Āyaka pillar from Rentala — reign of Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Cāntamūla, year 5

Editors: Arlo Griffiths, Vincent Tournier.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00002.

Hand description:

Lettering typical of the 3rd century CE.

Language: Middle Indo-Aryan.

Repository: Early Andhra (tfb-eiad-epigraphy).

Version: 2025-05-06 06:25 (a154659), last modified 2025-04-27 02:09 (908c728).

⟨1⟩ sidha(m·) ~ namo bhaga(vato) (raṁño) (vase)[ṭhi]⟨2⟩-[putasa] (siri-caṁ)tam(u)lasa v[i]ja(ya)⟨3⟩-(saṁ)vacharaṁ pa(cama)ṁ (5) vās[ā]ṇa[ṁ] pa(khaṁ) ⟨4⟩ padhama(ṁ) (1) diva(saṁ) [pa]dha(ma)ṁ (1) nakare gaṁ⟨5⟩(ji)kaṭ(e) vathavasa vanijaka⟨sa⟩ saṁ(gh)[i]⟨6⟩(la)sa bhariya⟨ya⟩ ca vaṇijakiṇiya haṁ⟨7⟩ghaya pu(t)[e]ṇa vaṇijakena cu(la-dha)[ṁ]⟨8⟩[ma]siri(na) (sa)bhariyakena sadhutuke⟨9⟩na sasuṁh(ā)-vivāhe(na) samita-nat(u)ke(na) ⟨10⟩ [sa]ha ca bhatuhi Apaṇo Āyu-vadha(n)[i]⟨11⟩(kaṁ) (vija)ya-vejayikaṁ ca game tuva[1×] ⟨12⟩ [2+][1×]tura-maṁḍale Upedagiri-vadha⟨13⟩[māne] [bha](ga)vato budhasa saṁghasa ⟨14⟩ [3+][ma]ḍave selamay(o) (Āya)⟨15⟩ka-khaṁbho karito ti ~

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ (vase)[ṭhi]⟨2⟩-[putasa] ⬦ vase[…] S • Sankaranarayanan makes clear in his n. 7 that “the damaged letters are obviously ṭhiputasa”.

⟨4⟩ [pa]dha(ma)ṁ (1) ⬦ padhamaṁ (1) | S • Sankaranarayanan reads numeral and punctuation sign, but what little remains points to a single sign 1. — ⟨4⟩ gaṁ⟨5⟩(ji)kaṭ(e) ⬦ ga(ṁ)jikuṭe S • It would also be possible to read gaṁ(jā)kaṭ(e).

⟨7⟩ pu(t)[e]ṇa ⬦ putana S. — ⟨7⟩ cu(la-dha)[ṁ]⟨8⟩[ma]siri(na) ⬦ cuṭi(dhāra)sirīṇa S • Sankaranarayanan adds a note: “Read siriṇā”. Our restitution is based on occurrences of the name Dhaṁmasiri in EIAD 105, ll. 4 and 6, and numerous occurrences of names preceded by cula- throughout the corpus.

⟨8⟩ (sa)bhariyakena ⬦ sabhariyakeṇa S.

⟨9⟩ sasuṁh(ā)-vivāhe(na) ⬦ sa(suṁ)ha-vīvahena S • Sankaranarayanan adds a note on suṁ: “This letter, originally written as ā, is corrected into su”. We do not think that this scenario imposes itself. The previous editor also suggests correcting to -nivahena. We suggest instead, if our reading vivāhena is correct, to interpret it as corresponding to Sanskrit vivāhyena.

⟨10⟩ [sa]ha ca bhatuhi ⬦ (sa)pacacatuṁhi S. — ⟨10⟩ Āyu-vadha(n)[i]⟨11⟩(kaṁ) ⬦ Āyuvadha⟨11⟩[1+]kaṁ S • Sankaranarayanan had already suggested in a note: “The lost letter may be restored as ni”.

⟨11⟩ tuva[1×] ⟨12⟩ [2+][1×]tura-maṁḍale ⬦ tuva(re) [2+] v(i)h(ā)ra-ma(ṁ)ḍale S.

⟨12⟩ -vadha⟨13⟩[māne] [bha](ga)vato ⬦ -vadha[2+]gavato S • Sankaranarayanan makes clear in his n. 2 that “The three letters which are lost here are obviously māne Bha”.

⟨14⟩ selamay(o) ⬦ selāmay(o) S. — ⟨14⟩ (Āya)⟨15⟩ka-khaṁbho ⬦ Āya⟨15⟩[5+]-khabho S • Sankaranarayan rightly notes: “The broken portion of the pillar here must have been big enough to accommodate five letters. But as the usual expression is āyaka-khabha or -skaṁbha, only one letter viz. ka appears to have been lost. Thus the last line … appears to have been engraved in the middle.”

