Pillar from site 7-8 at Nagarjunakonda — reign of Siri-Ehavalacāntamūla, year 11

Editors: Arlo Griffiths, Vincent Tournier.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00051.

Hand description:

Language: Middle Indo-Aryan.

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

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

Edition

⟨1⟩ sidhaṁ ~namo bhagavato samāsaṁ⟨2⟩budhasa mahārājasa vāseṭhiputasa ⟨3⟩ Ikhākunaṁ siriEhuvala(cāta)mulasa sava (10)1 ⟨4⟩ [1×](pa) 1diva 7mahārājasa Agihotagidhomavājaveja⟨5⟩Asamadhayāyisa Ana(ka)hiraṇakoṭigosatasahasa⟨6⟩halasatasahasapadāyasa savathesu Apatihata⟨7⟩saṁkapasa vāseṭhiputasa Ikhākuna siricatam(ū)la(sa) ⟨8⟩ nattiya mahārājasa māṭhariputasa sirivirapurisa⟨9⟩datasa dhūtuya mahārājasa vāseṭhiputasa Ikhākunaṁ ⟨10⟩ siriEhuvalacatamulasa bhaginiya vanavāsakamahārāja⟨11⟩mahādeviya kodaElisiriya Imaṁ cetiyaṁ vihār(o) ca ⟨12⟩ Acariyānaṁ mahisāsakānaṁ suparigahe cātudisaṁ ⟨13⟩ saghaṁ Udisāya savasatānaṁ hitasukhathaṁ ṭhāpitaṁ Acariye⟨14⟩na mahādhaṁmakāthik(e)na dhaṁma(gho)satherena Anuthitaṁ ti ~

Apparatus

⟨2⟩ mahārājasa ⬦ mahārajasa Vogel 1929–1930.

⟨3⟩ -mulasa ⬦ -mūlasa Vogel 1929–1930.

⟨4⟩ Agihotagidhomavājaveja- ⬦ Agihotāgidhemavājaveja- Vogel 1929–1930 • Vogel notes: ““Read Agihot-Āgiṭhoma-Vājapeya.””

⟨5⟩ -madha- ⬦ -medha- Vogel 1929–1930 • Correct -medha-. — ⟨5⟩ Ana(ka)- ⬦ (aneka)- Vogel 1929–1930 • Correct Aneka-.

⟨6⟩ -padāyasa ⬦ -padāy(i)sa Vogel 1929–1930 • No trace of i is visible.

⟨7⟩ -catamula(sa)-c(ā)tamūla(sa) Vogel 1929–1930 • No trace of ā is visible. — ⟨7⟩ Ikhākuna ⬦ Ikhākuna(ṁ) Vogel 1929–1930.

⟨10⟩ -catamulasa ⬦ -c(ā)tamūla(sa) Vogel 1929–1930 • No traces are visible of ā or of ū; sa is certain enough. — ⟨10⟩ bhaginiya vanavāsaka- ⬦ bhaginiyā vānavāsaka- Vogel 1929–1930.

⟨11⟩ kodaElisiriya- ⬦ koda(ba)lisiriya Vogel 1929–1930. — ⟨11⟩ cetiyaṁ Nilakantha_Sastriakhaniyaṁ Vogel 1929–1930.

⟨12⟩ mahisāsakānaṁ ⬦ mahi(sā)sakānaṁ Vogel 1929–1930 • Vogel notes “The third syllable sa is still traceable,” probably meaning .

⟨13⟩ saghaṁ ⬦ sa(ṁ)ghaṁ Vogel 1929–1930. — ⟨13⟩ hitasukhathaṁ ⬦ hitasukhāthaṁ Vogel 1929–1930.

⟨14⟩ dhaṁma(gho)satherena Vogel 1929–1930 • Vogel notes: “The third akshara [in Dhaṁma(gho)sa-] has become very faint. At first I felt inclined to read Dhaṁmayasa, but the long horizontal base-stroke which is still clear rather suggests the letter gha.” On the stone and in RTI images, we also recognise the traces of the o vocalization, so the reading is secure.

Translation

(1–4) Success! Homage to the Bhagavant, the Perfect Buddha. In the 11th year of Great King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Ehuvalacāntamūla of the Ikṣvākus, in the 1st fortnight of (?), on the 7th day.

(4–14) Koda-elisirī — grand-daughter of Great King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Cāntamūla of the Ikṣvākus, sacrificer of the Agnihotra, the Agniṣṭoma, the Vājapeya and the Aśvamedha, giver of tens of million of (pieces of) gold, hundreds of thousands of cows, hundreds of thousands of plows (of land), whose will is unimpeded in all matters, daughter of Great King Māṭharīputta Siri-Vīrapurisadatta; sister of Great King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Ehuvalacāntamūla of the Ikṣvākus; chief wife of Great King of the Vanavāsakas — established this shrine and a monastery in the firm possession (suparigaha) of the Mahīśāsaka teachers, having assigned (them) to the universal saṁgha, for the sake of the well-being and happiness of all beings. (The construction) was carried out by (i.e., under the supervision of) the master, the great Dharma-preacher, the Elder Dhammaghosa.

Bibliography

First described and edited by Vogel 1929–1930, pp. 3, 15, 24–25 (H). Edited again, from the EI estampage, by Sircar 1942, pp. 230–1 and Sircar 1965, pp. 249–50. Re-edited here from the Leiden estampage and after autopsy of the stone.

Secondary

Nilakanta Sastri, K. A. and K. Gopalachari. 1937–1938. “Epigraphic notes.” EI 24, pp. 279–282. [URL]. Page 279 (VI).

Srinivasan, P. R. and S. Sankaranarayanan. 1979. Inscriptions of the Ikshvāku period. Epigraphical Series 14. Hyderabad: Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. Page no. 42.

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 45.

Raghunath, K. 2001. The Ikṣvākus of Vijayapuri: A study of the Nagarjunakonda inscriptions. Delhi: Eastern Book Linkers. Pages 144–5 (no. 34).

Soundara Rajan, K. V. 2006. Nagarjunakonda (1954–60), volume II: The historical period. Memoirs of the archaeological survey of India 75. New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India. Page 170.