Metadata

Support
Bottom part of an octagonal pillar (dhvajastambha); h. 325 ×  w. 40 ×  d. 38 cm.
Text
Sanskrit language, Southern Brāhmī script.
The text extends over four facets of the octagonal pillar (whose description as four-faced by Sircar & Krishnan 1960-61: 17 is incorrect). The additional textpart that has been published as l. 12 actually stands on the same line as 11, after a large blank corresponding to most of the first and all of the second facet.
h. 88 ×  w. 67 cm . The additional textpart “seems to have been engraved by a different hand at a slightly later date” ( Sircar & Krishnan 1960-61: 17 ).
Date
Sixteenth regnal year of Siri-Ehavalacāntamūla, i.e., approximately between 250 and 300 CE.
Origin
Erected originally at findspot.
Provenance
Discovered during excavations in the 1956-57 season at Nagarjunakonda, Site 34. Identified at Nagarjunakonda Museum (acc. no. 77) in February 2016.
Visual Documentation
Photo(s):
  • photos AL 2017
  • photos JM 2017
    • Photo(s) of estampage(s):
  • IAR 1956-57: pl. LVIII
  • Sircar & Krishnan
  • Raghunath
  • Soundara Rajan, pl. LXXXIX (B)
    • Editors
    Arlo Griffiths and Vincent Tournier, with contributions by Stefan Baums and Ingo Strauch.
    Publication history
    First described and edited by Sircar & Krishnan 1960-61: 17-20 . Re-edited here from the available documentation and after autopsy of the stone.

    Edition

    Main
    (1) siddhaṁ || – namo bhagavate ◊ mahādevasya puppabhaddrasvāminaḥ mahārājasya vāsiṣṭhīputtrasya (2) śryehavalacaṁtamūlasya saṁva 10 6 gipa 2 diva 5 rājño vāsiṣṭhīputrasya °agniṣṭo{ḥ}ma(3)vājaveyāśvamedhabahusuvarṇṇakayājinaḥ naikahiraṁṇyakoṭipradātuḥ gośatasahasrahalaśatasahasrapradātu (4) svavīryyārjjitavijayakīrtteḥ °ikṣvākūṇāṁ śrīcaṁtamūlasya prapautrenā mahārājyasya māṭharīputtrasya °ikṣvākūnāṁ śrīvīrapuruṣadattasya (5) pauttreṇa ◊ mahārājasya ◊ sagaradilīpāṁbarīṣayudhiṣṭhiratulyadharmmavijayasya rāmasyeva sarvvajanābhirāmasya °ikṣvākūnāṁ (6) śryīhavalacaṁtamūlasya ◊ puttreṇa puṣyakaṁdīyānāṁ mahātalavarasya skaṁdagopasya naptryāḥ mahātalavarasya (7) khaṁdahālasya duhituḥ sesebamāgūrakadauhitryāḥ °utaramahātalavarabhāgineyyāḥ rājñaḥ śryehavalacatam[ū]lasya (8) mahiṣyāḥ ◊ mahādevyāḥ kupaṇaśryāḥ puttreṇa ◊ maharājakumāreṇa mahāsenāpatinā hāritīputreṇa ◊ °ikṣvākūṇāṁ (9) śrīvīrapuruṣadattena mahārājasya ◊ mahādevyā gottrasya ca (v)ijayavaijayike °āyurvvarddhane ◊ dvayor api ca mātāputrayo (10) dharmmaphalaṁ bhagavato puṣpabhadrasvāminaḥ devakulaṁ kāritaṁ ◊ dhvajastaṁbaś ca pratiṣṭhāpitaḥ grāmaś ca puḍokeḍaṁ °akṣayanivī (11) dattaḥ ◊
    Addition
    śrīkākahalakākacaṁdraś ca bho (flourish)
    Main