Translation by Griffiths and Tournier 2017

(1–4) Success! Homage to the Bhagavant! Fifth — 5th — victorious year of King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Cāntamūla, first — 1st — fortnight of the rainy season, first — 1st — day.

(5–15) The merchant Little Dhaṁmasiri — son of the merchant Saṅghila, resident of the town Gañjikūṭa, and his wife, the merchant-wife Haṅghā — together with his wife, daughter(s), daughter(s)-in-law and son(s)-in-law, friends and relatives, and together with his brothers caused to be made in the village Tuvara […] in the district of […] in the vadhamāna of Upedagiri (Skt. Upendragiri) at the pavilion […] of the community of the Bhagavant Buddha a stone āyāka pillar, in order to increase his own lifespan and leading to victory after victory.

Commentary

(2–3) For other instances of the term vijayasaṁvacharaṁ (Sanskrit vijayasaṁvatsara), whose meaning is disputed, see EIAD 30, l. 3 (with note); 56, l. 2; 159, l. 14; 187, l. 29; 188, l. 31.

(12) The name of the maṇḍala ending in -tura is reminiscent of the village name toḍatura in EIAD 31, 32 and 33.

Bibliography

First edited by Sankaranarayanan 1967–1968. Re-edited and translated by Arlo Griffiths & Vincent Tournier, with contributions by Stefan Baums and Ingo Strauch, making use of photos of the ASI estampage, and published in 2017 on the experimental site Griffiths and Tournier 2017. The XML source code from Griffiths and Tournier 2025 was adapted for DHARMA by Arlo Griffiths & Vincent Tournier in 2025.

Primary

[S] Sankaranarayanan, S. 1967–1968. “Rentala pillar inscription of Siri-Chantamula I, year 5.” EI 37, pp. 29–32.

[EIAD] Griffiths, Arlo and Vincent Tournier. 2017. “Early inscriptions of Āndhradeśa.” [URL].

Secondary

ARIE 1936–37. Annual report on South Indian epigraphy for the year ending 31st March 1937. Edited by C. R. Krishnamacharlu. Delhi: Manager of Publications, 1940. Page 62, appendix B, item 349.

Srinivasan, P. R. and S. Sankaranarayanan. 1979. Inscriptions of the Ikshvāku period. Epigraphical Series 14. Hyderabad: Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. Item 1.

Raghunath, K. 2001. The Ikṣvākus of Vijayapuri: A study of the Nagarjunakonda inscriptions. Delhi: Eastern Book Linkers. Page 69, item 2.

Display Options Word Wrap Line Numbers Comments Processing Instructions

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Author: @emma_morlock - Last revision: 2017-02-26

Data source: 'iksvaku-inscriptions/metadata/EIAD-inventory_1-50.xlsx'

- - - - - - - - -

[1] Inventory no. EIAD: 2

[2] Raghunath no.: 2

[3] Srinivasan & Sankaranarayanan no.: 1

[4] Tsukamoto no.: —

[5] Lüders no.:

[6] Support : Āyaka pillar

[7] (Faces:) Lines: 15

[8] H: 265

[9] W: 25

[10] D: 25

[11] H: 75

[12] W: 24

[13] Language(s): MIA

[14] Original locality: Reṇṭāla, Palnad Taluk, Guntur District

[15] Present locality: unknown

[16] Primary bibliography: Sankaranarayanan 1967-68.

[17] Secondary bibliography: ARIE 1936-37: 62, B.349. — Raghunath 2001: 69 (2).

[18] Visual documentation: Est. ASI; Sankaranarayanan; Srinivasan & Sankaranarayanan (pl.

1).

[19] Substance of inscription: erection of a stone Āyaka pillar

[20] Remarks: No plate in Raghunath 2001.

-->

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<lb n="10"/><supplied reason="lost">sa</supplied>ha ca bhatuhi Apaṇo Āyu-vadha<unclear>n</unclear><supplied reason="lost">i</supplied><lb n="11" break="no"/><unclear>kaṁ</unclear> <unclear>vija</unclear>ya-vejayikaṁ ca game tuva<gap reason="illegible" quantity="1" unit="character"/>

<lb n="12"/><gap reason="lost" quantity="2" unit="character"/><gap reason="illegible" quantity="1" unit="character"/>tura-maṁḍale Upedagiri-vadha<lb n="13" break="no"/><supplied reason="lost">māne</supplied> <supplied reason="lost">bha</supplied><unclear>ga</unclear>vato budhasa saṁghasa

<lb n="14"/><gap reason="lost" quantity="3" unit="character"/><supplied reason="lost">ma</supplied>ḍave selamay<unclear>o</unclear> <unclear>Āya</unclear><lb n="15" break="no" style="text-align: center"/>ka-khaṁbho karito ti <g type="dash">.</g></p>

