[ṁ]dasirisa ◊ [bha] /// (riyā)
(5) (mahā) ///talava[r]i [kha]ṁ(dasāgaraṁnagamatā) cātisiri °apano /// (jāmātukasa)
(6) (raṁño) /// mā[ṭha] (r) [ī] (putasa) (°ikhakunaṁ) (si) [ri]vira[p]uri(sa) [data]sa ///
(7) (°ayuvadhanike) (vijayave) /// [ja]yike °api [ca] °apa[no] ///
(8) ? ? ?

<ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
						            <lb n="1"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1531">ma<supplied reason="lost">hā</supplied>
                     <unclear>r</unclear>
                     <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
                     <supplied reason="lost">ājasa</supplied>
                  </w>
						            <gap reason="lost" extent="unknown"/>
						            <lb n="2"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1532">°agiho<milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
                     <supplied reason="lost">tāgiṭhomavājapeyāsamedhayājisa</supplied>
                  </w>
						            <lb n="3"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1533">
                     <supplied reason="lost">°a</supplied>nekahiraṁṇakoṭigo<milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
                     <supplied reason="lost">satasahasahahalasatasaha</supplied>
                     <lb n="4" break="no"/>
                     <supplied reason="lost">sapad</supplied>
                     <unclear>ā</unclear>yi<unclear>sa</unclear>
                  </w>
						            <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
						            <gap reason="lost" extent="unknown"/>
					          </ab>

<ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
						            <lb n="1"/>
						            <gap reason="lost" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
						            <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="left"/>
						            <gap reason="illegible" quantity="3" unit="character"/>
						            <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
						            <gap reason="lost" extent="unknown"/>
						            <lb n="2"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1542">savathesu</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="chars"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1543">°apat<supplied reason="lost">i</supplied>
                     <unclear>ha</unclear>
                     <supplied reason="lost">tasa</supplied>
                     <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
                     <supplied reason="lost">ṁkapasa</supplied>
                  </w>
						            <w xml:id="tok1544">
                     <supplied reason="lost">vāseṭhiputasa</supplied>
                  </w>
						            <lb n="3"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1545">
                     <unclear>°i</unclear>khākusa</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="chars"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1547">siricaṁtamūlasa</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="chars"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1549">sa<milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
                     <supplied reason="lost">hodarā</supplied>
                  </w>
						            <w xml:id="tok1549bis">
                     <supplied reason="lost">bhagi</supplied>
                     <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="left"/>ni</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok1550">
							              <supplied reason="lost">mahāsenāpatisa</supplied>
						            </w>
						            <lb n="4"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1551">
                     <supplied reason="lost">ma</supplied>
                     <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="left"/>hātalavarasa</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="chars"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1553">vasiṭhīputa<unclear>sa</unclear>
                  </w>
						            <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1555">
							              <supplied reason="lost">pūkīyānaṁ</supplied>
						            </w>
						            <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="left"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1557">ka<unclear>ṁ</unclear>dasirisa</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="chars"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1559">
                     <unclear>bha</unclear>
                     <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
                     <supplied reason="lost">riyā</supplied>
                  </w>
						            <lb n="5"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1560">
                     <supplied reason="lost">mahā</supplied>
                     <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="left"/>talava<unclear>r</unclear>i</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok1561">
                     <unclear>kha</unclear>ṁ<supplied reason="lost">dasāgaraṁnagamatā</supplied>
                  </w>
						            <w xml:id="tok1562">cātisiri</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok1563">°apano</w>
						            <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1565">
							              <supplied reason="lost">jāmātukasa</supplied>
						            </w>
						            <lb n="6"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1566">
                     <supplied reason="lost">raṁño</supplied>
                  </w>
						            <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="left"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1567">mā<unclear>ṭha</unclear>
                     <supplied reason="lost">r</supplied>
                     <unclear>ī</unclear>
                     <supplied reason="lost">putasa</supplied>
                  </w>
						            <w xml:id="tok1568">
                     <supplied reason="lost">°ikhakunaṁ</supplied>
                  </w>
						            <w xml:id="tok1569">
                     <supplied reason="lost">si</supplied>
                     <unclear>ri</unclear>vira<unclear>p</unclear>uri<supplied reason="lost">sa</supplied>
                     <unclear>data</unclear>sa</w>
						            <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
						            <lb n="7"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok1571">
                     <supplied reason="lost">°ayuvadhanike</supplied>
                  </w>
						            <w xml:id="tok1572">
                     <supplied reason="lost">vijayave</supplied>
                     <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="left"/>
                     <unclear>ja</unclear>yike</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok1573">°api</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok1574">
                     <unclear>ca</unclear>
                  </w>
						            <w xml:id="tok1575">°apa<unclear>no</unclear>
                  </w>
						            <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
						            <lb n="8"/>
						            <gap reason="illegible" quantity="3" unit="chars"/>
					          </ab>

