Pillar from site 5 at Nagarjunakonda — reign of Siri-Ehavalacāntamūla, year 2

Editors: Arlo Griffiths, Vincent Tournier.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00044.

Hand description:

Language: Middle Indo-Aryan.

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

Version: (77e39b7), last modified (77e39b7).

Edition

⟨1⟩ (si)dhaṁ namo bhagavato telokadhaṁmadhurāvahasa mahārā(jasa) [v]i[rū]⟨2⟩(pa)khapatimahāsenaparigahitasa AgihotaAgiṭh(o)ma[vājapeya]⟨3⟩Asamedhayayisa hiraṁṇakoṭigosatasa(ha)[sahalasata]⟨4⟩sahasapadāIsa savathesu (A)patihatasaṁka(pa)[sa] ⟨5⟩ [vā]seṭhiputa(sa) (I)khākunaṁ siricātamūlasa suṁn(hā)ya [mahārāja]⟨6⟩(sa) m(ā)ḍha(ri)putasa Ikhākūnaṁ sirivīrapur(i)sadatasa [bha](ya)ya ma⟨7⟩hāraja(sa) siriEhu(v)u(ḷa)cātamūlasa mātuya mahād⟨e⟩vīya bhaṭidevā(ya) ⟨8⟩ [deyadhaṁma] (I)maṁ vihāro savajātaniyuto Acariyānaṁ bahusutīyānaṁ ⟨9⟩ pati(ṭhā)[p]i[to] [1×](v)iko punaṁ budhiṁṇa(k)o raño sa(ṁ)vacha(raṁ) [b]i[t](i)[yaṁ] ⟨10⟩ gim(hapa)(kha) [2×][12+]sughāya ti

Apparatus

⟨1–2⟩ [v]i[rū](pa)kha- ⬦ [virūpa]kha- Vogel 1929–1930.

⟨2⟩ AgihotaAgi ⬦ Agihotāgi- Vogel 1929–1930.

⟨2–3⟩ [vājapeya]Asamedhayayisa ⬦ -[vājape]yāsamedhay⟨ā⟩yisa Vogel 1929–1930 • Vogel suggests to emend -yājisa.

⟨4⟩ sahasapadāIsa • Vogel suggests emending sahasapadāyisa.

⟨5⟩ suṁn(hā)ya ⬦ sun[hā]ya Vogel 1929–1930.

⟨6⟩ Ikhākūnaṁ ⬦ Ikhākunaṁ Vogel 1929–1930.

⟨7⟩ -Ehu(v)u(ḷa)- ⬦ E[huvuḷa]- Vogel 1929–1930 • The akṣaras huvuḷa are damaged as the result of a a crack, but hu is still legible. — ⟨7⟩ mahād⟨a⟩vīya ⬦ mahādeviya Vogel 1929–1930.

⟨8⟩ [deyadhaṁma]... Vogel 1929–1930 • Restoration after EIAD 46, l. 6.

⟨9⟩ pati(ṭhā)[p]i[to]patiṭhā[pito] Vogel 1929–1930. — ⟨9⟩ [1×](vi)ko punaṁ budhiṁṇa(k)o ⬦ ... i ra pu naṁ budhiṇa ... Vogel 1929–1930 • The editor of the EI issue suggests reading virapunaṁbudhiṇa, as a proper name. Our reading budhiṁṇa(k)o is however supported by the occurrence of a similar name in EIAD 20, l. 2, for the husband of Bodhisirī. The first unclear akṣara could be either r[.] or k[.]. None of these combinations yields a known name or word. — ⟨9⟩ raño ⬦ ... Vogel 1929–1930. — ⟨9⟩ sa(ṁ)vacha(raṁ)[b]i[t](i)[yaṁ](saṁvacharaṁ)..(bitiyaṁ) Vogel 1929–1930.

⟨10⟩ gim(hapa)(kha)(gimhapakhaṁ) Vogel 1929–1930 • The anusvāra appears to have been misplaced.

Translation

(1) Success! Homage to the Bhagavant, the bearer of the burden of the Dharma for the three worlds.

(1–9) The Great Queen Bhaṭidevā — daughter-in-law of Great King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Cāntamūla of the Ikṣvākus, favored by Mahāsena who has Virūpākṣa as his lord, sacrificer of the Agnihotra, the Agniṣṭoma, the Vājapeya and the Aśvamedha, giver of tens of millions of (pieces of) gold, hundreds of thousands of cows and hundreds of thousands of plows (of land), whose will is unimpeded in all matters, wife of Great King Māṭharīputta Siri-Vīrapurisadatta of the Ikṣvākus, mother of Great King Siri-Ehuvuḷacāntamūla — established as pious gift this monastery, equipped with everything, for the Bahuśrutīya masters... again, Budhinnaka.

(9–10) In the second year of the king, in the... fortnight of summer... for the happiness...

Commentary

The text is largely parallel to that of EIAD 45 and 46.

(5) 1

(10) sughāya ti2

Bibliography

First described and edited by Vogel 1929–1930, pp. 3, 23–4 (G). Re-edited here from the published estampages and after autopsy of the stone.

Secondary

Vogel, Jean Philippe. 1929–1930. “Two additional inscriptions from Nagarjunikonda.” EI 20, p. 37. Pages 61–2.

Longhurst, A. H. 1938. The Buddhist antiquities of Nāgārjunakoṇḍa, Madras Presidency. Memoirs of the archaeological survey of India 54. Delhi: Manager of Publications. Pages 10–1.

Srinivasan, P. R. and S. Sankaranarayanan. 1979. Inscriptions of the Ikshvāku period. Epigraphical Series 14. Hyderabad: Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. Page no. 38.

Tsukamoto Keishō 塚本啓祥. 1996. インド仏教碑銘の研究 I, Text, Note, 和訳 Indo Bukkyō himei no kenkyū I: Text, Note, Wayaku [A comprehensive study of the Indian Buddhist inscriptions, Part I: Text, Notes and Japanese Translation]. Kyōto-shi 京都市: Heirakuji Shoten 平楽寺書店. Page no. Naga 44.

Raghunath, K. 2001. The Ikṣvākus of Vijayapuri: A study of the Nagarjunakonda inscriptions. Delhi: Eastern Book Linkers. Pages 129–30 (no. 27).

Notes

  1. 1. The bottom of the top fragment has undergone considerable further damage here vis-à-vis the estampage published by Vogel.
  2. 2. The date appears to have been followed by a benedictory formula such as sava-loka-hita-sukhāya.