Frieze from Amaravati

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

Contributor: Arlo Griffiths (argr).

Palaeographic description: Lettering typical of the 1st century CE.

Language: Middle Indo-Aryan (pra) [Southern Brāhmī (other) (brāhmī_southern_other)].

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

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00338.

File path: texts/xml/DHARMA_INSEIAD00338.xml.

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

Edition

⟨1⟩ ⟨Zone A: Below first stūpa⟩ vāniyiniya _ nākacaṁpakāyā ⟨Zone B: Below first Buddha⟩ [**](pa)lakeṇa _ cadasirinā _ [**]sirinā ⟨Zone C: Below second stūpa⟩ dhutukā s(e)ṭhanikāya _ budhila⟨Zone D: Below second Buddha⟩ya ca _ dhaña [*][******] ⟨Zone E: Below third stūpa⟩ Evaṁ _ U(ṇh)isa tahi _ niv(āṇa)⟨Zone F: Below third Buddha⟩-magasa hetu kātuṇa ni[*][*]

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ vāniyiniya ⬦ vāniyiniyā S. — ⟨1⟩ nākacaṁpakāyā ⬦ nākacaṁpakiyā S. — ⟨1⟩ (pa)lakeṇa _ cadasirinā _ [2×]sirinā ⬦ [4*] cadasiri(sa) [3*] siri [3*] S. — ⟨1⟩ dhutukā s(e)ṭhanikāya ⬦ dhanikasaṭhanikāya S • Sivaramamurti’s reading saṭhanikāya is equally possible. Tsukamoto Keishō 塚本啓祥 1996, 1998, 2003 proposed dhanikas(e)ṭh(i)nikāya. There definitely does not seem to be any vowel marker above ṭha. — ⟨1⟩ dhaña [1×][6+] ⬦ dhaña S. — ⟨1⟩ Evaṁ ⬦ dhamaṁ S. — ⟨1⟩ U(ṇh)isa tahi ⬦ Unisinhi S. — ⟨1⟩ niv(āṇa)- ⬦ nivide S. — ⟨1⟩ hetu kātuṇa ni[1×][1+] ⬦ hetukanantana S.

Translation

Commentary

Bibliography

Only partially deciphered in Burgess 1887. First comprehensive attempt at decipherment in Sivaramamurti 1942. This digital edition by Arlo Griffiths & Vincent Tournier from a published estampage and from photographs of the stone.

Primary

[B] Burgess, James. 1887. The Buddhist stupas of Amaravati and Jaggayyapeta in the Krishna District, Madras Presidency, surveyed in 1882. With translations of the Aśoka inscriptions at Jaugadi and Dhauli by George Bühler. Reprint New Delhi 1996. Archaeological Survey of Southern India 6. London: Trübner & Co. [URL]. Page 85, plate XLIII (3), plate LVIII (29).

[S] Sivaramamurti, C. 1942. Amaravati sculptures in the Madras Government Museum. Reprints 1956, 1977, etc. Bulletin of the Madras Government Museum New Series, General Section, 4. Madras: Government Museum. [URL]. Page 299, item 108.

Secondary

Lüders, Heinrich. 1912. A list of Brahmi inscriptions from the earliest times to about A.D. 400 with the exception of those of Asoka. Appendix to Epigraphia Indica and record of the Archæological Survey of India 10. Calcutta: Superintendent Government Printing. [URL]. Page 154, item 1292.

Tsukamoto Keishō 塚本啓祥. 1996, 1998, 2003. Indo Bukkyō himei no kenkyū インド仏教碑銘の研究 (A comprehensive study of the Indian Buddhist inscriptions). 3 vols. Kyōto-shi 京都市: Heirakuji Shoten 平楽寺書店. Volume I, item Amar 86.

Kannan, R. 2014. Compilation on Amaravati sculptures and conservation and reorganisation of the Amaravati gallery in the Government Museum, Chennai. Bulletin of the Madras Government Museum New Series, General Section, 19. Chennai: The Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner of Museums; Department of Museums; Government of Tamil Nadu; Government Museum. [URL]. Page 212, item 256.

Francis, N. J. 2016. A source book of the early Buddhist inscriptions of Amarāvatī. Golden jubilee series. Shimla: Indian Institute of Advanced Study. Page 147, item 221.

Display Options Word Wrap Line Numbers Comments Processing Instructions

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338 Amar 86 frieze 1 27 118 18

MIA Amaravati CGM 256

Burgess 1887: 85 (29), pl. XLIII (3), LVIII. — Sivaramamurti 1942: 299 (108), IV E, 8.

