Octagonal pillar from Manchikallu — reign of Sīhavamma

Editors: Arlo Griffiths, Vincent Tournier.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00139.

Hand description:

Language: Middle Indo-Aryan.

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

Version: (a154659), last modified (72e3163).

Edition

⟨1⟩ siddha(ṁ) ||~bhāradāya(sa)go(ttena) [4+](dha)reṇa palavāṇaṁ sī(ha)⟨2⟩vaṁmaṇa Ap(p)aṇo vejayike [1×][3+](lava)dhaṁṇīke saṁntisathi⟨3⟩yāyaṇaṁ kātūṇa bhaga(va)[to] [siri](jīvaś)ivasāmisa tethika⟨4⟩nak(kh)attik(ā)pahārakādi kātaṁ kapa [1×]devakulasa bhag(ga)⟨Fragment lost⟩ [1×][1+] ⟨5⟩ [7+][1×][5+](sa) pāda(m)[ū]le ⟨Fragment lost⟩[4+]

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ bhāradāya(sa)go(ttena)bhārādāyasagotta Seshadri Sastri 1955. — ⟨1⟩ [4+](dha)reṇa • One expects here a word meaning ‘king’ (‘earth-bearer’), and so restorations like jagatīdhareṇa, paṭhavīdhareṇa, etc., are imaginable, although we expect that the lost word for ‘earth’ comprised four akṣaras. — ⟨1⟩ palavāṇaṁ ⬦ palavānaṁ Seshadri Sastri 1955.

⟨2⟩ vaṁmaṇa ⬦ vaṁmeṇa Seshadri Sastri 1955. — ⟨2⟩ Ap(p)aṇo • The subscript consonant resembles a l but can only have been intended as a p. — ⟨2⟩ [1×][3+](lava)dhaṁṇīke ⬦ ……. dhaṁṇīka Seshadri Sastri 1955; …….. (lava)rdhaṁntike Sircar [1962] 1957–1958 • Sircar suggests the text may be restored as follows: dhaṁmabalavardhantike. As for restoring dhaṁmabala, this could be supported by citing EIAD 140, l. 5–6: Amhavejayike (dhaṁ)māyubalavadhanike ya; EIAD 160, l. 3–4: Appaṇo dhammāyubalavivaddhaṇatthaṁ. But these parallels could equally support restoring Āyubala. There is definitely not sufficient space for dhaṁma and āyu. — ⟨2⟩ saṁntisathi- ⬦ saṁntisathini Seshadri Sastri 1955 • As observed by Sircar [1962] 1957–1958, pp. 87, 89 n. 10, there are two akṣaras in later script (niya?) on the adjoining facet after the end of this line. The absence of distinction between the two scripts explains Seshadri Sastri’s reading.

⟨3⟩ -yāyaṇaṁ ⬦ -yāyaṇo Seshadri Sastri 1955. — ⟨3⟩ kātūṇa ⬦ (ṭhu)ṇa Seshadri Sastri 1955. — ⟨3⟩ bhaga(va)[to siri](jīvaś)ivasāmisa ⬦ bhaga(va) …… va sāmi se- Seshadri Sastri 1955; bhaga(vato)[siri](jīvaś)ivasāmisa Sircar [1962] 1957–1958.

⟨3–4⟩ tethikanak(kh)attik(ā)pahārakādi ⬦ nathika kattuna hahara [ka] kati Seshadri Sastri 1955; tethik[ā]na kurttakāpahārakādi Sircar [1962] 1957–1958 • Sircar suggests to emend -kurttakopahāra-. Our reading is proposed here partly on the basis of the assumption that the same phrase occurs at the beginning of EIAD 60 and at the end of EIAD 56.

⟨4⟩ kātaṁ ⬦ kanam Seshadri Sastri 1955. — ⟨4⟩ kapa [1×]kahana Seshadri Sastri 1955; kiha. Sircar [1962] 1957–1958 • Given the likely Śaiva character of this inscription, it is tempting to restore a name like kapaddi- (Skt. kapardi-).

⟨4–5⟩ bhag(g)a⟨Fragment lost⟩[1×][1+]bhaṭṭ(ā) …. Sircar [1962] 1957–1958 • We believe that the word to be restored here is bhaggaphullasanthappa (or an orthographic variant thereof); see EIAD 56, l. 7; 60, l. 2.

⟨5⟩ (sa) pāda(m)[ū]le ⬦ … padamule Seshadri Sastri 1955; (sa) pāda(mū)le Sircar [1962] 1957–1958.

Translation

Success! By (king) Sīhavamma of the Pallavas, with a view to his own victoriousness and for increasing his ... and power, śānti and svastyayana were carried out and the taithika, nākṣatrika as well as as prāharika and so forth were performed for Lord Siri-Jīvaśivasāmi ... (the repair of) what was damaged (and dilapidated) of the temple of Kapa ... at the base of ...

Bibliography

First published by Seshadri Sastri in 1944 in a Telugu-language publication and subsequently in Seshadri Sastri 1955; edited again in Sircar [1962] 1957–1958, pp. 82, 87–90 and Sircar 1965. Re-edited here from published documentation.

Secondary

No name. 1887–. Annual report on Indian epigraphy. Madras; Calcutta; New Delhi: Government of Madras; Archaeological Survey of India. Pages 1939–40: E.22.

Rama Rao, M. 1955. Nāgārjunakoṇḍa Souvenir. Guntur: B. Vandanam & P. Amerasvara Rao on behalf of the Nehru reception committee. Pages 51–2.

Ramesan, N. 1962. Copper plate inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh Government Museum, Hyderabad (vol. I). Archaeological Series 6. Hyderabad: Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. [URL]. Page 216.

Francis, Emmanuel. 2013. Le discours royal dans l'Inde du Sud ancienne : inscriptions et monuments Pallava, IVème-IXème siècles. Tome I : Introduction et sources. Publications de l'Institut orientaliste de Louvain 64. Louvain-la-Neuve; Paris: Université catholique de Louvain, Institut orientaliste; Peeters. Page 258 (IR 1).