Metadata

Support
Fragment of a memorial pillar; h. 111 ×  w. 28 ×  d. 18-24 cm. One relief panel is preserved above the inscription. It has been described as follows: “The scene depicts a princely person seated in the ardhaparyaṅka pose, surrounded by four ladies. To his left is a dancer, while to his right is a lady playing on the vīṇā; two other ladies are seated at two corners with outstretched legs” ( Sarkar 1982: 202-3 ).
Text
Middle Indo-Aryan, Southern Brāhmī script. h. 29 ×  w. 28 cm .
Date
Thirteenth regnal year of Siri-Ehavalacāntamūla, approximately between 250 and 300 CE.
Origin
Nagarjunakonda.
Provenance
Discovered during the 1958-59 season at Site-61, North of the sixteen-pillared maṇḍapa, in section IV, division 215, trench D5. Identified at Nagarjunakonda Museum (acc. no. 295) in February 2016.
Visual Documentation
Photo(s):
  • photos AL 2017
  • Rosen Stone 1994, ill. 125.
    • Photo(s) of estampage(s):
  • Sircar
  • Raghunath
    • 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 Sircar 1963-64a: 10-1 (3) . Re-edited here from the published estampages and after autopsy of the stone.

    Edition

    (1) sidham· - s[ā]misa rā[ño] [vā]se[ṭhipu]tasa °ikhāku[sa] (2) siri°ehavula[ca]tam[ū]lasa [savacha]ra t[e]rasa[ma] (3) gim[ha]ṇaṁ pakha paṁcama 5 divasa sa[ta]ma 7 ra[ño] (4) māḍharipūtasa °ikhākuṇaṁ s[i]rivirapūr[i]sadatasa (5) mahisija mahavalabhīkāya yakhīlinikāya pu(6)tasa mahāsenapatisa kum[ā]rasa °elī°ehavū(7)ladāsaṁṇakasa chāyāthabh[o] thāpito : -

    (1) sidham· - s[ā]misa rā[ño] [vā]se[ṭhipu]tasa °ikhāku[sa]
    (2) siri°ehavula[ca]tam[ū]lasa [savacha]ra t[e]rasa[ma]
    (3) gim[ha]ṇaṁ pakha paṁcama 5 divasa sa[ta]ma 7 ra[ño]
    (4) māḍharipūtasa °ikhākuṇaṁ s[i]rivirapūr[i]sadatasa
    (5) mahisija mahavalabhīkāya yakhīlinikāya pu-
    (6)tasa mahāsenapatisa kum[ā]rasa °elī°ehavū-
    (7)ladāsaṁṇakasa chāyāthabh[o] thāpito : - 
    <ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
					          <lb n="1"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2897">sidham·</w>
					          <pc>-</pc>
					          <w xml:id="tok2899">s<unclear>ā</unclear>misa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2900">rā<unclear>ño</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2901">
						            <unclear>vā</unclear>se<unclear>ṭhipu</unclear>tasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2902">°ikhāku<unclear>sa</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <lb n="2"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2903">siri°ehavula<unclear>ca</unclear>tam<unclear>ū</unclear>lasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2904">
						            <unclear>savacha</unclear>ra</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2905">t<unclear>e</unclear>rasa<unclear>ma</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <lb n="3"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2906">gim<unclear>ha</unclear>ṇaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2907">pakha</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2908">paṁcama</w>
					          <num xml:id="tok2909" value="5">5</num>
					          <w xml:id="tok2910">divasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2911">sa<unclear>ta</unclear>ma</w>
					          <num xml:id="tok2912" value="7">7</num>
					          <w xml:id="tok2913">ra<unclear>ño</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <lb n="4"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2914">māḍharipūtasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2915">°ikhākuṇaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2916">s<unclear>i</unclear>rivirapūr<unclear>i</unclear>sadatasa</w>
					          <lb n="5"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok2917">mahisija</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2918">mahavalabhīkāya</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2919">yakhīlinikāya</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2920">pu<lb break="no" n="6"/>tasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2921">mahāsenapatisa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2922">kum<unclear>ā</unclear>rasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2923">°elī°ehavū<lb break="no" n="7"/>ladāsaṁṇakasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2924">chāyāthabh<unclear>o</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok2925">thāpito</w>
					          <pc>:</pc>
					          <pc>-</pc>
				        </ab>

    Apparatus

    • (3) gim[ha]ṇaṁ gīm[h]aṇaṁ DCS .
    • (4) -pūr[i]sadatasa -pūrusadatasa DCS .
    • (5) mahisija Sircar notes “Probably we should not take it as mahisi-Jamaha° ” and proposes to emend mahisiya. We think <ja> could stand for <ya>.
    • (7) chāyāthabh[o] chayatha[ṁ]bh[o] DCS .
    • (7) :– The punctuation is indicated by a curved stroke preceded by visarga-like sign.

    Translation

    (1-3) Success! In the thirteenth year of the Lord King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Ehavulacāntamūla the Ikṣvāku, in the fifth — 5th — fortnight of summer, on the seventh — 7th — day.
    (3-7) The memorial pillar of the Great General, Prince Elī Ehavūladāsaṇṇaka, son of Mahāvallabhikā Yakhīlinikā — chief queen of the King Māṭharīputta Siri-Vīrapurisadatta of the Ikṣvākus — was erected.

    Commentary

    • (3) gim[ha]ṇaṁ The shape of <ha> is not regular. Cf. EIAD 29, l. 3 and note.

    Secondary bibliography