    (1) siddhaṁ || – namo bhagavate ◊ mahādevasya puppabhaddrasvāminaḥ mahārājasya vāsiṣṭhīputtrasya
    (2) śryehavalacaṁtamūlasya saṁva 10 6 gipa 2 diva 5 rājño vāsiṣṭhīputrasya °agniṣṭo{ḥ}ma-
    (3)vājaveyāśvamedhabahusuvarṇṇakayājinaḥ naikahiraṁṇyakoṭipradātuḥ gośatasahasrahalaśatasahasrapradātu
    (4) svavīryyārjjitavijayakīrtteḥ °ikṣvākūṇāṁ śrīcaṁtamūlasya prapautrenā mahārājyasya māṭharīputtrasya °ikṣvākūnāṁ śrīvīrapuruṣadattasya
    (5) pauttreṇa ◊ mahārājasya ◊ sagaradilīpāṁbarīṣayudhiṣṭhiratulyadharmmavijayasya rāmasyeva sarvvajanābhirāmasya °ikṣvākūnāṁ
    (6) śryīhavalacaṁtamūlasya ◊ puttreṇa puṣyakaṁdīyānāṁ mahātalavarasya skaṁdagopasya naptryāḥ mahātalavarasya
    (7) khaṁdahālasya duhituḥ sesebamāgūrakadauhitryāḥ °utaramahātalavarabhāgineyyāḥ rājñaḥ śryehavalacatam[ū]lasya
    (8) mahiṣyāḥ ◊ mahādevyāḥ kupaṇaśryāḥ puttreṇa ◊ maharājakumāreṇa mahāsenāpatinā hāritīputreṇa ◊ °ikṣvākūṇāṁ
    (9) śrīvīrapuruṣadattena mahārājasya ◊ mahādevyā gottrasya ca (v)ijayavaijayike °āyurvvarddhane ◊ dvayor api ca mātāputrayo
    (10) dharmmaphalaṁ bhagavato puṣpabhadrasvāminaḥ devakulaṁ kāritaṁ ◊ dhvajastaṁbaś ca pratiṣṭhāpitaḥ grāmaś ca puḍokeḍaṁ °akṣayanivī
    (11) dattaḥ ◊
    Addition
    śrīkākahalakākacaṁdraś ca bho (flourish)
    Main
    <ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
						            <lb n="1"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok2927">siddhaṁ</w>
						            <pc>||</pc>
						            <pc>–</pc>
						            <w xml:id="tok2930">namo</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2931">bhagavate</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok2933">mahādevasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2934">puppabhaddrasvāminaḥ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2935">mahārājasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2936">vāsiṣṭhīputtrasya</w>
						            <lb n="2"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok2937">śryehavalacaṁtamūlasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2938">saṁva</w>
						            <num xml:id="tok2939" value="16">
							              <num value="10">10</num>
							              <num value="6">6</num>
						            </num>
						            <w xml:id="tok2941">gipa</w>
						            <num xml:id="tok2942" value="2">2</num>
						            
						            <w xml:id="tok2943">diva</w>
						            <num xml:id="tok2944" value="5">5</num>
						            <w xml:id="tok2945">rājño</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2946">vāsiṣṭhīputrasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2947">°agniṣṭo<surplus>ḥ</surplus>ma<lb break="no" n="3"/>vājaveyāśvamedhabahusuvarṇṇakayājinaḥ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2948">naikahiraṁṇyakoṭipradātuḥ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2949">gośatasahasrahalaśatasahasrapradātu</w>
						            <lb n="4"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok2950">svavīryyārjjitavijayakīrtteḥ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2951">°ikṣvākūṇāṁ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2952">śrīcaṁtamūlasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2953">prapautrenā</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2954">mahārājyasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2955">māṭharīputtrasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2956">°ikṣvākūnāṁ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2957">śrīvīrapuruṣadattasya</w>
						            <lb n="5"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok2958">pauttreṇa</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok2960">mahārājasya</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok2962">sagaradilīpāṁbarīṣayudhiṣṭhiratulyadharmmavijayasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2963">rāmasyeva</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2964">sarvvajanābhirāmasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2965">°ikṣvākūnāṁ</w>
						            <lb n="6"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok2966">śryīhavalacaṁtamūlasya</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok2968">puttreṇa</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2969">puṣyakaṁdīyānāṁ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2970">mahātalavarasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2971">skaṁdagopasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2972">naptryāḥ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2973">mahātalavarasya</w>
						            <lb n="7"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok2974">khaṁdahālasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2975">duhituḥ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2976">sesebamāgūrakadauhitryāḥ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2977">°utaramahātalavarabhāgineyyāḥ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2978">rājñaḥ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2979">śryehavalacatam<unclear>ū</unclear>lasya</w>
						            <lb n="8"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok2980">mahiṣyāḥ</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok2982">mahādevyāḥ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2983">kupaṇaśryāḥ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2984">puttreṇa</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok2986">maharājakumāreṇa</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2987">mahāsenāpatinā</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2988">hāritīputreṇa</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok2990">°ikṣvākūṇāṁ</w>
						            <lb n="9"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok2991">śrīvīrapuruṣadattena</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2992">mahārājasya</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok2994">mahādevyā</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2995">gottrasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2996">ca</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2997">
							              <supplied reason="lost">v</supplied>ijayavaijayike</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok2998">°āyurvvarddhane</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok3000">dvayor</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3001">api</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3002">ca</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3003">mātāputrayo</w>
						            <lb n="10"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok3004">dharmmaphalaṁ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3005">bhagavato</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3006">puṣpabhadrasvāminaḥ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3007">devakulaṁ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3008">kāritaṁ</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok3010">dhvajastaṁbaś</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3011">ca</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3012">pratiṣṭhāpitaḥ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3013">grāmaś</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3014">ca</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3015">puḍokeḍaṁ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3016">°akṣayanivī</w>
						            <lb n="11"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok3017">dattaḥ</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
						         </ab>
    Addition
    <ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xml:lang="san-Latn">
						
						            <w xml:id="tok3019">śrīkākahalakākacaṁdraś</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3020">ca</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3021">bho</w>
						            <g type="flourish"/>
					          </ab>

