Metadata

Support
Bottom part of a maṇḍapa pillar; h. 64 ×  w. 38 ×  d. 23 cm.
Text
Sanskrit language, Southern Brāhmī script.
Inscribed area: h. 23 ×  w. 30 cm.
Date
Undated. Attributable to the period 250-350 CE on palaeographic grounds.
Origin
Erected originally at findspot.
Provenance
Discovered before 1960 at Nagarjunakonda, Site 32a. Pillar identified at the University site in February 2016.
Visual Documentation
Photo(s):
  • JM 2017
    • Photo(s) of estampage(s):
  • Sircar
    • RTI: JM 2017
    Editors
    Arlo Griffiths and Vincent Tournier, with contributions by Stefan Baums and Ingo Strauch.
    Publication history
    First published and edited in Sircar 1963-64a: 17-8 (7.A) . Re-edited here from available documentation and after autopsy of the pillar.

    Edition

    VIIIJagatī
    c
    (1) ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼
    d
    ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ [śa] (k) [kram]ukkhyapācakā ? [k] (ā)hvay(e) [8]
    IXVaṁśastha
    a
    (2) ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⎼ ⏑ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼
    b
    ⏑ [ma]ṇḍapa stambaśa[tā]dhikojvala[ḥ]
    c
    (3) ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⎼ ⏑ ⏑ [p]ū[r]ṇṇa[to] ⎼ [ẖ]
    d
    [kr̥]tātmanānena dhr̥to dhr̥tātmanā ◊ 9
    XVaṁśastha
    a
    (4) ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⎼ [ta] ⏑ ⎼ m [ś]obhane
    b
    vihāramukkhye ◊ vigatajvarālaye
    c
    (5) ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⎼ ⏑ ⏑ ⎼ [niveśitā]
    d
    vihārabā[hā] vipulārtthakāṅkṣiṇā ◊ 10

    (1) ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼     ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ [śa] (k) [kram]ukkhyapācakā ? [k] (ā)hvay(e) [8]
    (2) ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⎼ ⏑ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼     ⏑ [ma]ṇḍapa stambaśa[tā]dhikojvala[ḥ]
    (3) ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⎼ ⏑ ⏑ [p]ū[r]ṇṇa[to] ⎼ [ẖ]     [kr̥]tātmanānena dhr̥to dhr̥tātmanā ◊ 9
    (4) ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⎼ [ta] ⏑ ⎼ m [ś]obhane     vihāramukkhye ◊ vigatajvarālaye
    (5) ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⎼ ⏑ ⏑ ⎼ [niveśitā]     vihārabā[hā] vipulārtthakāṅkṣiṇā ◊ 10 
    <lg xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xml:id="seq3024" met="Jagatī" n="VIII">
					          <l xml:id="seq2512" n="c">
						            <lb n="1"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok4163">⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼</w>
					          </l>
					          <l xml:id="seq2513" n="d">
						            <w xml:id="tok4186">⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ <unclear>śa</unclear>
                     <supplied reason="lost">k</supplied>
                     <unclear>kram</unclear>ukkhyapācakā</w>
						            <gap reason="illegible" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok4187">
                     <unclear>k</unclear>
                     <supplied reason="lost">ā</supplied>hvay<supplied reason="lost">e</supplied>
                  </w>
						            <num xml:id="tok4190" value="8">
                     <unclear>8</unclear>
                  </num>
					          </l>
				        </lg>
    <lg xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xml:id="seq3025" met="Vaṁśastha" n="IX">
					          <l xml:id="seq2516" n="a">
						            <lb n="2"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok4191">⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⎼ ⏑ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼</w>
					          </l>
					          <l xml:id="seq2517" n="b">
						            <w xml:id="tok4192">⏑</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok4203">
                     <unclear>ma</unclear>ṇḍapa stambaśa<unclear>tā</unclear>dhikojvala<unclear>ḥ</unclear>
                  </w>
		                
