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

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 9, PLATE IV D. 41
This inscription is on the upper part of the proper right side of the stone. Almost
the whole of the first line, and the first half of each of the remaining lines, has been entirely
broken away and lost. The remnant of the writing, however, covering a space of about 4"
broad by 9" high, is fairly well preserved and easy to read.—The size of the letters varies from
¼" to ½". The characters belong to the northern class of alphabets, and are of precisely
the same type as those of the preceding two inscriptions, Nos. 7 and 8, being probably
engraved by the same hand. They include, in the date, forms of the numerical symbols
for 8 and 90.—The language is Saṁskṛit; and the inscription is in prose throughout.—
The orthography presents nothing calling for remark.
The name of the king is broken away and lost in the first half of line 2. But the
inscription is dated, in numerical symbols, in the year ninety-eight (A.D. 417-18); and
this shews that the record must belong to the time of the Early Gupta king
Kumâragupta. So little remains of it, that the form of religion to which it belonged,
cannot be determined; nor can the object of it; except that it records a gift of twelve
dînâras, apparently as a contribution to the perpetual maintenance of a sattra, or charitable
hall or almshouse.
TEXT.¹
1 [Jitam bhagavatâ || Para]mabh[â]gavata-[mahârâjâdhi]-
2 [râja-śrî-Kumâragupta-râjya-saṁvatsa]rê² 90 8 ......
3 ...... [asyâṁ divasa]-pûrvvâyâṁ³ paṭṭa ....
4 ............................................ nê(?)n=âtma-puny-ôpa[cha]-
5 [y-ârtthaṁ] ............................. kâliyaṁ sadâ-sat[t]ra-
6 ..................................... kasya talakanivanśê(?) ..
7 ................................... tya(?)ṁ dînârâḥ dvâdaśa
8 ............................... sy=âṁkur-ôdbha(?)sta-chchha ......
9 .................................... [saṁ]yukta[ḥ*]⁴ syâd=iti ||(||)
TRANSLATION.
[Victory has been achieved by the Divine One!] [In the reign⁵] of the most devout
worshipper of the Divine One, [the Mahârâjâdhirâja, the glorious Kumâragupta]; in
the year 90 (and) 8; ............................; [on this] (lunar day), (specified) as above
by the day (&c.) ;—
(Line 3)— .................... [for the purpose] of adding to (his) own religious
merit .................... (to endure) for the same time with ............................
a perpetual almshouse ............................ twelve dînâras ....................
(L. 9.)— .................... shall become invested with ....................
¹ From the original stone.
² To be corrected into râjyê saṁvatsarê; see page 38 above, note 5.
³ Supply tithau.
⁴ The measure of the lines of this inscription seems to shew that it did not contain here the
full formula of the preceding two, Nos. 7 and 8.
⁵ See page 38 above, note 5.
G₂

