Metadata

Support
Broken pillar; h. 120 ×  w. 39 ×  d. 26 cm.
Text
Middle Indo-Aryan, Southern Brahmi script. h. 79 ×  w. 36 cm .
Date
Eighth regnal year of Siri-Ehavalacāntamūla, i.e., approximately between 250 and 300 CE.
Origin
Erected originally at findspot.
Provenance
Discovered in a maṇḍapa at Nagarjunakonda, Site 9. The precise date of discovery is unknown. Identified at Nagarjunakonda Museum (acc. no. 797) in February 2016.
Visual Documentation
Photo(s):
  • Est. ASI = Sircar
  • RTI and photos JM 2017
    • Editors
    Arlo Griffiths and Vincent Tournier, with contributions by Stefan Baums and Ingo Strauch.
    Publication history
    First described and edited by Sircar 1963-64a: 7-10 (2.B) . Re-edited here from published documentation and after autopsy of the stone.

    Edition

    (1) sidha[ṁ] – mahārājāsa ◊ °asamedhayāji(2)sa a[ne]kahiraṇako[ḍi]padāyisa ◊ siri[cātamu] (3) [lasa] ◊ p[u]tasa mahārājasa ◊ sirivīra(pu) (4)risadattasa putasa [ra]ño vāseṭhīpūtasa ◊ °ikhā(5) [ku]na(ṁ) siri[°e]huvu⟨la⟩ [cā]tamūla[sa] sava[cha]ra °aṭhama gi(6)m[ha]pakha cavutha ◊ divasa pa[da]rasa ◊ siripava[te] (7) vījayapure ◊ °aparamahāvinasel[i]y[ā]naṁ ma[hā] (8) [v]inasel[iy]ānaṁ ◊ mahānigāye seṭhivaravaḍham[ā]ne (9) [cātudisika]sa ◊ °ariyasaghasa ◊ selama(ḍavaṁ) (pa) (10) [ḍi]ṭhave[t]i ◊ bharana[kā]la [nivana] [ko] ? ? [cana] (bu) [dhadhaṁma] (saṁ) (11) [gha]magalo nagara[vara]girivaran[i]gama[vara]bahudeya(dhaṁ) /// (ma) (12)kārako [°upāsa]k[o] ◊ ca[ṁda]sirī ca [n]āgasirī [ca] /// (piya) (13) (bhātu) ///k[o] raṁño °āyūvadhanika k[ā]tū/// (na) (ca) (14) °apa[no] [mā]tāpi[tu]no pūjā/// + + (15) putabhariyañ[ā] (ti)mi[t]tas[āla] ? ? /// … (16) mabhāgaṁ puñaṁ d[ā]tā ◊ °apa[no] /// … (17) ? ? [sa]ga[mana]sukhathan[āya] /// …

