Memorial pillar from site 61 at Nagarjunakonda — reign of Siri-Ehavalacāntamūla, year 13

Authors of digital edition: Arlo Griffiths (argr), Vincent Tournier (vito).

Palaeographic description: Lettering typical of the 3rd century CE.

Language: Middle Indo-Aryan (pra) [Script (other) (script_other)].

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

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00052.

File path: texts/xml/DHARMA_INSEIAD00052.xml.

Version: 2026-08-26 06:33 (99dfc27), last modified 2026-08-26 06:33 (99dfc27).

Edition

⟨1⟩ sidhaM ⁓ s(ā)misa rā(ño) (vā)se(ṭhi-pu)tasa Ikhāku(sa)
⟨2⟩ siri-Ehavula-(ca)tam(ū)lasa (savacha)ra t(e)rasa(ma)
⟨3⟩ gim(ha)ṇaṁ pakha paṁcama 5 divasa sa(ta)ma 7 ra(ño)
⟨4⟩ māḍhari-pūtasa Ikhākuṇaṁ s(i)ri-virapūr(i)sadatasa
⟨5⟩ mahisija mahavalabhīkāya yakhīlinikāya pu-
⟨6⟩ tasa mahāsenapatisa kum(ā)rasa ElīEhavū-
⟨7⟩ ladāsaṁṇakasa chāyā-thabh(o) thāpito ⯼ ꩜

Apparatus

⟨3⟩ gim(ha)ṇaṁ ⬦ gīm(h)aṇaṁ S • The shape of ha in gim(ha)ṇaṁ is not regular. Cf. EIAD 29, l. 3 and note.

⟨4⟩ -pūr(i)sadatasa ⬦ -pūrusadatasa S.

⟨5⟩ mahisija • Sircar notes “Probably we should not take it as mahisi-Jamaha°” and proposes to emend mahisiya. We think ja could stand for ya.

⟨7⟩ chāyā-thabh(o) ⬦ chayatha(ṁ)bh(o) S.

Translation

⟨1–3⟩ Success! In the thirteenth year of the Lord King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Ehavulacāntamūla the Ikṣvāku, in the fifth — 5th — fortnight of summer, on the seventh — 7th — day.

⟨3–7⟩ The memorial pillar of the Great General, Prince Elī Ehavūladāsaṇṇaka — son of the greatly beloved (mahāvallabhikā) Yakhīlinikā, chief queen of the King Māṭharīputta Siri-Vīrapurisadatta of the Ikṣvākus — was erected.

Bibliography

First described and edited by D.C. Sircar ([1966] 1963–1964). Re-edited and translated by Arlo Griffiths & Vincent Tournier, with contributions by Stefan Baums and Ingo Strauch, making use of photos of the published estampages, and after autopsy of the stone, on the experimental site Griffiths & Tournier 2017. The XML source code from Griffiths & Tournier 2025 was adapted for DHARMA by Arlo Griffiths & Vincent Tournier in 2025.

Primary

[S] Sircar, Dines Chandra. [1966] 1963–1964. “More inscriptions from Nagarjunikonda.” EI 35, pp. 1–36. Pages 10–11, item 3.

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

Secondary

ARIE 1958–59. Annual report on Indian epigraphy for 1958-59. Edited by Dines Chandra Sircar. Ootacamund: Archaelogical Survey of India. [URL]. Pages 6–7, appendix B, item 79.

Srinivasan, P. R. & S. Sankaranarayanan. 1979. Inscriptions of the Ikshvāku period. Epigraphical Series 14. Hyderabad: Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. Item 43.

Sarkar, H. 1982. “The Cāyā-Stambhas from Nāgārjunakoṇḍa.” In: Memorial stones: A study of their origin, significance and variety. Edited by Shadaksharappa Settar & Günther Dietz Sontheimer. I.I.A.H. Series & South Asian Studies 2 & XI/11. Dharwad; Heidelberg: Institute of Indian Art History, Karnatak University; South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg, pp. 199–207. Pages 202–203.

Raghunath, K. 2001. The Ikṣvākus of Vijayapuri: A study of the Nagarjunakonda inscriptions. Delhi: Eastern Book Linkers. Pages 146–147, item 35.

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 604.

Display Options Word Wrap Line Numbers Comments Processing Instructions

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

- - - - - - - - -

[1] Inventory no. EIAD: 52

[2] Raghunath no.: 35

[3] Srinivasan & Sankaranarayanan no.: 43

[4] Tsukamoto no.: —

[5] Lüders no.:

[6] Support : pillar

[7] (Faces:) Lines: 7

[8] H: 111

[9] W: 28

[10] D: 18-24

[11] H: 29

[12] W: 28

[13] Language(s): MIA

[14] Original locality: Nagarjunakonda Site-61, North of the 16-pillared maṇḍapa, section IV, division 215, trench D5

[15] Present locality: NM 295

[16] Primary bibliography: Sircar 1963-64a: 10-1 (3).

[17] Secondary bibliography: ARIE 1958-59: 6-7, B.79. — Sarkar 1982: 202-3. — Raghunath 2001: 146-7 (35).

[18] Visual documentation: Sircar; Raghunath. — Rosen Stone 1994, ill. 125.

[19] Substance of inscription: the pillar was the chāyāthambha of Mahasenapati-Kumara

[20] Remarks:

[21] :

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<p n="1-3">Success! In the thirteenth year of the Lord King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Ehavulacāntamūla the Ikṣvāku, in the fifth — 5th — fortnight of summer, on the seventh — 7th — day.</p>

<p n="3-7">The memorial pillar of the Great General, Prince Elī Ehavūladāsaṇṇaka — son of the greatly beloved <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>mahāvallabhikā</foreign></supplied> Yakhīlinikā, chief queen of the King Māṭharīputta Siri-Vīrapurisadatta of the Ikṣvākus — was erected.</p>

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<p>First described and edited by D.C. Sircar (<bibl rend="omitname"><ptr target="bib:Sircar1963-1964_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 published estampages, and after autopsy of the stone, 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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