42 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
No. 10; PLATE V.
BILSAD STONE PILLAR INSCRIPTION OF KUMARAGUPTA.
THE YEAR 96.
THIS inscription was discovered in 1877-78 by General Cunningham, and was first brought
to notice by him in 1880, in his reading of the text, and translation of it, published in the
Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. XI. p. 19 f., accompanied by a lithograph (id. Plate viii.)
Bilsaḍ or Bilsaṇḍ¹ is a village,—consisting of three parts, called respectively Bilsaḍ-
Puvâyaṁ, or Eastern Bilsad; Bilsaḍ-Pachhâyâṁ, or Western Bilsaḍ; and Bilsaḍ-Paṭṭî,² or
Bilsaḍ Suburb,—about four miles towards the north-east of Alîgañj,³ the chief town of the
Alîgañg Tahsîl or Sub-Division of the Êtâ⁴ District in the North-West Provinces. At the
south-west corner of Bilsaḍ-Puvâyaṁ, or the eastern division of the town, there are four broken
red-sandstone monolith columns,—two of them, towards the west, round; and two of them,
towards the east, square. Each pair of columns stands almost due north and south; and the
two western columns are both inscribed. The inscription now published is on the eastern
side of the northern column of the west pair.
On the eastern side of the southern column of the west pair, there is also an inscrip-
tion, which, as shewn by the remains of it, was a duplicate copy of that on the northern
column; but it was arranged somewhat differently, being, as counted by General Cunning-
ham, in sixteen somewhat shorter lines, instead of thirteen. From General Cunningham's
ink-impression, hardly any appreciable portion of this second inscription remains, except the
second and third lines, and lines 12 to 16; and these are not in sufficiently good order to
be lithographed, though they are of use in supplying more clearly a few letters which are
doubtful in the two verses at the end of the inscription on the northern column. In this
second inscription, line 2 begins with the svâdita-yaśasô of line 1 of the one now published;
—line 3, with the gat-ânêka of line 2;—line 12, with about the parshadâ of line 9;—line
13, with the kaubêrachchhanda of line 10;—line 14, with the [sa]ttra of line 11;—line 15,
with the .... śubhâ of line 12;—and line 16, with the yên=âpûrvva of line 13.
With this pair of duplicate inscriptions, we may compare the duplicate inscriptions of
Yaśôdharman on the two columns at Mandasôr, Nos. 33 and 34 below. But Yaśôdharman's
pillars were jayastambhas or 'columns of victory,' not connected with any building;
whereas the two inscribed Bilsaḍ pillars seem to have had a direct connection with a
temple, now ruined, the remains of which must be hidden under the rubbish that has accu-
mulated over the site,—viz. the temple of the god Svâmi-Mahâsêna, or Kârttikêya, referred
to in the inscription.
The writing of the inscription now published covers a space of about 2' 1½" broad
by 1' 10½" high. The first four lines are almost entirely destroyed, and a good deal of
¹ The 'Beelsur and Bilsar' of maps, &c. Indian Atlas, Sheet No. 68 Lat 27° 33' N.; Long.
79° 16' E.—The name is written and pronounced optionally with or without a nasal in the second
syllable; compare Aphsad, and Aphsaṇḍ, in the case of the inscription of Âdityasêna, No 42 below.
² The 'Beelsurpowa, Beelsurpucha, and Beelsurputtee,' of maps.
³ The 'Aliganj and Ulleegunje' of maps, &c.
⁴ The 'Eeta, Etah, and Eytuh,' of maps, &c.

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.

