Metadata

Support
Three originally separate floor slabs; h. 48 ×  w. 150 ×  d. 58 cm h. 47 ×  w. 135 ×  d. 8.5 cm h. 47 ×  w. 164 ×  d. 4 cm.
Text
Middle Indo-Aryan, Southern Brāhmī script. h. 20 ×  w. 442 cm .
Date
Eighteenth 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 Site-1, on the floor of an Apsidal temple to the East of the Mahācaitya. Three fragments identified at Nagarjunakonda Museum (A = acc. no. 551; B = acc. no. 615; C = acc. no. 512) in February 2016. A fragment which contained the last akṣaras of both lines and was still accessible in Vogel's time has not yet been recovered.
Visual Documentation
Photo(s):
  • photos JM 2017
    • Photo(s) of estampage(s):
  • Est. ASI: Vogel, Raghunath
  • Soundara Rajan 2006: fig. 37
    • Editors
    Arlo Griffiths and Vincent Tournier, with contributions by Stefan Baums and Ingo Strauch.
    Publication history
    First described and edited by Vogel 1929–30a: 14, 21-2 (E) , and then by Sircar 1965 . Edited again, from the EI estampage, by Sircar 1942: 227-8 and Sircar 1965: 236-7 . Re-edited here from Vogel's estampage and after autopsy of the stone slabs.

    Edition

    (1) si[dhaṁ] – namo bhagavato ◊ budhasa cetiyaghar⟨e⟩ mahāraja[sa] ◊ [v]i[rūpakhapat]imahāsenaparigahitasa °agihotagiṭhomavājapeyāsamedhayājisa ◊ °anekahiranakoḍigosatasahasahalasatasa⟨hasa⟩padāyisa savathesu °apatihatasaṁkapasa vāseṭhiputasa ◊ °ikhāku⟨ku⟩lasa siricātamulasa sahodāra bhagini mahātalavarasa vāseṭhiputasa pugiyāna khaṁdasirisa bhariya mahātalavari khaṁdasāgaraṁnagamatā cātisiri ◊ °apano jāmatukasa raño maṭhariputasa °ikhakunaṁ sirivirapurisadatasa °ayuvadhanike ve[ja]yike (2) °apano ca °ubhaya[lo]kahitasukhanivānatha[nā]ya bhagavato saṁmasa[ṁ]budhasa dhātuparigahitasa ma⟪hā⟫cetiyapādam[ū]le pavajitānaṁ nānādesasamanāgatānaṁ savasādhūnaṁ mahā[bhi] khusaghasa ◊ °apa[no] ca °ubhayakulasa °atichita -m- anāgatavaṭamanake ◊ nikapanike [ca] parinā[me]tunaṁ °aparamahāvinaselīyanaṁ ◊ parigahe savaniyuta ◊ cātusalaparigahitaṁ ◊ selamaṁṭava ◊ patiṭhapitaṁ raṁño sirivīrapurisadatasa ◊ saṁvacharaṁ °aṭhārasaṁ 10 8 hemaṁtapakhaṁ chaṭhaṁ 6 divasaṁ paṁcamaṁ 5 savasatānaṁ hitaya sukhāya hotu ti

    (1) si[dhaṁ] – namo bhagavato ◊ budhasa cetiyaghar⟨e⟩ mahāraja[sa] ◊ [v]i[rūpakhapat]imahāsenaparigahitasa °agihotagiṭhomavājapeyāsamedhayājisa ◊ °anekahiranakoḍigosatasahasahalasatasa⟨hasa⟩padāyisa savathesu °apatihatasaṁkapasa vāseṭhiputasa ◊ °ikhāku⟨ku⟩lasa siricātamulasa sahodāra bhagini mahātalavarasa vāseṭhiputasa pugiyāna khaṁdasirisa bhariya mahātalavari khaṁdasāgaraṁnagamatā cātisiri ◊ °apano jāmatukasa raño maṭhariputasa °ikhakunaṁ sirivirapurisadatasa °ayuvadhanike ve[ja]yike
    (2) °apano ca °ubhaya[lo]kahitasukhanivānatha[nā]ya bhagavato saṁmasa[ṁ]budhasa dhātuparigahitasa ma⟪hā⟫cetiyapādam[ū]le pavajitānaṁ nānādesasamanāgatānaṁ savasādhūnaṁ mahā[bhi] khusaghasa ◊ °apa[no] ca °ubhayakulasa °atichita -m- anāgatavaṭamanake ◊ nikapanike [ca] parinā[me]tunaṁ °aparamahāvinaselīyanaṁ ◊ parigahe savaniyuta ◊ cātusalaparigahitaṁ ◊ selamaṁṭava ◊ patiṭhapitaṁ raṁño sirivīrapurisadatasa ◊ saṁvacharaṁ °aṭhārasaṁ 10 8 hemaṁtapakhaṁ chaṭhaṁ 6 divasaṁ paṁcamaṁ 5 savasatānaṁ hitaya sukhāya hotu ti 
    <ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
					
