Āyāka pillar from site 1 at Nagarjunakonda — reign of Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, year 6

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

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

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

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00004.

File path: texts/xml/DHARMA_INSEIAD00004.xml.

Version: 2026-07-17 15:34 (ce35bbc), last modified 2026-07-17 15:34 (ce35bbc).

Edition

⟨1⟩ sidhaṁ namo bhagavato devarājasakatasa supabudhabodhino savaṁñuno
⟨2⟩ savasatānukaṁpakasa jitarāgadosamohavipamutasa mahāgaṇivasabha-
⟨3⟩ gaṁdhahathisa saṁmasaṁ(budh)asa dhātuvaraparigahitasa mah(ā)cetiye mahārajasa
⟨4⟩ virūpakhapatimahāsenaparigahitasa hiraṇakoṭigosatasahasahalasa-
⟨5⟩ tasaha⟨sa⟩padāyisa savathesu Apatihatasaṁkapasa vāsiṭhiputasa Ikhākusa
⟨6⟩ siricātamūlasa sodarā bhagini raṁño māḍharīputasa sirivirapurisadatasa
⟨7⟩ pituchā mahāsenāpatisa mahātalavarasa vāsiṭhīputasa pūkīyānaṁ kaṁdasiri(sa)
⟨8⟩ bhariyā samaṇabam⟨h⟩aṇakavaṇavanijakadīnānugahavelāmikadānapaṭibhagavo-
⟨9⟩ chiṁnadhārapad(ā)yini savasādhuvachalā mahādānapatini mahātalavari khaṁdasāgaraṁṇakamātā
⟨10⟩ cātisiri Apano Ubhayakulasa Atichita m anāgatavaṭamānakānaṁ parināmetunaṁ
⟨11⟩ Ubhayalokahitasukhāvahathanāya Atano ca nivāṇasaṁpatisaṁpādake
⟨12⟩ savalokahitasukhāvahathanāya ca Imaṁ khaṁbhaṁ patithapitaṁ ti ⁓
⟨13⟩ raṁño sirivīrapurisadatasa sava 6⟨⟨vāpa 6⟩⟩diva 10

Apparatus

⟨4-5⟩ satasaha⟨sa⟩padāyisa ⬦ satasaha⟨sa⟩dāyisa Vogel 1929–1930.

⟨7⟩ vāsiṭhīputasa ⬦ vāsidhīputasa Vogel 1929–1930.

Translation

⟨1–3⟩ Success! Homage to the Bhagavant, worshipped by the king(s) of the gods, who completely realized Awakening, the Omniscient One, who is compassionate with all beings, who conquered and is released from lust, hate and delusion, the bull and rut elephant among great leaders, the Perfect Buddha who is ensconced in the excellent relic [or: element (i.e., nirvāṇadhātu)]!

⟨3–12⟩ At the Great Shrine, Cāntisirī — uterine sister of Great King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Cāntamūla the Ikṣvāku, favored by Mahāsena who has Virūpākṣa as his lord, giver of tens of millions of (pieces of) gold, hundreds of thousands of cows and hundreds of thousands of plows (of land), whose will is unimpeded in all matters; paternal aunt of king Māṭharīputta Siri-Vīrapurisadatta; wife of Great General, Great Talavara Vāsiṭṭhīputta Kandasiri of the Pūkīyas; giver of an unequalled and uninterrupted stream of velāmika gifts as a favor to ascetics, brahmans, beggars, mendicants and the wretched; affectionate to all good people; great donor; Great-Talavara-wife, mother of Khandasāgaraṇṇaka — having dedicated (the merit) to the past, future and present members of her family on both sides, established this pillar for the sake of bringing about well-being and happiness in both worlds and for achieving the fortune of nirvāṇa for herself and for the sake of bringing about the well-being and happiness of all people.

⟨13⟩ In the 6th year of King Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, in the 6th fortnight of the rainy season, on the 10th day.

Commentary

⟨3⟩ dhātuvaraparigahita¹

⟨4⟩ virūpakhapatimahāsenaparigahita²

⟨7⟩ pūkīyānaṁ³

Bibliography

First described and edited by Vogel 1929–1930, pp. 14, 15–7 (C3). Edited again, from the EI estampage, by Sircar 1942, pp. 219–21 and Sircar 1965, pp. 228–30. Re-edited here from the two estampage sheets held at Leiden and after autopsy of the one fragment of the stone that we have been able to identify.