44 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
7 Asyâṁ=divasa-pûrvvâyâṁ¹ bhagavatas=trailôkya-têjas-saṁbhâra-saṁtat-âdbhuta-
mûrttêr=Brahmaṇya-dêvasya
8 ........ nivâsinaḥ Svâmi-Mahâsênasy=âyatanê=smin=Kârttayug-âchâra-
saddharmma-vartm-ânuyâyina .
9 . âta ....................... [pa]rshadâ mânitêna Dhruvaśarmmaṇa
karmma mahat=kṛit=êdam² ।(॥)
10 Kṛit[v]â³ [--â]bhirâmâṁ muni-vasati[◡-] svargga-sôpana-r[û]pâṁ ।⁴
kaubêrachchhanda-bimbâṁ sphaṭika-maṇi-dal-âbhâsa-gaurâṁ⁵ pratôlîm ।
11 prâsâd-âgr-âbhirûpaṁ guṇa-vara-bhavanaṁ [dharmma-sa(?)]ttraṁ yathâvat ।
puṇyêshv=êv=âbhirâmaṁ vrajati śubha-matis=tâta-Śarmmâ dhruvô=stu ।(॥)
12 [--]â[--]î[--]sya⁶ [◡-]śubh-âmṛita-vara-prakhyâta-labdhâ bhuvi । [--]ê[--]ê
bhaktir=ahîna-sat[t*]va-samatâ kas=taṁ na saṁpûjayêt ।
13 yên=âpûrvva⁷-vibhûti-sañchaya-chayaiḥ [--]ai[--]î[◡---◡-]ḥ । tên=âyaṁ
Dhruvaśarmmaṇâ sthira-varas=[st]aṁbh-ôch[chhr]ayaḥ kâritaḥ ।(॥)
TRANSLATION.
(Line 6.)—In the ninety-sixth year, (and) in the augmenting victorious reign⁹ of
the Mahârâjâdhirâja, the glorious Kumâragupta,—
(L. 5.)—Who is the son, begotten on the Mahâdêvî Dhruvadêvî, of the Mahârâjâ-
dhirâja, the glorious Chandragupta (II.), who was himself without an antagonist (of
equal power); who was a most devout worshipper of the Divine One; (and)
(L. 4.)—Who¹⁰ was the son, begotten on the Mahâdêvî Dattadêvî, of the Mahârâjâ-
dhirâja, the glorious Samudragupta,—
(L. 1.)—[Who¹¹ was the exterminator of all kings; who had no antagonist (of equal
power) in the world]; whose fame was tasted by the waters [of the four oceans]; [who was
equal to (the gods) Dhanada and Varuṇa and Indra and Antaka; who was the very axe of
(the god) Kṛitânta]; who was the giver of [many] millions of [lawfully acquired cows and]
gold; who was the restorer of the aśvamêdha-sacrifice, that had been long in abeyance;
(and)
(L. 3.)—[Who¹² was the son of the son's son of the Mahârâja, the illustrious Gupta;—
the son's son of the Mahârâja, the illustrious Ghaṭôtkacha];—(and) the son of
the Mahârâjâdhirâja, the glorious Chandragupta (I.), (and) the daughter's son of
Lichchhavi, begotten on the Mahâdêvî Kumâradêvî;—
(L. 7.)—On this (lunar day), (specified) as above by the day (&c.),¹³—at this temple
of the divine (god) Svâmi-Mahâsêna, whose wondrous form is covered over with the accu-
¹ Supply tithau. ² Read kṛitam=idam. ³ Metre, Sragdharâ.
⁴ Here, and below, the marks of punctuation at the end of the first and third pâdas of each verse
are unnecessary.
⁵ The reading is gaurâṁ, instead of the usual form gaurîṁ, also in the original duplicate of this
inscription on the other column.
⁶ Metre, Śârdûlavikrîḍita.
⁷ These four aksharas are supplied from the ink-impression of the duplicate inscription, in which
they are quite distinct.
⁸ We should expect sthirataras; but the duplicate inscription also reads sthira-varas.
⁹ See page 38 above, note 5.
¹⁰ i.e. Chandragupta II. ¹¹ i.e. Samudragupta. ¹² i.e. Samudragupta.
¹³ The day and other details, however, are not specified

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Vol. III.