					          <lb n="1"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok1600">si<unclear>dhaṁ</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <pc>–</pc>
					          <w xml:id="tok1602">namo</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1603">bhagavato</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok1605">budhasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1606">cetiyaghar<supplied reason="omitted">e</supplied>
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					          <w xml:id="tok1607">mahāraja<unclear>sa</unclear>
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					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          
					          
					          <w xml:id="tok1608">
						            <unclear>v</unclear>i<unclear>rūpakhapat</unclear>imahāsenaparigahitasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1609">°agihotagiṭhomavājapeyāsamedhayājisa</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok1611">°anekahiranakoḍigosatasahasahalasatasa<supplied reason="omitted">hasa</supplied>padāyisa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1612">savathesu</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1613">°apatihatasaṁkapasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1614">vāseṭhiputasa</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok1616">°ikhāku<supplied reason="omitted">ku</supplied>lasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1617">siricātamulasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1618">sahodāra</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1618bis">bhagini</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1619">mahātalavarasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1620">vāseṭhiputasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1621">pugiyāna</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1622">khaṁdasirisa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1623">bhariya</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1624">mahātalavari</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1625">khaṁdasāgaraṁnagamatā</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1626">cātisiri</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok1628">°apano</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1629">jāmatukasa</w>
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					          <w xml:id="tok1631">maṭhariputasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1632">°ikhakunaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1633">sirivirapurisadatasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1634">°ayuvadhanike</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1635">ve<unclear>ja</unclear>yike</w>
					          <lb n="2"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok1636">°apano</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1637">ca</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1638">°ubhaya<unclear>lo</unclear>kahitasukhanivānatha<unclear>nā</unclear>ya</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1639">bhagavato</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1640">saṁmasa<unclear>ṁ</unclear>budhasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1641">dhātuparigahitasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1642">ma<add place="below">hā</add>cetiyapādam<unclear>ū</unclear>le</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1643">pavajitānaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1644">nānādesasamanāgatānaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1645">savasādhūnaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1646">mahā<unclear>bhi</unclear>
                  khusaghasa</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok1648">°apa<unclear>no</unclear>
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					          <w xml:id="tok1649">ca</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1650">°ubhayakulasa</w>
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                  <w xml:id="tok1651">°atichita</w>
                  <w xml:id="tok1652" type="hiatus-breaker">m</w>
                  <w xml:id="tok1653">anāgatavaṭamanake</w>
               </w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok1655">nikapanike</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1655bis">
						            <unclear>ca</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1656">parinā<unclear>me</unclear>tunaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1657">°aparamahāvinaselīyanaṁ</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok1659">parigahe</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1660">savaniyuta</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok1662">cātusalaparigahitaṁ</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok1664">selamaṁṭava</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok1666">patiṭhapitaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1667">raṁño</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1668">sirivīrapurisadatasa</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok1670">saṁvacharaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1671">°aṭhārasaṁ</w>
					          <num xml:id="cmp26">
						            <num xml:id="tok1672" value="10">10</num>
						            <num xml:id="tok1673" value="8">8</num>
					          </num>
					          <w xml:id="tok1674">hemaṁtapakhaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1675">chaṭhaṁ</w>
					          <num xml:id="tok1676" value="6">6</num>
					          <w xml:id="tok1677">divasaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1678">paṁcamaṁ</w>
					          <num xml:id="tok1679" value="5">5</num>
					          <w xml:id="tok1680">savasatānaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1681">hitaya</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok1682">sukhāya</w>
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				        </ab>

