Kanheri Cave 16 Bench Inscription

Editors: Kelsey Martini, Vincent Tournier.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSKI00024.

Hand description:

Language: Middle Indo-Aryan.

Repository: Satavahana (tfb-satavahana-epigraphy).

Version: (e852375), last modified (b0e0d87).

Edition

⟨1⟩ sidha Upāsakasa (vha)mitaputasa negamasa muḍapālasa ⟨2⟩ sopārakasa sahā kuḍubiṇ(i)hi sahā bālakehi deyadhama chetaṁ diṇa Akhaya⟦vi⟧⟨⟨ni⟩⟩(vi)

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ ([vha])mitaputasa ⬦ viṇhumitasa G • — ⟨1⟩ muḍapālasa ⬦ muṇḍapālasa G

⟨2⟩ sahā ⬦ saha G • The ā-mātra is clear on both this and the following sahā. — ⟨2⟩ kuḍubiṇ(i)hi ⬦ kuṭubinihi G • — ⟨2⟩ Akhaya⟦vi⟧⟨⟨ni⟩⟩(vi)akhayanivi G • It would appear that the engraver originally forgot to carve the ni and instead carved a vi which he then corrected to a ni.

Translation

Success! A field is given as akṣayanīvī: The meritorious gift of the market councillor Muḍapāla of Sopāra, son of the lay-follower [Vha]mita. Together with the kuḍubinis and the progeny.

Commentary

Bibliography

Primary

[G] Gokhale, Shobhana. 1991. Kanheri inscriptions. Pune: Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute.

Secondary

Naik, A. V. 1948. “Inscriptions of the Deccan: an epigraphical survey (Circa 300 B.C.-1300 A.D.)” Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute 9 (1/2), pp. 1–160. [URL]. Pages 19–20.

Shimada, Akira. 2018. “Royal and Non-Royal Patronage in the Early Deccan.” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 41, pp. 473–507. Page 491 fn. 24.

Visvanathan2018_01

Strauch, Ingo. 2021. “Money for rituals: akṣayanīvī and related inscriptions from Āndhradeśa.” In: Power, presence and space: South Asian rituals in archaeological context. Edited by Henry Albery, Jens-Uwe Hartmann and Himanshu Prabha Ray. Archaeology and Religion in South Asia. London and New York: Routledge, pp. 193–214. Page 206.