Metadata

Support
Slab. Dimensions: h. 45 ×  w. 99 ×  d. 13 cm. In its centre, the slab is carved with a pillar “with apparently a bulbous base and a double bulbous capital, the shaft of the pillar shows a slight tapering (...). The capital comprises two oviform members (...) and is surmounted by an abacus above which stand three cones alongside one another (...)” ( Nilakanta Sastri 1941-42: 123 ).
Text
Middle Indo-Aryan, Southern Brāhmī script. Lines 1-2 engraved to proper right of pillar, line 3 to its proper left, all the lines running from the capital of the pillar to its base. The inscribed area measures w. 66 cm. Height of <ja>: 3 cm.
Date
Fourth regnal year of Siri-Ruddapurisadatta, approximately between 300 and 350 CE.
Origin
Unknown.
Provenance
Discovered to the north of the Traveller’s Bungalow in Gurzala, no later than 1937. Identified at Nagarjunakonda Museum (acc. no. 536) in February 2016.
Visual Documentation
Photo(s):
  • AL 2017
  • JM 2017
    • Photo(s) of estampage(s):
  • Nilakanta Sastri
  • Raghunath
  • Est. ASI
    • Two different estampages were published by Nilakanta Sastri and Raghunath.
    Editors
    Arlo Griffiths and Vincent Tournier, with contributions by Stefan Baums and Ingo Strauch.
    Publication history
    First edited by Nilakanta Sastri 1941-42 . We re-edit the text here from the available documentation, and after autopsy of the stone.

    Edition

    (1) sidha[ṁ] – bhagavate ◊ halaṁpūrasāmina °apaṇo °ayuvadhinika[ṁ] (2) t[o]dukasiri ◊ khetaṁ saṁpadatāṁ [ma]hārajasa (3) siriruḻa[pu]risadātāsa sa ta 4 gipa 1 diva 10 3

    (1) sidha[ṁ] – bhagavate ◊ halaṁpūrasāmina °apaṇo °ayuvadhinika[ṁ]
    (2) t[o]dukasiri ◊ khetaṁ saṁpadatāṁ [ma]hārajasa
    (3) siriruḻa[pu]risadātāsa sa ta 4 gipa 1 diva 10 3 
    <ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
					          <lb n="1"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok4337">sidha<unclear>ṁ</unclear>
               </w>
					          <pc>–</pc>
					          <w xml:id="tok4339">bhagavate</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok4341">halaṁpūrasāmina</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok4342">°apaṇo</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok4343">°ayuvadhinika<unclear>ṁ</unclear>
               </w>
					          <lb n="2"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok4344">t<unclear>o</unclear>dukasiri</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok4345">khetaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok4348">saṁpadatāṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok4349">
                  <unclear>ma</unclear>hārajasa</w>
					          <lb n="3"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok4350">siriruḻa<unclear>pu</unclear>risadātāsa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok4351">sa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok4352">ta</w>
					          <num xml:id="tok4353" value="4">4</num>
					          <w xml:id="tok4354">gipa</w>
					          <num xml:id="tok4356" value="1">1</num>
					          <w xml:id="tok4357">diva</w>
					          <num xml:id="tok4358" value="13">
						            <num value="10">10</num>
						            <num value="3">3</num>
					          </num>
				        </ab>

    Apparatus

    • (1) halaṁpūrasāmina halaṁpūrasāmine KANS .
    • (1) °ayuvadhinika[ṁ] °ayuvadhinikaṁ KANS . An editorial note signed by N.L.R. (presumably the N. Laksminayarana Rao who contributed to the same volume of EI ) suggests that the reading is actually °ayuvadhanike.
    • (2) t[o]dukasiri nodukasiri KANS .
    • (2) saṁpadatāṁ saṁpada[ttāṁ] KANS . Nilakanta Sastri suggests emending saṁpadattaṁ.
    • (3) siriruḻa[pu]risadātāsa siriruḻupūrisadātasa KANS . The <pu> seems to be the result of a correction from an original <da>. We follow Sircar & Krishnan 1960-61: 21 (n. 8) , who suggest reading ruḻa instead of ruḻu.
    • (3) sa[va] sa ta KANS . The word expected here is sava or saṁva. The akṣara read as <ta> by Nilakanta Sastri is different in shape from all cases of <ta> in the text. It is easier to assume a miswritten <va>.
    • (3) gipa 1 diva 10 3 gi 8 diva 10 ||| KANS .

    Translation

    Success! To the Bhagavant, the lord of Halaṁpura, Todukasiri gave a field for the increase of his lifespan. In the 4th year of Siri-Ruddapurisadatta, in the 1st fortnight of summer, on the 13th day.

    Commentary

    • (2) t[o]dukasiri ◊ khetaṁ We assume Todukasiri is the name of the donor and is uninflected.

    Secondary bibliography