Kanheri Cave 59 Right Wall Verandah Inscription

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

Contributor: Kelsey Martini (kema).

Language: Middle Indo-Aryan (pra) [Script (other) (script_other)].

Repository: Satavahana (tfb-satavahana-epigraphy).

Identifier: DHARMA_INSKI00035.

File path: texts/DHARMA_INSKI00035.xml.

Version: 2026-08-16 19:50 (8c6fcee), last modified 2026-07-17 15:36 (581605e).

Edition

⟨1⟩ [********] (go)ṇak(ā)ṇa (the)r(ā)ṇa (bha)yatahālakāṇa (A)
⟨2⟩ [tevasino] [***](t)[.]sa kāṇhasa deyadhama leṇa p(o)ḍh(i) k(o)ṭh(i)-
⟨3⟩ [*********][pa]tiṭh(ā)pitā Akhayanivi ca dinā kāhāpaṇāṇaṁ
⟨4⟩ [*][**][**](n)[.] sa ta se (gha/ha) Eto ca bhikhusaghe⟨⟨ṇa⟩⟩ civarika dātava bārasa-
⟨5⟩ [ka] (Et)[.] (pi/hi) deyadhama [māta](p)it(u)⟨⟨ṇa⟩⟩ (U)disa saval(o)kah(i)tasukhāya ti 卍

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ [8+] (go)ṇak(ā)ṇa ⬦ [3+]ṭhoṇak(ā)ṇa B&B; [5+]thoṇak(ā)ṇa G • The beginning could possibly be restored to [sidha therāṇa bhayata]. — ⟨1⟩ (A) ⟨2⟩ [tevasino] [3+](t)[.]sa kāṇhasa ⬦ ma[3+]tisa kaṇhasa B&B; ma[9+]tisa kaṇhasa G • The first akṣara is clearly A on the RTI. It is possible that we can restore [pavaji](t)[a]sa as we expect this to be another monastic epithet.

⟨2⟩ p(o)ḍh(i) k(o)ṭh(i) ⬦ p(o)ḍh(i) k(o)ṭhi (ca) B&B; p(o)ḍh(i) k(o)ṭhi (ca) G • There is no ca in this line, it must instead be restored in the following line.

⟨3⟩ [9+][pa]tiṭh(ā)pitā ⬦ [pa]tiṭh(ā)pitā B&B; [5+][pa]tiṭh(ā)pitā G • The lacuna at the beginning of the line (which is inexplicably ignored by B+B) can likely be restored to (ca cātudise bhikhusaghe) as indicated by the following patiṭhāpitā (cf. KI00025.9, KI00028.4, KI00034.5, KI00038.6, KI00039.6, KI00074.4).

⟨4⟩ [1+][2×][2+](n)[.] sa ta se (gha/ha) ⬦ [9+] satā sa(ghe) B&B; [5+] satā sa(ghe) G • The lacuna at the beginning of the line most likely contained the number of kahāpanas given. However, it seems unlikely that this extended all the way to the Eto and we are not sure what to make of the sa ta se (gha/ha) at the end of the sequence. The e-mātra on the second to last akṣara is clear. The (gha/ha) could actually be two akṣaras and there appears to be an anusvara above the left side of the E-. — ⟨4⟩ bhikhusaghe⟨⟨ṇa⟩⟩ ⬦ bhikhusaghe B&B; bhikhusaghe G • There is a clearly a ṇa inserted below the line.

⟨5⟩ [ka] (Et)[.] (pi/hi) deyadhama [māta](p)it(u)⟨⟨ṇa⟩⟩ (U)disa> ⬦ [ka] [17+] sa B&B; [ka] [12+] sa G.

Translation

⟨1–3⟩ A cave, cistern, and store room (koṭhi): The meritorious gift of the (wanderer) Kāṇha, pupil of the venerable elder Hālaka (and the venerable elder) Goṇaka. Established (in the universal order of monks).

⟨3–5⟩ And an akṣayanīvī is given, of kahāpaṇas [1+][2×][2+](n)[.] sa ta se (gha/ha). From this, a cloth money of twelve is to be given by the order of monks.

⟨5⟩ [And] This exact (? (Et)[.] (pi/hi)) meritorious gift is assigned to the (mother and) father, for the welfare and happiness of the entire world.

Commentary

ASWI V has undercounted the number of missing akṣaras in the first three lines and overcounted them in the last two.

Bibliography

Primary

[B&B] Burgess, James & 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 83, item 22.

[G] Gokhale, Shobhana. 1991. Kanheri inscriptions. Pune: Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute. Page 88, item 35.

Secondary

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

Njammasch, Marlene. 1971. “Akhayanivi-Schenkungen an Klöster Und Tempel Im Dekhan Unter Den Sātavāhanas.” Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 24 (2), pp. 203–215. [URL]. Pages 262, 305.

Hettiarachchy, Jayadevanandasara. 1973. “Buddhism in the Northern Deccan under the Śātavāhana Rulers (c. 30 B.C. - 225 A.D.)” Doctoral Thesis, University of London. London. Pages 114, 262.

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 & Himanshu Prabha Ray. Archaeology and Religion in South Asia. London and New York: Routledge, pp. 193–214. Page 206.

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