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THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 11, PLATE VI A. 45
mulation of the lustre of the three worlds ; who is the god Brahmanya ; (and) who resides
at . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,—this great work has been accomplished by Dhruvaśarman, who
follows the path of the customs of the Kṛita age, and of the true religion, (and) who is
honoured by the assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(L. 10.)—Having made a gateway,¹ charming, (and) . . . . . . . . the abode of saints,
(and) having the form of a staircase leading to heaven, (and) resembling a (pearl)-neck-
lace of the kind called kaubêrachchhanda, (and) white with the radiance of pieces of
crystalline gems ;—(and having made), in a very proper manner, a [religious] almshouse(?),
the abode of those who are eminent in respect of virtuous qualities ; resembling in form
the top part of a temple ;—he, the virtuous-minded one, roams in a charming manner
among the items of religious merit (that he has thus accumulated) ; may the venerable
Śarman endure for a long time !²
(L 12.)—This lofty pillar,³ firm and excellent, has been caused to be made by that
same Dhruvaśarman, whose piety, having acquired the excellent reputation of nectar
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . on the earth, is so highly esteemed by all perfect beings that there is no
one who would fail to worship him ; (and) by whom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by means of the
abundance of (his) unprecedented accumulation of superhuman power.
No. 11; PLATE VI A.
MANKUWAR STONE IMAGE INSCRIPTION OF KUMARAGUPTA.
THE YEAR 129.
THIS inscription was discovered in 1870 by Dr. Bhagwanlal Indraji, and appears to have
been first brought to notice by General Cunningham in 1880, in the Archæol. Surv
Ind. Vol. X. p. 7, where he published his reading of the text, accompanied by a lithograph
(id. Plate IV. No. 2.).—And, in 1885, Dr. Bhagwanlal Indraji published his own reading
of the text, and a translation of it, in the Jour. Bo. Br. R. As. Soc. Vol. XVI. p. 354.
Mankuwâr⁴ is a small village near the right bank of the Jamnâ, about nine miles in
a south-westerly direction from Arail or Arayal, the chief town of the Arail Parganâ in
the Karchhanâ Tahsîl or Sub-Division of the Allahâbâd District in the North-West Pro-
vinces. The inscription is on the front of the pedestal of a seated image of Buddha, which,
when it came to the notice of General Cunningham, was in a garden at Mankuwâr,
belonging to the Gôsâî of Dêôriyâ⁵ or Dêwariyâ ; and it appears to be still there. But it
was said to have been originally discovered in a brick mound between the five rocky
hillocks called Pañch-Pahâḍ, a short distance to the north-east of Mankuwâr. The
image represents Buddha, seated ; wearing a plain cap, fitting close to the head, with
¹ pratôlî ; see page 43 above, note 1.
² This is a play on the meaning of the first part of his name, dhruva, 'immovable, stable,
enduring.'—For the use of the second part, to represent the whole name, see page 8 above, note 3.
³ lit. "this loftiness of a pillar."
⁴ The 'Manküâr and Munhowar' of maps, &c. Indian Atlas, Sheet No. 88 Lat. 25° 19′ N. ;
Long. 81° 52′ E
⁵ The 'Deoriya and Deorya' of maps, &c. ; about a mile to the north-west of Mankuwâr.—
Bhagwanlal Indraji writes the name 'Devaliâ.'

46 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
long lappets on each side; and naked to the waist, and clad below in a waist-cloth,
reaching to the ankles. The first line of the inscription is at the top of the pedestal, im-
mediately below the image. Then comes a compartment of sculptures, containing in the
centre, a Buddhist wheel; on each side of the wheel, a man seated in meditation, and
facing full-front; and, at each corner, a lion. Then follows the second line of the inscrip-
tion, at the bottom of the pedestal.
The writing, each line of which covers a space of about 1' 7" broad, by ¾" high in
the first line, and 1" in the second, is in a state of excellent preservation.—The size of
the letters varies from ¼" to 7/16". The characters belong to the northern class of alphabets,
and approximate very closely to those of the Allahâbâd posthumous pillar inscription of
Samudragupta, No. 1, p. 1 ff. above, Plate I They include, in line 2, forms of the
numerical symbols for 8, 9, 10, 20, and 100.—The language is Saṁskṛit; and the
inscription is in prose.—The orthography presents nothing calling for remark.
The inscription refers itself to the reign of the Early Gupta king Kumâragupta.
For some reason or other, it gives him the subordinate feudatory title of Mahârâja,
instead of the paramount title of Mahârâjâdhirâja. But we know of no feudatory
chieftain of the name of Kumâragupta; and the date fits exactly into the period of
Kumâragupta, of the Early Gupta dynasty; and there can be no doubt that he is
the person referred to. The use of the subordinate title may perhaps be due to
carelessness or ignorance on the part of the drafter of the inscription. Or possibly it may
indicate an actual historical fact, the reduction of Kumâragupta, towards the end of his
life, to feudal rank by the Pushyamitras and the Hûṇas, whose attacks on the Gupta
power are so pointedly alluded to in the Bhitarî inscription of Skandagupta, No. 13
below.¹ The date of the inscription, in numerical symbols, is the year one hundred and
twenty-nine (A.D. 448-49), and the eighteenth day, without any specification of the
fortnight, of the month Jyêshṭha (May-June). It is a Buddhist inscription; and the
object of it is to record the installation of the image on the pedestal of which it is engraved.
TEXT.²
1 Ôm³ Namô Budhâna⁴ [|*] Bhagavatô⁵ samyak-sambuddhasya sva-mat-
âviruddhasya iyaṁ pratimâ pratishṭhâpitâ bhikshu-Buddhamitrêṇa
¹ We may compare the rather doubtful legend on one of Skandagupta's coins,—Mahârâja-
Kumâraputra-paramamâhâditya-mahârâja-Skanda; see Ind. Ant. Vol. XIV. p. 67.
² From the ink-impression.
³ As was usual throughout the whole of the period covered by this volume, this word is
represented by a symbol, not by actual letters.—Ôm is not of very frequent occurrence at the
commencement of Buddhist inscriptions. But another instance is afforded by line 1 of the
Shêrgaḍh (Kôtâ) inscription of the Sâmanta Dêvadatta (Ind. Ant. Vol. XIV. p. 45.)
⁴ Read buddhânâṁ; unless budhâna, as also the following bhagavatô, is to be regarded as a
Prâkṛit form used through carelessness.—This use of the genitive after namaḥ is not usual.
But we have other instances; e.g. in the Khandagiri rock inscription, which commences Namô
arahantânaṁ namô sava-sidhânaṁ (Corp. Inscr. Ind. Vol. I. p. 98, and Pl. xvii.);—in the two
early inscriptions quoted by Bühler in Ind. Ant. Vol. X. p. 273, the first of which, from Amarâvatî
(Fergusson's Tree and Serpent Worship, Pl. xciv. No. 3), commences Sidhaṁ Namô bhagavatô;
and the second, from Mathurâ (Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. III. p. 35, and Pl. xv. No. 20) Siddham
Namô arahatô Mahâvîrasya;—and in the Amarâvatî Stûpa inscription, which commences Sidhaṁ
Namô bhagavatô savasatutamasa Budhasa (Archæol. Surv. South. Ind. Vol. 3, p. 12, No. 12B., and
Plate iii.; see also other instances on pp. 8, 18, 45, 47, 52, 53, 54, of the same volume).
⁵ Read bhagavataḥ.