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<lem><unclear>vase</unclear><supplied reason="lost">ṭhi</supplied><lb n="2" break="no"/>-<supplied reason="lost">putasa</supplied></lem>

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<rdg source="bib:Sankaranarayanan1967-1968_01">padhamaṁ <unclear>1</unclear> <g type="danda"/></rdg>

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<rdg source="bib:Sankaranarayanan1967-1968_01">ga<unclear>ṁ</unclear>jikuṭe</rdg>

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<rdg source="bib:Sankaranarayanan1967-1968_01">cuṭi<unclear>dhāra</unclear>sirīṇa</rdg>

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<lem><unclear>sa</unclear>bhariyakena</lem>

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<lem>sasuṁh<unclear>ā</unclear>-vivāhe<unclear>na</unclear></lem>

<rdg source="bib:Sankaranarayanan1967-1968_01">sa<unclear>suṁ</unclear>ha-vīvahena</rdg>

<note>Sankaranarayanan adds a note on <foreign>suṁ</foreign>: <q>This letter, originally written as <hi rend="italic">ā</hi>, is corrected into <hi rend="italic">su</hi></q>. We do not think that this scenario imposes itself. The previous editor also suggests correcting to <foreign xml:lang="san-Latn">-nivahena</foreign>. We suggest instead, if our reading <foreign xml:lang="san-Latn">vivāhena</foreign> is correct, to interpret it as corresponding to Sanskrit <foreign xml:lang="san-Latn">vivāhyena</foreign>.</note>

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<lem><supplied reason="lost">sa</supplied>ha ca bhatuhi</lem>

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<lem>selamay<unclear>o</unclear></lem>

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<lem><unclear>Āya</unclear><lb n="15" break="no" style="text-align: center"/>ka-khaṁbho</lem>

<rdg source="bib:Sankaranarayanan1967-1968_01">Āya<lb n="15" break="no"/><gap reason="lost" unit="character" quantity="5"/>-khabho</rdg>

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<p n="1-4">Success! Homage to the Bhagavant! Fifth — 5th — victorious year of King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Cāntamūla, first — 1st — fortnight of the rainy season, first — 1st — day. </p>

<p n="5-15">The merchant Little Dhaṁmasiri — son of the merchant Saṅghila, resident of the town Gañjikūṭa, and his wife, the merchant-wife Haṅghā — together with his wife, daughter(s), daughter(s)-in-law and son(s)-in-law, friends and relatives, and together with his brothers caused to be made in the village Tuvara <gap reason="lost"/> in the district of <gap reason="lost"/> in the <foreign xml:lang="pra-Latn">vadhamāna</foreign> of Upedagiri <supplied reason="explanation">Skt. Upendragiri</supplied> at the pavilion <gap reason="lost"/> of the community of the Bhagavant Buddha a stone <foreign>āyāka</foreign> pillar, in order to increase his own lifespan and leading to victory after victory.</p>

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<p n="2-3">For other instances of the term <foreign>vijayasaṁvacharaṁ</foreign> (Sanskrit <foreign xml:lang="san-Latn">vijayasaṁvatsara</foreign>), whose meaning is disputed, see EIAD <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00030.xml">30</ref>, l. 3 (with note); <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00056.xml">56</ref>, l. 2; <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00159.xml">159</ref>, l. 14; <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00187.xml">187</ref>, l. 29; <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00188.xml">188</ref>, l. 31.</p>

<p n="12">The name of the <foreign xml:lang="san-Latn">maṇḍala</foreign> ending in <foreign xml:lang="pra-Latn">-tura</foreign> is reminiscent of the village name <foreign xml:lang="pra-Latn">toḍatura</foreign> in EIAD <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00031.xml">31</ref>, <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00032.xml">32</ref> and <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00033.xml">33</ref>.</p>

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<p>First edited by <bibl><ptr target="bib:Sankaranarayanan1967-1968_01"/></bibl>. Re-edited and translated by Arlo Griffiths & Vincent Tournier, with contributions by Stefan Baums and Ingo Strauch, making use of photos of the ASI estampage, and published in 2017 on the experimental site <bibl><ptr target="bib:Griffiths+Tournier2017_01"/></bibl>. The XML source code from <bibl><ptr target="bib:Griffiths+Tournier2015-2025_01"/></bibl> was adapted for DHARMA by Arlo Griffiths & Vincent Tournier in 2025.</p>

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<bibl><ptr target="bib:ARIE1936-1937"/><citedRange unit="page">62</citedRange><citedRange unit="appendix">B</citedRange><citedRange unit="item">349</citedRange><note>At first sight it seems that 1936-37: B.352 gives either part of the right side of line 1 of the same inscription, but in reality it must represent another pillar inscription that would have overlapped with the text of EIAD 2 whose ASI estampage must have been collected on the same occasion.</note></bibl>

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