- Support
- Fragment of a pillar in limestone; h. 202 × w. 40 × d. 28 cm.
- Text
- Middle Indo-Aryan, Southern Brāhmī script. h. 54 × w. 32 cm .
- Date
- Eleventh regnal year of Siri-Ehavalacāntamūla, i.e., approximately between 250 and 300 CE.
- Origin
- Presumably erected originally at findspot.
- Provenance
- Discovered in March 1926 at Nagarjunakonda, Site 7/8. Identified in February 2016 at Nagarjunakonda Museum (acc. no. 294).
- Visual Documentation
-
Photo(s):
- photos AL 2017
Photo(s) of estampage(s):- estampage Leiden N11
- Vogel
- RaghunathRaghunath's plate is inverted horizontally.
RTI: RTI JM 2017 - Editors
- Arlo Griffiths and Vincent Tournier, with contributions by Stefan Baums and Ingo Strauch.
- Publication history
- First described and edited by Vogel 1929–30a: 3, 15, 24-25 (H) . Edited again, from the EI estampage, by Sircar 1942: 230-1 and Sircar 1965: 249-50 . Re-edited here from the Leiden estampage and after autopsy of the stone.
(1)
sidhaṁ
–
namo
bhagavato
samāsaṁ(2)budhasa
◊
mahārājasa
◊
vāseṭhiputasa
(3)
°ikhākunaṁ
siri°ehuvala[cāta]mulasa
◊
sava
[10]
1
(4)
?
[pa]
1
diva
7
mahārājasa
◊
°agihotagidhomavājaveja(5)°asamadhayāyisa
◊
°ana[ka]hiraṇakoṭigosatasahasa(6)halasatasahasapadāyasa
◊
savathesu
°apatihata(7)saṁkapasa
◊
vāseṭhiputasa
°ikhākuna
siricatam[ū]la[sa]
(8)
nattiya
mahārājasa
māṭhariputasa
◊
sirivirapurisa(9)datasa
◊
dhūtuya
◊
mahārājasa
◊
vāseṭhiputasa
°ikhākunaṁ
(10)
siri°ehuvalacatamulasa
bhaginiya
vanavāsakamahārāja(11)mahādeviya
koda°elisiriya
°imaṁ
cetiyaṁ
vihār[o]
ca
(12)
°acariyānaṁ
mahisāsakānaṁ
suparigahe
cātudisaṁ
(13)
saghaṁ
°udisāya
savasatānaṁ
hitasukhathaṁ
ṭhāpitaṁ
°acariye(14)na
mahādhaṁmakāthik[e]na
dhaṁma[gho]satherena
°anuthitaṁ
ti
–
(1) sidhaṁ – namo bhagavato samāsaṁ-
(2)budhasa ◊ mahārājasa ◊ vāseṭhiputasa
(3) °ikhākunaṁ siri°ehuvala[cāta]mulasa ◊ sava [10] 1
(4) ? [pa] 1 diva 7 mahārājasa ◊ °agihotagidhomavājaveja-
(5)°asamadhayāyisa ◊ °ana[ka]hiraṇakoṭigosatasahasa-
(6)halasatasahasapadāyasa ◊ savathesu °apatihata-
(7)saṁkapasa ◊ vāseṭhiputasa °ikhākuna siricatam[ū]la[sa]
(8) nattiya mahārājasa māṭhariputasa ◊ sirivirapurisa-
(9)datasa ◊ dhūtuya ◊ mahārājasa ◊ vāseṭhiputasa °ikhākunaṁ
(10) siri°ehuvalacatamulasa bhaginiya vanavāsakamahārāja-
(11)mahādeviya koda°elisiriya °imaṁ cetiyaṁ vihār[o] ca
(12) °acariyānaṁ mahisāsakānaṁ suparigahe cātudisaṁ
(13) saghaṁ °udisāya savasatānaṁ hitasukhathaṁ ṭhāpitaṁ °acariye-
(14)na mahādhaṁmakāthik[e]na dhaṁma[gho]satherena °anuthitaṁ ti –
<ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
<lb n="1"/>
<w xml:id="tok2830">sidhaṁ</w>
<pc>–</pc>
<w xml:id="tok2832">namo</w>
<w xml:id="tok2833">bhagavato</w>
<w xml:id="tok2834">samāsaṁ<lb break="no" n="2"/>budhasa</w>
<space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
<w xml:id="tok2836">mahārājasa</w>
<space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
<w xml:id="tok2838">vāseṭhiputasa</w>
<lb n="3"/>
<w xml:id="tok2839">°ikhākunaṁ</w>
<w xml:id="tok2840">siri°ehuvala<unclear>cāta</unclear>mulasa</w>
<space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
<w xml:id="tok2842">sava</w>
<num xml:id="tok2843" value="11">
<num value="10">
<unclear>10</unclear>
</num>
<num value="1">1</num>
</num>
<lb n="4"/>
<w xml:id="tok2846">
<gap reason="illegible" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
<unclear>pa</unclear>
</w>
<num xml:id="tok2847" value="1">1</num>
<w xml:id="tok2848">diva</w>
<num xml:id="tok2849" value="7">7</num>
<w xml:id="tok2850">mahārājasa</w>
<space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
<w xml:id="tok2852">°agihotagidhomavājaveja<lb break="no" n="5"/>°asamadhayāyisa</w>
<space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
<w xml:id="tok2854">°ana<unclear>ka</unclear>hiraṇakoṭigosatasahasa<lb break="no" n="6"/>halasatasahasapadāyasa</w>
<space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
<w xml:id="tok2856">savathesu</w>
<w xml:id="tok2857">°apatihata<lb break="no" n="7"/>saṁkapasa</w>
<space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
<w xml:id="tok2859">vāseṭhiputasa</w>
<w xml:id="tok2860">°ikhākuna</w>