    (1) sidha[ṁ] – mahārājāsa ◊ °asamedhayāji-
    (2)sa a[ne]kahiraṇako[ḍi]padāyisa ◊ siri[cātamu] -
    (3) [lasa] ◊ p[u]tasa mahārājasa ◊ sirivīra(pu) -
    (4)risadattasa putasa [ra]ño vāseṭhīpūtasa ◊ °ikhā-
    (5) [ku]na(ṁ) siri[°e]huvu⟨la⟩ [cā]tamūla[sa] sava[cha]ra °aṭhama gi-
    (6)m[ha]pakha cavutha ◊ divasa pa[da]rasa ◊ siripava[te]
    (7) vījayapure ◊ °aparamahāvinasel[i]y[ā]naṁ ma[hā] -
    (8) [v]inasel[iy]ānaṁ ◊ mahānigāye seṭhivaravaḍham[ā]ne
    (9) [cātudisika]sa ◊ °ariyasaghasa ◊ selama(ḍavaṁ) (pa) -
    (10) [ḍi]ṭhave[t]i ◊ bharana[kā]la [nivana] [ko] ? ? [cana] (bu) [dhadhaṁma] (saṁ) -
    (11) [gha]magalo nagara[vara]girivaran[i]gama[vara]bahudeya(dhaṁ) /// (ma) -
    (12)kārako [°upāsa]k[o] ◊ ca[ṁda]sirī ca [n]āgasirī [ca] /// (piya) -
    (13) (bhātu) ///k[o] raṁño °āyūvadhanika k[ā]tū/// (na) (ca)
    (14) °apa[no] [mā]tāpi[tu]no pūjā/// + +
    (15) putabhariyañ[ā] (ti)mi[t]tas[āla] ? ? /// …
    (16) mabhāgaṁ puñaṁ d[ā]tā ◊ °apa[no] /// …
    (17) ? ? [sa]ga[mana]sukhathan[āya] /// … 
    <ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
					          <lb n="1"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2538">sidha<unclear>ṁ</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <pc>–</pc>
					          <w xml:id="tok2540">mahārājāsa</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2542">°asamedhayāji<lb n="2" break="no"/>sa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2543">a<unclear>ne</unclear>kahiraṇako<unclear>ḍi</unclear>padāyisa</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2545">siri<unclear>cātamu</unclear>
                  <lb n="3" break="no"/>
                  <unclear>lasa</unclear>
               </w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2547">p<unclear>u</unclear>tasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2548">mahārājasa</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2550">sirivīra<supplied reason="lost">pu</supplied>
                  <lb n="4" break="no"/>risadattasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2551">putasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2552">
						            <unclear>ra</unclear>ño</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2553">vāseṭhīpūtasa</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2555">°ikhā<lb n="5" break="no"/>
                  <unclear>ku</unclear>na<supplied reason="lost">ṁ</supplied>
					          </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2556">siri<unclear>°e</unclear>huvu<supplied reason="omitted">la</supplied>
                  <unclear>cā</unclear>tamūla<unclear>sa</unclear>
               </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2557">sava<unclear>cha</unclear>ra</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2558">°aṭhama</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2559">gi<lb n="6" break="no"/>m<unclear>ha</unclear>pakha</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2560">cavutha</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2561">divasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2562">pa<unclear>da</unclear>rasa</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2563">siripava<unclear>te</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <lb n="7"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2564">vījayapure</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2565">°aparamahāvinasel<unclear>i</unclear>y<unclear>ā</unclear>naṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2566">ma<unclear>hā</unclear>
                  <lb n="8" break="no"/>
                  <unclear>v</unclear>inasel<unclear>iy</unclear>ānaṁ</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2567">mahānigāye</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2568">seṭhivaravaḍham<unclear>ā</unclear>ne</w>
					          <lb n="9"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2571">
						            <unclear>cātudisika</unclear>sa</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2572">°ariyasaghasa</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2573">selama<supplied reason="lost">ḍavaṁ</supplied>
					          </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2574">
                  <supplied reason="lost">pa</supplied>
                  <lb n="10" break="no"/>
                  <unclear>ḍi</unclear>ṭhave<unclear>t</unclear>i</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2575">bharana<unclear>kā</unclear>la</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2576">
						            <unclear>nivana</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2577">
						            <unclear>ko</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <gap reason="illegible" quantity="2" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2580">
						            <unclear>cana</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2582">
                  <supplied reason="lost">bu</supplied>
                  <unclear>dhadhaṁma</unclear>
                  <supplied reason="lost">saṁ</supplied>
                  <lb n="11" break="no"/>
                  <unclear>gha</unclear>magalo</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2590">nagara<unclear>vara</unclear>girivaran<unclear>i</unclear>gama<unclear>vara</unclear>bahudeya<supplied reason="lost">dhaṁ</supplied>
                  <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
                  <supplied reason="lost">ma</supplied>
                  <lb n="12" break="no"/>kārako</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2596">
                  <unclear>°upāsa</unclear>k<unclear>o</unclear>
               </w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2598">ca<unclear>ṁda</unclear>sirī</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2599">ca</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2600">
						            <unclear>n</unclear>āgasirī</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2601">
						            <unclear>ca</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2605">
                  <supplied reason="lost">piya</supplied>
                  <lb n="13" break="no"/>
                  <supplied reason="lost">bhātu</supplied>
                  <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="left"/>k<unclear>o</unclear>
               </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2605bis">raṁño</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2606">°āyūvadhanika</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2607">k<unclear>ā</unclear>tū<milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
                  <supplied reason="lost">na</supplied>
               </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2607bis">
                  <supplied reason="lost">ca</supplied>
               </w>
					          <lb n="14"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2614">°apa<unclear>no</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2615">
						            <unclear>mā</unclear>tāpi<unclear>tu</unclear>no</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2616">pūjā<milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
					          </w>
					          <gap reason="lost" quantity="2" unit="character"/>
					          <lb n="15"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2623">putabhariyañ<unclear>ā</unclear>
                  <supplied reason="lost">ti</supplied>mi<unclear>t</unclear>tas<unclear>āla</unclear>
               </w>
					          <gap reason="illegible" quantity="2" unit="character"/>
					          <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
					          <gap reason="lost" extent="unknown"/>
					          <lb n="16"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2637">mabhāgaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2640">puñaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2641">d<unclear>ā</unclear>tā</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2643">°apa<unclear>no</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
					          <gap reason="lost" extent="unknown"/>
					          <lb n="17"/>
					          <gap reason="illegible" quantity="2" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2656">
						            <unclear>sa</unclear>ga<unclear>mana</unclear>sukhathan<unclear>āya</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <milestone unit="fragment" type="lost" subtype="right"/>
					          <gap reason="lost" extent="unknown"/>
				        </ab>