    Apparatus

    • (1) cetiyaghar⟨e⟩ cetiyaghara JPhV . By contrast with Vogel, who took cetiyaghara as a nominative singular, we follow here the suggestion of Sircar 1942: 227 n. 2 ; Sircar 1965: 236 n. 3 , in interpreting it as a mistake for cetiyaghare. This is supported by the similarity of construction with the pillar inscriptions, where mahācetiye opens the main sentence after the opening invocation.
    • (1) °agihotagi- °agihot⟨ā⟩gi- JPhV . It is tempting to follow Vogel’s emendation, although it is not impossible to understand the form transmitted by this inscription as reflecting a MIA sandhi.
    • (1) -hiranakoḍi- -hiranakoṭi- JPhV . The form usually encountered is -hiraṁṇakoṭi- (e.g., EIAD 9, l. 3; EIAD 12, l. 3).
    • (1) siricātamulasa siricātamūlasa JPhV .
    • (1) sahodāra sahodār⟨ā⟩ JPhV .
    • (1) pugiyāna pugiyāna⟨ṁ⟩ JPhV .
    • (1) bhariya bhariy⟨ā⟩ JPhV .
    • (1) sāgaraṁnagamatā sāgaraṁnagam⟨ā⟩tā JPhV .
    • (1) jāma[tu]kasa jām⟨ā⟩tukasa JPhV . The <tu> is unusually realized, as in l. 2 dhātu.
    • (1) maṭhariputasa m⟨ā⟩ṭhariputasa JPhV .
    • (1) °ikhakunaṁ °ikh⟨ā⟩kunaṁ JPhV .
    • (2) -nivānathanāya bhagavato -[nivāṇathanāya] JPhV . Note that Vogel and Sircar omit a whole word.
    • (2) dhātuparigahitasa This compound occurs elsewhere as dhātuvaraparigahitasa. While it is possible that the two syllables ⟨vara⟩ to have been omitted by the engraver, similarly to his obvious omission of ⟨hasa⟩ (l. 1), this might also constitute a significant variant.
    • (2) mahā[bhi]khusaghasa mahābhikhusa[ṁ]ghasa JPhV .
    • (2) -vaṭamanake -vaṭamānake JPhV .
    • (2) -selīyanaṁ -seliy⟨ā⟩naṁ .
    • (2) savaniyuta savaniyuta[ṁ] JPhV .
    • (2) cātusala- : 21, n. 4 suggests to emend the reading into catusāla-, but the parallel formula in EIAD 24 also shows cātu-.
    • (2) selamaṁṭava selamaṁṭava[ṁ] JPhV .
    • (2) patiṭhapitaṁ patiṭh⟨ā⟩pitaṁ JPhV .
    • (2) sirivīrapurisadatasa sirivirapurisadatasa JPhV .
    • (2) °aṭhārasaṁ °aṭhāra saṁ JPhV .
    • (2) hitaya hit⟨ā⟩ya JPhV .

    Translation

    (1) Success! Homage to the Bhagavant, the Buddha!
    (1-2) At the shrine hall (cetiyaghara), Cāntisirī — uterine sister of Great King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Cāntamūla of the Ikṣvāku family, favored by Mahāsena who has Virūpākṣa as his lord, sacrificer of the Agnihotra, the Agniṣṭoma, the Vājapeya and the Aśvamedha, giver of many times tens of 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 the 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 for the sake of bringing about well-being and happiness in both worlds and nirvāṇa for herself, at the base of the Great Shrine of the Bhagavant, the Perfect Buddha, who is ensconced in the excellent relic [or: element (i.e., nirvāṇadhātu)], for the great community of monks (consisting) of all good renunciants who come from various countries – having dedicated (the merit) to the past, future and present members of her family on both sides and to nikapanīka –, established in the possession of the Aparamahāvinaseliyas a stone pavillion equipped with everything and enclosed by a quadrangular compound.
    (2)In the eighteenth — 18th — year of King Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, in the sixth — 6th — fortnight of winter, on the fifth — 5th — day. May it be for the well-being and happiness of all beings.

    Commentary

    This inscription has the particularity of writing many syllables with expected <ā> as <a>. Vogel corrects them by editing [ā], which should correspond to (ā) of our conventions but in fact indicates here an editorial addition, having the same function of [*x], when the editor supplies a missing anusvāra in pugiyāna (l. 1), or in his edition of other inscriptions (see for instance EIAD 30). Elsewhere, he uses the brackets [...] to mark damaged akṣaras that can still be read (cf. : 21, n. 2 ), which corresponds to our use of these brackets. In order to clarify as much as possible this inconsistent practice, we have thus marked Vogel’s suggested editorial additions with pointy brackets ⟨ ⟩ in our apparatus. Also, since the number of missing markers of vowel lengths is substantial, we have made only a minimum of corrections to the text.

    Secondary bibliography