Secondary

Srinivasan, P. R. & S. Sankaranarayanan. 1979. Inscriptions of the Ikshvāku period. Epigraphical Series 14. Hyderabad: Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. Page no. 8.

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. Page no. Naga 1.

Raghunath, K. 2001. The Ikṣvākus of Vijayapuri: A study of the Nagarjunakonda inscriptions. Delhi: Eastern Book Linkers. Pages 72 (no. 4), 194 (no. 83).

Notes

1. On the interpretation of this epithet, see Baums et al. 2016, pp. 383–9.
2. On the interpretation of this epithet, see Mann 2012, pp. 168–9; Baums et al. 2016, pp. 386–7.
3. The Pūkīyas are mentioned in the same context in other insctiptions from the same site (EIAD 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 25, 40). It seems likely that this same ethnonym (?) lies behind the word pukiraṭhe in EIAD 329, and that puṣyakandīya in EIAD 53 is a Sanskritization of it.

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Author: @emma_morlock - Last revision: 2017-02-26

Data source: 'iksvaku-inscriptions/metadata/EIAD-inventory_1-50.xlsx'

- - - - - - - - -

[1] Inventory no. EIAD: 4

[2] Raghunath no.: 4, 83

[3] Srinivasan & Sankaranarayanan no.: 8

[4] Tsukamoto no.: Naga 1

[5] Lüders no.:

[6] Support : Āyāka pillar, two fragments

[7] (Faces:) Lines: 13

[8] H: 137±

[9] W: 47

[10] D: 38

[11] H: 44

[12] W: 55

[13] Language(s): MIA

[14] Original locality: Nagarjunakonda Site-1, West side of the Mahācaitya

[15] Present locality: NM 544

[16] Primary bibliography: Vogel 1929-30a: 14, 15-7 (C3).

[17] Secondary bibliography: Raghunath 2001: 72 (4), 194 (83).

[18] Visual documentation: estampage Leiden N7. — Vogel.

[19] Substance of inscription: gift for welfare and happiness

[20] Remarks: We have only identified the upper fragment; measurements concern only

it.

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<citedRange>168-9</citedRange></bibl>; <bibl><ptr target="bib:Baums+al2016_01"/>:

<citedRange>386-7</citedRange></bibl>.</note></p><p n="7"><term>pūkīyānaṁ</term><note>The Pūkīyas are mentioned in the same context in other insctiptions from the same site (EIAD <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00006.xml">6</ref>, <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00007.xml">7</ref>, <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00009.xml">9</ref>, <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00010.xml">10</ref>, <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00011.xml">11</ref>, <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00013.xml">13</ref>, <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00014.xml">14</ref>, <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00016.xml">16</ref>, <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00017.xml">17</ref>, <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00019.xml">19</ref>, <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00025.xml">25</ref>, <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00040.xml">40</ref>). It seems likely that this same ethnonym (?) lies behind the word <foreign>pukiraṭhe</foreign> in EIAD <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00329.xml">329</ref>, and that <foreign>puṣyakandīya</foreign> in EIAD <ref target="DHARMA_INSEIAD00053.xml">53</ref> is a Sanskritization of it.</note></p></div><div type="bibliography"><p>First described and edited by <bibl><ptr target="bib:Vogel1929-1930_01"/>: <citedRange>14, 15-7

(C3)</citedRange></bibl>. Edited again, from the EI estampage, by <bibl><ptr target="bib:Sircar1942_01"/>:

<citedRange>219-21</citedRange></bibl> and <bibl><ptr target="bib:Sircar1965_02"/>:

<citedRange>228-30</citedRange></bibl>. Re-edited here from the two estampage sheets held

at Leiden and after autopsy of the one fragment of the stone

that we have been able to identify.</p><listBibl type="primary"><bibl/></listBibl><listBibl type="secondary"><bibl><ptr target="bib:Srinivasan+Sankaranarayanan1979_01"/>:

<citedRange>no. 8</citedRange></bibl><bibl><ptr target="bib:Tsukamoto1996_01"/>: <citedRange>no. Naga

1</citedRange></bibl><bibl><ptr target="bib:Raghunath2001_01"/>: <citedRange>72

(no. 4), 194 (no. 83)</citedRange></bibl></listBibl></div></body></text>

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