<w xml:id="tok2861">siricatam<unclear>ū</unclear>la<unclear>sa</unclear>
</w>
<lb n="8"/>
<w xml:id="tok2862">nattiya</w>
<w xml:id="tok2863">mahārājasa</w>
<w xml:id="tok2864">māṭhariputasa</w>
<space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
<w xml:id="tok2866">sirivirapurisa<lb break="no" n="9"/>datasa</w>
<space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
<w xml:id="tok2868">dhūtuya</w>
<space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
<w xml:id="tok2870">mahārājasa</w>
<space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
<w xml:id="tok2872">vāseṭhiputasa</w>
<w xml:id="tok2873">°ikhākunaṁ</w>
<lb n="10"/>
<w xml:id="tok2874">siri°ehuvalacatamulasa</w>
<w xml:id="tok2875">bhaginiya</w>
<w xml:id="tok2876">vanavāsakamahārāja<lb break="no" n="11"/>mahādeviya</w>
<w xml:id="tok2877">koda°elisiriya</w>
<w xml:id="tok2878">°imaṁ</w>
<w xml:id="tok2879">cetiyaṁ</w>
<w xml:id="tok2880">vihār<unclear>o</unclear>
</w>
<w xml:id="tok2881">ca</w>
<lb n="12"/>
<w xml:id="tok2882">°acariyānaṁ</w>
<w xml:id="tok2883">mahisāsakānaṁ</w>
<w xml:id="tok2884">suparigahe</w>
<w xml:id="tok2885">cātudisaṁ</w>
<lb n="13"/>
<w xml:id="tok2886">saghaṁ</w>
<w xml:id="tok2887">°udisāya</w>
<w xml:id="tok2888">savasatānaṁ</w>
<w xml:id="tok2889">hitasukhathaṁ</w>
<w xml:id="tok2890">ṭhāpitaṁ</w>
<w xml:id="tok2891">°acariye<lb break="no" n="14"/>na</w>
<w xml:id="tok2892">mahādhaṁmakāthik<unclear>e</unclear>na</w>
<w xml:id="tok2893">dhaṁma<unclear>gho</unclear>satherena</w>
<w xml:id="tok2894">°anuthitaṁ</w>
<w xml:id="tok2895">ti</w>
<pc>–</pc>
</ab>- (2) mahārājasa mahārajasa JPhV .
- (3) -mulasa -mūlasa JPhV .
- (4) °agihotagidhomavājaveja- °agihotāgidhemavājaveja- JPhV . Vogel notes: ““Read Agihot-Āgiṭhoma-Vājapeya.””
- (5) -madha- -medha- JPhV . Correct -medha-.
- (5) °ana[ka]- [aneka]- JPhV . Correct °aneka-.
- (6) -padāyasa -padāy[i]sa JPhV . No trace of <i> is visible.
- (7) -catamula[sa] -c[ā]tamūla[sa] JPhV . No trace of <ā> is visible.
- (7) °ikhākuna °ikhākuna[ṁ] JPhV .
- (10) -catamulasa -c[ā]tamūla[sa] JPhV . No traces are visible of <ā> or of <ū>; <sa> is certain enough.
- (10) bhaginiya vanavāsaka- bhaginiyā vānavāsaka- JPhV .
- (11) koda°elisiriya- koda[ba]lisiriya JPhV .
- (11) cetiyaṁ . khaniyaṁ JPhV .
- (12) mahisāsakānaṁ mahi[sā]sakānaṁ JPhV . Vogel notes “The third syllable sa is still traceable,” probably meaning <sā>.
- (13) saghaṁ sa[ṁ]ghaṁ JPhV .
- (13) hitasukhathaṁ hitasukhāthaṁ JPhV .
- (14) dhaṁma[gho]satherena JPhV . Vogel notes: “The third akshara [in Dhaṁma[gho]sa-] has become very faint. At first I felt inclined to read Dhaṁmayasa, but the long horizontal base-stroke which is still clear rather suggests the letter <gha>.” On the stone and in RTI images, we also recognise the traces of the <o> vocalization, so the reading is secure.
(1-4) Success! Homage to the Bhagavant, the Perfect Buddha. In the
11th year of Great King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Ehuvalacāntamūla of
the Ikṣvākus, in the 1st fortnight of (?), on the 7th day.
(4-14)
Koda-elisirī — grand-daughter of Great King Vāsiṭṭhīputta
Siri-Cāntamūla of the Ikṣvākus, sacrificer of the Agnihotra,
the Agniṣṭoma, the Vājapeya and the Aśvamedha, giver of tens
of million of (pieces of) gold, hundreds of thousands of
cows, hundreds of thousands of plows (of land), whose will
is unimpeded in all matters, daughter of Great King
Māṭharīputta Siri-Vīrapurisadatta; sister of Great King
Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Ehuvalacāntamūla of the Ikṣvākus; chief
wife of Great King of the Vanavāsakas — established this
shrine and a
monastery in the firm possession (suparigaha) of the Mahīśāsaka
teachers, having assigned (them) to the universal saṁgha, for the sake of
the well-being and happiness of all beings. (The construction) was
carried out by (i.e., under the supervision of) the master, the great Dharma-preacher, the Elder
Dhammaghosa.
- bookmark Nilakanta Sastri & Gopalachari 1937–38: 279 (VI)
- bookmark Srinivasan & Sankaranarayanan 1979: no. 42
- bookmark Tsukamoto 1996: no. Naga 45
- bookmark Raghunath 2001: 144-5 (no. 34)
- bookmark Soundara Rajan 2006: 170