Vol. III.
CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM.
Plate vi
A.—Mankuwar Image Inscription of Kumaragupta.—The Year 129.
Inscription A: Mankuwār Stone Image Inscription of Kumāragupta I (Gupta Year 129 / c. 448 CE)
Sanskrit Text in Devanāgarī:
[Line 1] ॐ नमो बुद्धाय ॥ भगवतः सम्यक्सम्बुद्धस्य स्वमताविरुद्धस्य इयं प्रतिमा प्रतिष्ठापिता
[Line 2] भिक्षु-बुद्धमित्रेण ॥ संवत् १०० २० ९ महाराज-श्री-कुमारगुप्तस्य राज्ये ॥
Roman Transliteration:
[Line 1] Ōm̐ namō Buddhāya || Bhagavataḥ samyaksambuddhasya sva-mat-āviruddhasya iyaṁ pratimā pratiṣṭhāpitā
[Line 2] bhikṣu-Buddhamitrēṇa || Saṁvat 100 20 9 Mahārāja-śrī-Kumāraguptasya rājyē ||
English Translation:
[Line 1] Ōm̐! Reverence to the Buddha! This image of the Blessed One, the perfectly enlightened, who was never refuted in his doctrines, has been set up
[Line 2] by the Buddhist monk Buddhamitra, in the year 100 (and) 20 (and) 9, in the reign of the Mahārāja, the illustrious Kumāragupta.