Apparatus

(1) ma(hā) [r] /// (ājasa) ma... HS .
(4) (sapad) [ā]yi[sa] ...yi... HS .

(2) °apat(i) [ha] (tasa) /// (ṁkapasa) °apat(ihatasaṁkapasa) HS .
(3) [°i]khākusa Compare EIAD 28 [°i]khākukulasa.
(3) sa/// (hodarā) (bhagi) ///ni sa(hodara) (bhagi)ni HS .
(4) vasiṭhīputa[sa] vāsiṭhīputa(sa) HS .
(4) ka[ṁ]dasirisa ◊ [bha] /// (riyā) ka(ṁ)dasirisa HS .
(5) (mahā)talava[r]i [kha]ṁ(dasāgaraṁnagamatā) (mahā)talavari … HS .
(5) cātisiri cāṁtisiri HS .
(6) mā[ṭha] (r) [ī] (putasa) (°ikhakunaṁ) (si) [ri]vira[p]uri(sa) [data]sa māṭha(riputasa) (si)rivirapu(risadata)sa HS . The latter restoration does not account for the space available, and comparison with EIAD 28 allows to restore ikhakunaṁ.
(7) °api [ca] °apa[no] °apica °apaṇo HS .
(8) ? ? ? [si]rivirapu[risadatasa] HS . We see no trace of the akṣaras rivirapu, and do not expect the word sirivirapurisadatasa to be found in this part of the formula.

Translation

... Cāntisirī — uterine sister of (Great King Vāsiṭṭhīputta) Siri‐Cāntamūla the Ikṣvāku, ... of Great King ... (sacrificer) of the Agnihotra, (the Agniṣṭoma, the Vājapeya and the Aśvamedha) giver of many times ten millions of (pieces of) gold, (hundreds of thousands of cows and hundreds of thousands of plows of land), ... whose will is unimpeded in all matters ... ; wife of (Great General,) Great Talavara Vāsiṭṭhīputta Kandasiri (of the Pūkīyas); (Great-)Talavara-wife, (mother of) Khandasāgaraṇṇaka — in order to (increase the lifespan) and leading (to victory) after victory of (her son‐in‐law King) Māṭharīputta Siri‐Vīrapurisadatta (of the Ikṣvākus) ... and also ... of her own ...

Commentary

Vogel 1931-32: 66-8 edited separately the 5 fragments of the same inscription. In light of the improvements allowed by Sarkar 1969: 176-7’s reconstruction of the inscription, variants of the first edition have not been recorded. But Sarkar’s reconstruction is still problematic. In l. 4, of the first fragment, we expect savathesu to have occurred after -padāyisa. This suggests that either the positioning of the fragments in Sarkar’s image is wrong, or it is Sarkar’s hypothesis of M13 and M6 belonging together that is erroneous. We are inclined to prefer the second interpretation, and hence separate Sarkar’s text into section A and B, while provisionally keeping all these fragments together under one inscription number. Compare EIAD 28 for apparently parallel text.

(B.2) °apat(i) [ha] (tasa) /// (ṁkapasa) Note the unusual shape of <t>, with a loop.
(B.5) °apano Note unusually round shape of <pa>.

Secondary bibliography

Srinivasan & Sankaranarayanan 1979: no. 29
Tsukamoto 1996: no. Naga 40.2 (and nos. Naga 24, 25, 31, 35, 37, 38)
Raghunath 2001: 109 (no. 13B), 122 (no. 18A), 124 (no. 21), 128 (no. 26)