Lüders 1912a: 154 (1292). — Kannan 2014: 212 (256). — Francis 2016: 147 (221).

Burgess 1887 erection of unisa Measurements from Kannan.

-->

<title>Frieze from Amaravati</title>

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<surname>Griffiths</surname>

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<resp key="creator">intellectual authorship of edition</resp>

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<forename>Vincent</forename>

<surname>Tournier</surname>

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<p>Lettering typical of the 1st century CE.</p>

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<milestone n="A" unit="zone"/><label xml:lang="eng">Below first stūpa</label>

vāniyiniya <space/> nākacaṁpakāyā

<milestone n="B" unit="zone"/><label xml:lang="eng">Below first Buddha</label>

<gap reason="illegible" unit="character" quantity="2"/><unclear>pa</unclear>lakeṇa <space/> cadasirinā <space/> <gap reason="illegible" unit="character" quantity="2"/>sirinā

<milestone n="C" unit="zone"/><label xml:lang="eng">Below second stūpa</label>

dhutukā s<unclear>e</unclear>ṭhanikāya <space/> budhila<!--

s[i]vanikāya]

s[e]ṭh[i]nikāya

s<unclear>e</unclear>ṭh<unclear>i</unclear>nikāya Tsuk

saṁvanikāya --><milestone n="D" unit="zone" break="no"/><label xml:lang="eng">Below second Buddha</label>ya ca <space/> dhaña <gap reason="illegible" unit="character" quantity="1"/><gap reason="lost" unit="character" quantity="6"/>

<milestone n="E" unit="zone"/><label xml:lang="eng">Below third stūpa</label>

Evaṁ <space/> U<unclear>ṇh</unclear>isa tahi <space/> niv<unclear>āṇa</unclear><milestone n="F" unit="zone" break="no"/><label xml:lang="eng">Below third Buddha</label>-magasa hetu kātuṇa ni<!--

we had marked [tu] but tu seems clear on photos 761 and 770;

I think we have another tu after kā, so hetu kātuṇa or kātuṇaṁ; then we had na but ni also seems possible

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<lem>nākacaṁpakāyā</lem>

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<lem><unclear>pa</unclear>lakeṇa <space/> cadasirinā <space/> <gap reason="illegible" unit="character" quantity="2"/>sirinā </lem>

<rdg source="bib:Sivaramamurti1942_01"><gap reason="undefined" unit="character" quantity="4"/> cadasiri<unclear>sa</unclear> <gap reason="undefined" unit="character" quantity="3"/> siri <gap reason="undefined" unit="character" quantity="3"/></rdg>

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<lem>dhutukā s<unclear>e</unclear>ṭhanikāya</lem>

<rdg source="bib:Sivaramamurti1942_01">dhanikasaṭhanikāya</rdg>

<note>Sivaramamurti's reading <foreign>saṭhanikāya</foreign> is equally possible. <bibl><ptr target="bib:Tsukamoto1996-2003_01"/></bibl> proposed <foreign>dhanikas<unclear>e</unclear>ṭh<unclear>i</unclear>nikāya</foreign>. There definitely does not seem to be any vowel marker above <foreign>ṭha</foreign>.</note>

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<lem>dhaña <gap reason="illegible" unit="character" quantity="1"/><gap reason="lost" unit="character" quantity="6"/></lem>

<rdg source="bib:Sivaramamurti1942_01">dhaña</rdg>

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<rdg source="bib:Sivaramamurti1942_01">dhamaṁ</rdg>

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<rdg source="bib:Sivaramamurti1942_01">Unisinhi</rdg>

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<rdg source="bib:Sivaramamurti1942_01">nivide</rdg>

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<lem>hetu kātuṇa ni<gap reason="illegible" unit="character" quantity="1"/><gap reason="lost" unit="character" quantity="1"/></lem>

<rdg source="bib:Sivaramamurti1942_01">hetukanantana</rdg>

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<p>Only partially deciphered in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Burgess1887_01"/></bibl>. First comprehensive attempt at decipherment in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Sivaramamurti1942_01"/></bibl>. This digital edition by Arlo Griffiths & Vincent Tournier from a published estampage and from photographs of the stone.</p>

<bibl n="B"><ptr target="bib:Burgess1887_01"/><citedRange unit="page">85</citedRange><citedRange unit="plate">XLIII (3)</citedRange><citedRange unit="plate">LVIII (29)</citedRange></bibl>

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Burgess 1887: 85 (29), pl. XLIII (3), LVIII. — Sivaramamurti 1942: 299 (108), IV E, 8.

Lüders 1912a: 154 (1292). — Kannan 2014: 212 (256). — Francis 2016: 147 (221).

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