Kanheri Cave 32 Verandah Left Wall Inscription

Authors of digital edition: Kelsey Martini (kema), Vincent Tournier (vito).

Language: Middle Indo-Aryan (pra).

Version: (587d8eb), last modified (3052df2).

Edition

⟨1⟩ sidha kāliya[ṇavaṭha](va)sa (dha) [*] (y)[.]]y(ā)ṇa s(e)vamitasa putasa nega

⟨2⟩ masa dhama [*******] budhakeṇa saha ca sa□veṇa parīvā-

⟨3⟩ reṇa bava[t](e) [kaṇha](s)[e]le leṇaṁ _ pāṇiyapoḍhi Āsaṇaṃpeḍhikā-

⟨4⟩ yo pādho (Ā)[saṇo] cakamo ca deyadhaṃmaṃ cātudise bhikhusa(ṃ)ghe pa-

⟨5⟩ tiṭhāpita (m)[āt]āpitāro Udisa sāvasatuhitasughatha(ṃ)

⟨6⟩ Etha ca _ Akhayanivī ca datā

⟨7⟩ Eto ca _ vāsārate vasaṃtasa bhikhuṇo cīvarikaṃ kāhāpaṇā solasa pāte la-

⟨8⟩ sa Upāha⟨⟨ṇā⟩⟩ṇaṁ ca kahāpaṇo Utukāle □ (ca) □ paḍiko māse vasaṁtasa dā-

⟨9⟩ tavo seseṇa leṇaṃ paḍiAgitavaṃ (kāl)[i]yaṇe ca vihāre gaṃdhārikābha(ṭhī)-

⟨10⟩ yaṁ b(i)gabhaṁ bhojaṇacātusālaṃ ca deyadhaṃmaṃ Etes(a) pi Akh(a)⟨ya⟩nivī datā mukuḍasiva-

⟨11⟩ yi□yaṁ nivesaṇaṃ Eto be bhākā bigabhasa bhākā cāt(u)sālasa vihāra dasakāni cīvar(i)-

⟨12⟩ kāni cāt(u)s(ā)la ca (bhā)ka

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ sidha kāliya[ṇavaṭha](va)sa (dha) [1×] (y)[.]]y(ā)ṇa ⬦ s(i)dha(ṃ) kāliya(ña) [2+] sa [3×] ṇa B+B; s(i)dha(ṃ) kāliya(ña) [3+] sa [2×] ṇa G. — ⟨1⟩ s(e)vamitasa ⬦ s(i)vamitasa B+B; s(i)vamitasa G.

⟨2⟩ dhama [7+] budhakeṇa • B+B counts 8 missing akṣaras here, G counts 6.

⟨3⟩ bava[t](e) [kaṇha](s)[e]le leṇaṁ ⬦ bavā [4+] la(ya)naṁ B+B; bavā [6+] la(ya)naṁ G.

⟨4⟩ pādho (Ā)[saṇo] cakamo ⬦ pidho A [3+] ca kamo B+B; pīḍho A [5+] cakamo G. — ⟨4⟩ deyadhaṃmaṃ ⬦ deyadhama B+B; deyadhama G.

⟨6⟩ Etha ⬦ Eṭha B+B; Etha G.

⟨7⟩ la⟨8⟩sa ⬦ l(e)sa B+B; l(e)sa G.

⟨8⟩ kahāpaṇo ⬦ kāhāpaṇo B+B; kāhāpaṇo G.

⟨9⟩ (kāl)[i]yaṇe • The first akṣara has no discernible trace of a horizontal line and thus resembles a rā- and the -li- has an unusual shape, but this all seems to be due to the irregularity of the stone. — ⟨9⟩ gaṃdhārikābha(ṭhī)⟨10⟩yaṁ ⬦ gaṃdhārikābhamiyaṃ B+B; gaṃdhārikābhamiyaṃ G.

⟨10⟩ Akh(a)⟨ya⟩nivī • It is likely that here the scribe neglected to include the -ya-, but note that the spelling akhanivī also occurs once in KI00006 l. 8.

Translation

⟨1–4⟩ Success! On mount Kaṇhasela, a cave, drinking cistern, plinths for sitting, a path, a seat, and an ambulatory, the meritorious gift of the market councillor Dhama…, son of Sevamita amongst the (dha) [1×] (y)[.]]y(a)s…[and] resident of Kalyan. [Together] with …buddhaka and together with the entire retinue.

⟨4–6⟩ [This was] established for the universal order of monks, on behalf of [his] parents, for the purpose of the welfare and happiness of all beings. And with respect to this an akṣayanīvī is given.

⟨7–9⟩ And from this [permanent endowment], for the monk who resides during the rains, sixteen kahāpaṇas as cloth money and a kahāpaṇa for shoes and for lasa in the alms bowl is given. And a paḍika per month is to be given to the dweller in the dry season. With the remainder the cave is to be maintained.

⟨9–11⟩ And in the Gaṃdhārikābhaṭhī vihāra in Kalyan two cells and a quadrangular dining-hall are a meritorious gift. And for these an akṣayanīvī is given, a dwelling in Mukuḍasivayi.

⟨7–9⟩ From this, two shares for the two cells, a share for the quadrangular hall, and a share to the quadrangular hall as a cloth money of ten [kahāpanas/percent] in the vihāra(?).

Commentary

B+B and G make no note of the spaces throughout the inscription.

The inscription is physically divided into two distinct blocks separated by an empty line, the first running from ll. 1-6 and the second from ll. 7-12. The former contains the record of the donation of the cave and an accompanying akṣayanīvī while the latter contains the details of the disbursement of accrued funds from the akṣayanīvī and, beginning in l. 9, a record of an apparently unrelated donation of architecture at a different location in Kalyan with an accompanying akṣayanīvī. It is possible that the second donation was added simply to make use of the available space.

⟨1⟩ (dha) [1×] (y)[.]]y(ā)ṇa This is most likely some form of family or corporate name, as indicated by the genitive plural.

⟨12⟩ kāni cāt(u)s(ā)la ca (bhā)ka This line is engraved to the left of the beginning of line 11 on an area of unprepared stone due to a lack of space.

Bibliography

Primary

[B+B] Burgess, James and Georg Bühler. 1883. Report on the Elura cave temples and the Brahmanical and Jaina caves in Western India: Completing the results of the fifth, sixth, and seventh seasons' operations of the Archaeological survey, 1877–78, 1878–79, 1879–80. Vol. 5. Archaeological Survey of Western India. London: Trübner & Co. Page 85, item 28.

[G] Gokhale, Shobhana. 1991. Kanheri inscriptions. Pune: Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute. Page 91, item 38.

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