    Apparatus

    • (1) mahārājāsa mahārājasa DCS .
    • (2) -hiraṇako[ḍi]- -hiraṇako[ṭ]i- DCS .
    • (2-3) siri[cātamulasa] siricaṁtamulasa DCS .
    • (4) vāseṭhīpūtasa vāseṭhīputasa DCS .
    • (4-5) °ikhā[ku]na(ṁ) °ikhā[ku]na DCS .
    • (5) siri[°e]huvu⟨la⟩ [cā]tamūla[sa] siri[°e]havu⟨la⟩cantamūlasa DCS . According to Sircar 1963-64a , the akṣara <la> would be written slightly above the line, presumably as an insertion. This is however far from clear neither on the estampage nor on the stone itself.
    • (6) c[avu]tha cavuthā DCS . See EIAD 47, where we read catuṭhā, against Sircar’s cavuṭhā. In this instance, the <thā> is dental, and there seems to be what appears to be a vocalic marker <o> above the <ca>.
    • (6) pa[da]rasa padarasa DCS . Is this a copying mistake for paṁcarasa or panarasa? See PTSD, s.v. pannarasa.
    • (7–8) ma[hā]- ma[ha]- DCS . The akṣaras ma[hāv]inasel[iy]ānaṁ appear to be redundant in the light of EIAD 47.
    • (9) [cātudisika]sa ….kasa DCS . Compare EIAD 47, l. 7 with notes.
    • (9-10) selama(ḍavaṁ pa) [ḍi]ṭhave[t]i selama[ḍavathavana] DCS .
    • (10) bharana[kā]lā therana sālā DCS .
    • (10) [nivana ko] ? ? [cana] nivaṇaya [na]ṭha ?ti DCS . Sircar notes that the intended word is probably niṭhaveti ‘completes’ ( Sircar 1963-64a: 10, n. 1 ). The <ca> could also be read <°e> or <dha>.
    • (10-11) (bu) [dhadhaṁma] (saṁ) [gha]magalo [budha]dhama(sagha)magala DCS .
    • (11) -n[i]gama- -naigama- DCS .
    • (12) -bahudeya(dhaṁ) /// (ma)kārako -bahudeya...karako DCS . Sircar notes: “The word lost between deya and karako is dhaṁma as suggested by A” ( Sircar 1963-64a: 10, n. 3 ).
    • (12) ca[ṁda]sirī cadasirī DCS .
    • (12) [nā]gasirī ca [nā]gasiri … DCS .
    • (13) raṁño raño DCS .
    • (13) °āyūvadhanika āyuvadhanika DCS . Understand āyuvadhanike.
    • (13) k[ā]tū/// (na ca) kata DCS . This reconstruction is tentative, but k[ā]tū is fairly clear, and the absolutive kātūna is well attested in the corpus.
    • (15) putabhariyañ[ā] (ti)mi[t]tas[āla] naputa bhariyako ni[mi]tta sa … DCS .
    • (16) mabhāgaṁ DCS . Sircar notes: “It is difficult to say whether the intended expression is paṭhama-bhāgaṁ ” ( Sircar 1963-64a: 10, n. 5 ). This seems a rather likely reconstruction.
    • (16) puñaṁ puraṁ DCS .
    • (16) d[ā]tā Understand dataṁ.
    • (16) °apa[no] apa . . . . . . . DCS .
    • (17) ? ? sagamana- …. neva …. gamane DCS . It is tempting to restore here -saga⟨ga⟩mana-.
    • (17) sukhathan[āya] sukhathanaya . . . . . . DCS .

    Translation

    (1–6)Success! In the eighth year of King Vāsithīputta Siri-Ehuvulacāntamūla of the Ikṣvākus, son of Great King Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, son of Great King Siri-Cāntamūla, sacrificer of the Aśvamedha, giver of tens of millions of (pieces of) gold, in the fourth fortnight of summer, on the fifteenth day.
    (6–17)In Siripavvata, at Vijayapura, for the great school of the Aparamahāvinaseliyas, in the estate of the excellent Guild’s Chief, the lay follower Candasiri, honoring the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha, the bestower of many pious gifts at excellent cities, mountains and market-places, and (his) beloved brother Nāgasiri, established a stone maṇḍapa for the noble community of the four directions... bharanakāla ... And having done [this] for the increase of the life-span of the king, in homage to his parents, he gave (the first?) share of the merit to his son(s), wife, relatives, friends, and brother(s)-in-law. (This is also) for his own happiness [that is] going to the heavens.

    Secondary bibliography