# EIAD 52. Memorial pillar from site 61 at Nagarjunakonda — reign of
Siri-Ehavalacāntamūla, year 13

Arlo Griffiths and Vincent Tournier

Authors of digital edition: Arlo Griffiths, Vincent Tournier

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00052

Repository: Early Āndhradeśa (tfb-eiad-epigraphy)

File path: texts/xml/DHARMA_INSEIAD00052.xml

Language: Middle Indo-Aryan [Script (unspecified)]

Commit: 2026-09-22 13:22 (151ff65), last modified 2026-09-21 18:13
(3db1cff)

## Palaeographic description

Lettering typical of the 3rd century CE.

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## 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.