Memorial pillar from site 24 at Nagarjunakonda — reign of Siri-Ruddapurisadatta, year 11

Editors: Arlo Griffiths, Vincent Tournier.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00083.

Hand description:

Language: Middle Indo-Aryan.

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

Version: 2025-06-21 15:14 (9768830), last modified 2025-04-17 07:44 (77e39b7).

⟨1⟩ mahārājasa Asamedha(yā)jisa Anekahiraṁnakoḍigosa⟨2⟩tasahasahalasatasahasapadāyisa svāmisiricaṁtamūlasa ⟨3⟩ pasunhāya mah(ā)rājasa (svām)isirivīrapuri(sa)[datasa] ⟨4⟩ su(ṁ)nhāya mahārājasa (svāmi)siriEhavalacaṁtamūlasa ⟨5⟩ pattīya raño vāsiṭhīputtasa Ikhākunaṁ siriruda⟨6⟩purisadatasa mātūya mahādevīya mahākhatapadhūtuyaṁ ba(ha)⟨7⟩phalasagotāya sirivaṁmabhaṭāya saṁvacharaṁ Ekkāraṁ 101 ⟨8⟩ vāsāpakhaṁ pathamaṁ 1divasaṁ Aṭhamaṁ 8sag(e)gatāya chāya⟨9⟩khaṁbho <symbol>~

Apparatus

⟨3⟩ (svām)isirivīrapuri(sa)[datasa] ⬦ (svām)isirivīrapuri(sadatasa) Sircar and Krishnan [1963] 1961–1962.

⟨5⟩ Ikhākunaṁ ⬦ Ikhākūnaṁ Sircar and Krishnan [1963] 1961–1962. — ⟨5⟩ siriruda- ⬦ siriruḍa- Sircar and Krishnan [1963] 1961–1962.

⟨6⟩ -dhūtuyaṁ ⬦ -dhūtūya Sircar and Krishnan [1963] 1961–1962.

⟨8⟩ sag(e)gatāya ⬦ sagagatāya Sircar and Krishnan [1963] 1961–1962.

⟨9⟩ -khaṁbho :– ⬦ -khaṁbho || Sircar and Krishnan [1963] 1961–1962 • Sircar and Krishnan note: “The full-stop is indicated here by a curve slanting towards the lower right and having a dot above and another dot below its beginning. This may be compared to the punctuation indicated by a horizontal stroke with a dot above and another below, as found in the copper-plate grants of the Śarabhapura kings. See [EI] Vol. XXXIII, p. 157, note 9; p. 158, note 1.”

Translation

Memorial pillar of Great Queen Siri-Vaṁmabhaṭā of the Br̥hatphalagotra, daughter of a Mahākṣatrapa — mother of King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Ruddapurisadatta of the Ikṣvākus, wife of Great King Lord (svāmin) Ehavalacaṁtamūla, daughter-in-law of Great King Lord Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, granddaughter-in-law of Great King Lord Siri-Cāntamūla, sacrificer of the Aśvamedha, giver of many ten million (pieces of) gold, of a hundred thousand cows and a hundred thousand plows (of land) — who deceased (lit. went to the heavens, svargagata) in the eleventh — 11th — year, in the first — 1st — fortnight of the rainy season, on the eighth — 8th — day.

Commentary

The occurrence of geminate consonants tt and kk in this inscription is very unusual for the Nagarjunakonda corpus.

(5) vāsiṭhīputtasa¹

(5) Ikhākunaṁ²

Bibliography

First described and edited by Sircar and Krishnan [1963] 1961–1962, pp. 20–2. Re-edited here from the published estampages and after autopsy of the stone.

Secondary

No name. N.d. Indian Archaeology: a review. New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India. Pages 1955–56: 24.

No name. 1887–. Annual report on Indian epigraphy. Madras; Calcutta; New Delhi: Government of Madras; Archaeological Survey of India. Pages 1956–57: no. B.26.

Srinivasan, P. R. and S. Sankaranarayanan. 1979. Inscriptions of the Ikshvāku period. Epigraphical Series 14. Hyderabad: Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. Page no. 49.

Sarkar, H. 1982. “The Cāyā-Stambhas from Nāgārjunakoṇḍa.” In: Memorial stones: A study of their origin, significance and variety. Edited by Shadaksharappa Settar and 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. Page 202.

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. Pages nos. Naga 61, 63.

Raghunath, K. 2001. The Ikṣvākus of Vijayapuri: A study of the Nagarjunakonda inscriptions. Delhi: Eastern Book Linkers. Pages 184–5 (no. 64).

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 183.

Notes

1. Seeing as the king is said to be the son of a lady of the Vāsiṣṭha gotra, whereas the woman in question is explicitly stated to be bahaphalasagotā, Sircar and Krishnan [1963] 1961–1962, p. 21 states that “[i]t is thus clear that the Śaka princess Varmabhaṭā was a step-mother of the king and not his real mother”. Trautmann 1981, pp. 377–379 approves of this argument, citing use of mātā to refer to multiple women in relation to Cāntamūla in his memorial pillar inscription (EIAD 30) as supporting evidence. On the Br̥hatphalagotra, see EIAD 172.
2. the I has a very unusual cursive shape.

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: 83

[2] Raghunath no.: 64

[3] Srinivasan & Sankaranarayanan no.: 49

[4] Tsukamoto no.: Naga 61, 63

[5] Lüders no.:

[6] Support : memorial pillar, bottom fragment

[7] (Faces:) Lines: 9

[8] H: 157

[9] W: 39.5

[10] D: 24.5

[11] H: 52

[12] W: 38

[13] Language(s): MIA

[14] Original locality: Nagarjunakonda Site-24

[15] Present locality: NM 74

[16] Primary bibliography: Sircar & Krishnan 1960-61: 20-2.

[17] Secondary bibliography: IAR, 1955-56: 24. — ARIE 1956-57: B.26. — Sarkar 1982: 202. — Raghunath 2001: 184–5 (64). — Soundara Rajan 2006: 183.

[18] Visual documentation: IAR, pl. XXXVI A, XXXIX A — Sircar & Krishnan — Raghunath — Sarkar 1982, fig. 1. — Rosen Stone 1994, ill. 230.

[19] Substance of inscription:

[20] Remarks: According to IAE and ARIE, from Site 13; according to Sarkar 1982, found in precincts of a Buddhist monastery; Rosen Stone 1985 mentions the site is 24 in a more recent numbering of Sarkar's. IAR: "Site XIII revealed the four wings of a vihara with a pillared hall in the quadrangle, besides a stupa-chaitya, a votive stupa-shaped circular chamber with a chaya-khambha in it (pl. XXXVI)." The plate shows original position of pillar.

[21] :

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