गुप्त अभिलेख संग्रह (जे. एफ. फ्लीट - गुप्त सम्राटों एवं परवर्ती नरेशों के ऐतिहासिक पाषाण व ताम्रलेख)

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 10, PLATE V. 43
damage has been done to the rest; but nothing of a historical nature seems to have been
lost.—The average size of the letters is about $\frac{3}{8}$". The characters belong to the
northern class of alphabets; but they present a very pointed difference from the charac-
ters of the same class in the preceding inscriptions, in respect of the very marked mátrás
or prolonged horizontal top-strokes of the letters.—The language is Sanskrit; and the
inscription is in prose as far as the end of line 9, and the rest in verse.—In respect of
orthography, the only point that calls for notice is the doubling of t, in conjunction
with a following r, e.g. in puttrasya, line 4.
The inscription refers itself to the reign of the Early Gupta king Kumâragupta.
It is dated, in words, in the year ninety-six (A.D. 415-16); but without any specification
of the month and day. It belongs to the Saiva form of worship; and the object of it is to
record the accomplishment by a certain Dhruvaśarman, at a temple of the god Kârttikêya
under the name of Svâmi-Mahâsêna, of certain works, viz. (1) the building of a pratôlî,
or 'gateway with a flight of steps;'¹ (2), the establishment, apparently, of a sattra
or charitable hall or almshouse; and (3) the erection of the column with the inscription on
it, to record the above acts.
**TEXT.**²

1. ......³ [Sarvva-râj-ôchchhêttuṇ prithivyâm=a-pratirathasya chatur-uda]dhi-
   salil-âsvâdita-yaśasô
   2 [Dhanada-Varuṇ-Êndr-Ântaka-samasya Kṛitânta-paraśôḥ nyây-âgat-ânêka-gô-
   hi]raṇya-kôṭi-pradasya chir-ôtsann-âśvamêdh-âharttuḥ
   3 [mahârâja-śrî-Gupta-prapauttrasya mahârâja-śrî-Ghaṭôtkacha-pauttrasya ma]hâ-
   râjâdhirâja-śrî-Chandragupta-puttrasya
   4 Lichchhavi-dauhi[tt]r[asya mahâdêvyâṁ Kumâradêvyâm-utpannasya
   mahârâ]jâdhirâja-śrî-Samudragupta-puttrasya⁴
   5 mahâdêvyâṁ Dattadêvyâm-utpannasya svaya[m=a-pratirathasya] [parama]-
   bhâgavatasya mahârâjadhiraja-śrî-Chandragupta-puttrasya⁵
   6 mahâdêvyâṁ Dhruvadêvyâm-utpannasya mahârajadhirâja-śrî-Kumâra--
   guptasy=âbhivarddhamâna-vijaya-râjya-saṁvatsarê⁶ shaṇ-navatê [l*]
   ¹ As pointed out by Gen. Cunningham, pratôlî, according to the Dictionaries, means 'a broad
   way; a high-street; a principal road through a town.' But the meaning of 'gateway' was given to
   him by a Paṇḍit. And that the word has the meaning in the present inscription of 'a gateway with a
   flight of steps,' seems to be shewn by the comparison of the pratôlî with a svarga-sôpânâ or 'flight of
   steps, or ladder, leading to heaven,' and by its being described as "white with the radiance of pieces of
   crystalline gems (in the stones of which it was constructed)."
   ² From Gen. Cunningham's ink-impression; so also the lithograph. The passages that are ille-
   gible in lines to 3 are supplied from No. 1, lines 24, 26, 28, and 29, page 8 above, and from the
   Bhitarî pillar inscription of Skandagupta, No. 13 below, Plate vii., lines 1 to 3.
   ³ Probably siddham stood here.
   ⁴ Read Samudraguptasya puttrasya, the separate genitive Samudraguptasya being required in
   apposition with the genitives ending in prapauttrasya, pauttrasya, puttrasya, dauhittrasya, and
   utpannasya, in line 3 f.—Here, and in line 5, the drafter of the inscription seems to have been led into
   his mistake through following blindly the Chandragupta-puttrasya, which is quite correct, at the end
   of line 3.
   ⁵ Read Chandraguptasya puttrasya, the separate genitive Chandraguptasya being required
   in apposition with the genitives utpannasya, apratirathasya, and paramabhâgavatasya in this line.—
   See the preceding note.
   ⁶ Read râjyê saṁvatsarê, see page 38 above, note 5.
   G 2.