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

210 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
seventh (?). day of the bright fortnight of the month Mârga, i.e. Mârgaśira or Mârgaśirsha
(November-December). The era is not specified ; but, from the known facts of Âditya-
sêna's history, it is that of Harshavardhana of Kanauj, commencing¹ A.D. 606 or 607 ;
and the result for this date, therefore, is A.D. 672-73. The inscription is one of solar
worship ; and the object of it is to record, in the first place, some grant, the details of
which are illegible in line 1 ; and, in the second place, the installation of the image by
the Balâdhikṛita² Sâlapaksha, in, apparently, the agrahâra of Nâlanda.
The name of Nâlanda is rather doubtful in this inscription ; but there is no special
objection to reading it, since Nâlanda was a famous place, originally Buddhist, in the
neighbourhood of Shâhpur, being in fact identified by General Cunningham³ with the
modern ' Baragaon,'⁴ seven miles due north of Râjgîr, and about fifteen miles nearly due
west of Shâhpur. The image, being fairly small and portable, may easily have been
originally set up at Nâlanda, and then removed at some time or other to Shâhpur.
TEXT.⁵
1 ...... kh . l . ḍh . g ... chandra-kshiti-kâlaṁ yâvat=p[r]atipâditaṁ [||*]
2 Ôm Samvat 60 6 Mârgga śu di 7(?) asyân=divasa-mâsa-
samvatsar-ânupûrvvyâṁ⁶ śrî-Âditya’sêna-
3 [dêva]-râj[y]ê **Nâ(?)landa(?)-mah-âgrahârê sâdh[un]â va(ba)lâdhikṛita-
Sâlapakshêṇa dê[ya]-dharmmô=yaṁ pratishṭhitaṁ(ḥ)
4 [mâtâpitrôr=â]tmanaś=cha puṇy-âbhivṛiddhayê [||]
TRANSLATION.
.................. has been granted, to endure for the same time with
............ and the moon and the earth.
(Line 2.)—Ôm! The year 60 (and) 6 ; (the month) Mârga ; the bright fortnight ;⁸
the day 7 (?),—on this (lunar day), (specified) as above by the day and month and
year,⁹—in the reign of the illustrious Âdityasênadêva, this appropriate religious gift
has been installed by the virtuous Sâlapaksha, the Balâdhikṛita, in the great agrahâra
of Nâlanda (?), for the purpose of increasing the religious merit of (his) parents and of
himself.
¹ See Ind. Ant. Vol. XIII. p. 420, note 37.
² Balâdhikṛita is a technical military title, meaning literally 'one who is appointed to (a com-
mand of) the troops.' The superior of the Balâdhikṛitas was the Mahâbalâdhikṛita; see page 109
above, note 2.
³ Anc. Geog. Ind. Vol. I. p. 468 ff.
⁴ Indian Atlas, Sheet No. 103. Lat. 25° 8' N. ; Long. 85° 29' E.—In the map, the name is written
' Burgaon.' The correct form of the name would therefore seem to be Baḍgaum.
⁵ From Mr. Beglar's pencil-rubbing ; so also the lithograph.
⁶ Supply tithau ⁷ Read śry-Âditya.
⁸ The text here has the abbreviation śu, which represents śuddha, or śukla, in composition with
paksha or pakshê; see page 92 above, note 1.
⁹ See page 97 above, note 1.