    Apparatus

    • (1) puppa- The engraver forgot to engrave the horizontal line in the middle of the upper element, that would have made it <ṣ>-. In light of l. 10, correct puṣpa-.
    • (2) Sircar & Krishnan 1960-61 note: “The additional mark above the letter [E in Ehavala] may be ignored or the vowel-mark may be regarded as an imperfect sign for medial ai.”
    • (3) pradātu pradātu[ḥ] DCS & KGK . Understand pradātuḥ.
    • (4) -kīrtteḥ e-mātras are attached both to repha and to serif of <t>.
    • (4) prapautrenā Understand prapautreṇa, taking into consideration the easy confusion between <nā> and <ṇa>.
    • (4) mahārājyasya Emend mahārājasya.
    • (4) °ikṣvākūnāṁ Emend °ikṣvākūṇāṁ.
    • (5) °ikṣvākūnāṁ Emend °ikṣvākūṇāṁ.
    • (6) śryīhavala- Emend śryehavala-.
    • (7) -catamūlasya Correct -caṁtamūlasya. We do not see the anusvāra read by Sircar & Krishnan 1960-61 .
    • (7) -gūraka- -gūruka- DCS & KGK . The apparent stroke to the right, upon closer inspection, is an unevenness in the stone.
    • (8) kupaṇaśryāḥ Understand kr̥paṇaśriyāḥ.
    • (9) mātāputrayo Emend mātāpitrayoḥ.
    • (10) -staṁbaś Emend -staṁbhaś.
    • (10) °akṣayanivī Emend °akṣayanīvī.
    • (11) śrīkākahalakākacaṁdraś ca bho (flourish) kaṁkaphala kaṁkacaṁdraś ca bho DCS & KGK . Sircar & Krishnan 1960-61 note on this segment: “The contraction bho seems to stand for a word like bhogikau or bhojakau. The first part of the two personal names may possibly be kāka also. The form of the akshara read pha in the first name is not regular for the period and may be also regarded as an irregularly shaped pā.” The final flourish consists of three dots arranged in a circle.

    Translation

    (1–2) Success! Homage to the Bhagavant, the Mahādeva Puṣpabhadrasvāmin. In year 16 of Great King Vāsiṣṭhīputra Śrī-Ehavalacāntamūla, in the 2nd fortnight of summer, on the 5th day.
    (2–11) The Great Crown-Prince, Great General Hāritīputra Śrī-Vīrapuruṣadatta of the Ikṣvākus — great-grandson of the king Vāsiṣṭhīputra Śrī-Cāntamūla of the Ikṣvākus, sacrificer of Agniṣṭomas, Vājapeyas, Aśvamedhas and Bahusuvarṇakas, giver of many tens of millions of (pieces of) gold, giver of hundreds of thousands of cows and hundreds of thousands of plows (of land), who obtained the fame of victory by his heroism (vīrya); grandson of Great King Māṭharīputra Śrī-Vīrapuruṣadatta of the Ikṣvākus; son of Great King Śrī-Ehavalacāntamūla of the Ikṣvākus, whose victories of Dharma resemble (those of) Sagara, Dilīpa, Ambarīṣa and Yudhiṣṭhira, who delights all people like Rāma; son of Queen Kr̥paṇaśrī, granddaughter of the Great Talavara Skandagopa of the Puṣyakandīyas, daughter of the Great Talavara Khandahāla, maternal granddaughter of Sesebamāguraka, maternal niece of the Great Talavara Utara, chief queen of King Śrī-Ehavalacāntamūla — caused to be made (this) temple (devakula) of the Bhagavant Puṣpabhadrasvāmin, established a flagstaff and gave as perpetual endowment (akṣayanīvī) the village Puḍokeḍaṁ, for the conferring of victory after victory and for the increase of the lifespan of the Great King, (his) Queen and (his) gotra and as meritorious fruit for both mother and son (i.e. Vīrapuruṣadatta himself).
    (11)Śrī-Kākapāla and Kākacandra (are) the (two) bho (?).

    Commentary

    • (3) bahusuvarṇṇaka On this term, see Chhabra 1947: 82 .
    • (6) puṣyakandīya This seems to be a Sanskritization of the ethnonym Pūkīya/Pūkiya found in several Nagarjunakonda inscriptions: see our commentary on EIAD 4.
    • (7) rājñaḥ śryehavalacatam[ū]lasya It is perhaps merely an inadvertence on the part of scribe or engraver that the monarch is here designated as rājan and not as mahārāja, as he was above.
    • (10) dhvajastambha Sircar 1966, s.v. translates this word as “flagstaff”, which is perhaps a bit misleading. As is clear from the occurrence of the same word on another pillar inscription of ancient India (the Eran pillar inscription of the time of Budhagupta), the word designates the stone pillar on which it is engraved. Cf. also the use of dhvaja in pillar inscriptions EIAD 84 and 104, both composed in Sanskrit like the present one.

    Secondary bibliography