					             
					          </l>
					          <l xml:id="seq2518" n="c">
						            <lb n="3"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok4212">⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⎼ ⏑ ⏑</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok4213">
                     <unclear>p</unclear>ū<unclear>r</unclear>ṇṇa<unclear>to</unclear> ⎼ <unclear>ẖ</unclear>
                  </w>
						            
					          </l>
					          <l xml:id="seq2519" n="d">
						            <w xml:id="tok4216">
                     <unclear>kr̥</unclear>tātmanānena</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok4217">dhr̥to</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok4218">dhr̥tātmanā</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
						            <num xml:id="tok4220" value="9">9</num>
					          </l>
				        </lg>
    <lg xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xml:id="seq3026" met="Vaṁśastha" n="X">
					          <l xml:id="seq2520" n="a">
						            <lb n="4"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok4221">⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⎼ <unclear>ta</unclear> ⏑ ⎼ m</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok4229">
                     <unclear>ś</unclear>obhane</w>
					          </l>
					          <l xml:id="seq2521" n="b">
						            <w xml:id="tok4230">vihāramukkhye</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok4232">vigatajvarālaye</w>
					          </l>
					          <l xml:id="seq2522" n="c">
						            <lb n="5"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok4233">⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⎼ ⏑ ⏑ ⎼</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok4241">
                     <unclear>niveśitā</unclear>
                  </w>
					          </l>
					          <l xml:id="seq2523" n="d">
						            <w xml:id="tok4242">vihārabā<unclear>hā</unclear>
						            </w>
						            <w xml:id="tok4243">vipulārtthakāṅkṣiṇā</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
						            <num xml:id="tok4245" value="10">10</num>
					          </l>
				        </lg>

    Apparatus

    • (1) [śa] (k) [kram]ukkhya- ⏑ mukkhyapācakā DCS .
    • (1) ? [k] (ā)hvay(e) [°uka]hvay[e] DCS .
    • (2) ⏑ [ma]ṇḍapa stamba- [sa ma]ṇḍapastamba- DCS . Understand maṇḍapaḥ and emend stambha-.
    • (2) -[śat]ādhi- DCS . The reading <tā> is not entirely certain.
    • (3) [p]ū[r]ṇṇa[to] ⎼ [ẖ] ⎼ ⏑ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ DCS .
    • (3) [kr̥]tātmanānena [ji]tātmanānena DCS .
    • (4) [tana] ⎼ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ DCS . The second akṣara might be a <n. > and the fourth might well be a <m. >.

    Translation

    VIII.

    ... to him called … (spiritually) maturing Śakra, the chief (of the gods).

    IX.

    … a maṇḍapa, blazing with more than a hundred pillars … full … was held firm by him whose self is firm and disciplined.

    X.

    … he who seeks the interest of the many (or: a greater goal) established a wing of the monastery in the splendid chief among monasteries, dwelling of Him (i.e. the Buddha) who got rid of mental afflictions.

    Commentary

    • (1) Sircar's representation the metrical pattern of the first line is a little bit confusing, and reveals some hesitation on his side as to the meter. He notes: “The meter of the stanza is probably Pañchachāmara. It may also be Tūṇaka, though in the latter case the number of syllable in this line would be 30 while the other lines would have 24 only… If it is believed that there were nine syllables in a foot, the metre may be Kāminī as well, though such short stanzas (except Anuṣṭubh) are rarely known from inscriptions” ( Sircar 1963-64a: 18 n. 4 ). There is no reason to doubt that there is a similar number of syllables in this line as in the others, and the preserved akṣaras of the line correspond to the pattern—consisting of the regular alternance of light and heavy syllables—of a type of Jagatī known to the Vr̥ttaratnākara. This metre is almost identical to Pañcacāmara, with the difference that syllables 5-7 have ⏑ ⎼ ⏑ instead of ⏑ ⏑ ⏑.
    • (3) Sircar 1963-64a notes that the metre of this stanza and the following one is Vaṁśastha.

    Secondary bibliography