B.—Bihar Pillar Inscription of Skandagupta
Sanskrit Text in Devanāgarī (Northern / Gupta Script):
[Line 1] .... [वि]पुल-कीर्त्तिः ....
[Line 2] .... [सर्व्व-राजोच्छेत्तुः पृथि]व्यामप्रतिरथस्य चतुरूदधि-व्य[वसित-धर्म्मस्य] ....
[Line 3] .... [अश्वमेध-हर्त्तुः श्री-समुद्रगु]प्तस्य पुत्रस्तत्परिगृहीतो महा[देव्यां दत्तदेव्यामुत्पन्नः] ....
[Line 4] .... [परमभागवतो महाराजाधिराज-श्री-च]न्द्रगुप्तस्तस्य पुत्रस्तत्पादानुद्ध्या[तो महादेवाम्] ....
[Line 5] .... [ध्रुवदेव्यामुत्पन्नः परमभागवतो महा]राजाधिराज-श्री-कुमारगुप्तस्त[स्य पुत्रस्तत्पादानुद्ध्यातः] ....
[Line 6] .... [महादेव्याम् उत्प]न्नः परमभागवतो महाराजा[धिराज-श्री-स्कन्दगुप्तः] ....
[Line 7] .... [विस्फूर्ज्जित]-विमल-विक्रमेण ....
[Line 8] .... [स्व]-भुज-बल-निर्ज्जित-सर्व्व-शत्रुः ....
[Line 9] .... [क्षिति-तल-महि]म-प्रसारि-कीर्त्तिः ....
[Line 10] .... [यूपः समु]च्छ्रितोऽयं ....
[Line 11] .... [अतु]ल-बल-पौरुषाणाम् ....
[Line 12] .... [धर्म]-प्रवृद्धये ....
[Line 13] .... [ग्रामः] ....
[Line 14] .... [शासनेनातिसृष्टः] ....
[Line 15] .... [आ-चन्द्रार्क्क-काल-प्रतिष्ठा] ....
[Line 16] .... [प्रदत्तः] ....
[Line 17] .... [भगीरथी]-सलिल-विमल-धौते ....
[Line 18] .... [दूतकोऽत्र] ....
[Line 19] .... [उत्कीर्ण्णं] ....
[Line 20] .... [संवत्] ....
Historical Summary & Genealogy of Bihar Stone Pillar:
[1] Samudragupta: Extirpator of all kings, uncountered hero on earth, performer of the Aśvamedha sacrifice.
[2] Chandragupta II: Son of Samudragupta and Queen Dattadevī; Paramabhāgavata, Mahārājādhirāja.
[3] Kumāragupta I: Son of Chandragupta II and Queen Dhruvadevī; Paramabhāgavata, Mahārājādhirāja.
[4] Skandagupta: Son of Kumāragupta I; Mahārājādhirāja, who secured the imperial realm by the might of his own arms and erected this sacrificial pillar (yūpa) / memorial pillar.

Scale & Publication Details:
J. F. FLEET BO. C.S.
SCALE .50 (for Mankuwār) | SCALE .25 (for Bihar)
W. GRIGGS, PHOTO-LITH.

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THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 12, PLATE VI B. 47
2 Samvat¹ 100 20 9 mahârâja-śrî-Kumâraguptasya râjyê Jyêshṭha-mâsa
di 10 8 sarvva-duḥkkha²-prahân(n)-ârttham [||*]
TRANSLATION.
Ôm !³ Reverence to the Buddhas !⁴ This image of the Divine One, who thoroughly
attained perfect knowledge, (and) who was never refuted in respect of his tenets, has been
installed by the Bhikshu Buddhamitra,—(in) the year 100 (and) 20 (and) 9; in the reign
of the Mahârâja,⁵ the glorious Kumâragupta; (in) the month Jyêshṭha; (on) the d ay 10
(and) 8,—with the object of averting all unhappiness.
No. 12; PLATE VI B.
BIHAR STONE PILLAR INSCRIPTION OF SKANDAGUPTA.
THIS inscription appears to have been discovered by Mr. Ravenshaw, and to have been
first brought to notice by him in 1839, in the Jour. Beng. As. Soc. Vol. VIII. p. 347 ff. ;
from his remarks it appears that the column was originally found in front of the
northern gate of the old fort of Bihâr, but had been subsequently removed and set up " in
a reversed position, with its base in the air, and its summit in the ground," a little to the
west of the same gate, where it was afterwards found, fallen, by General Cunningham.—In
1866, in the Jour. Beng. As. Soc. Vol. XXXV. pp. 269 ff. and 277 f., Dr. Rajendralala
Mitra published his reading of the text, with a lithograph, from a baked clay impression
made by Major C. Hollings, and sent to the Society in 1861.—And in 1871, in the Archæol.
Surv. Ind. Vol. I. p. 37 f. and Plate xvii., General Cunningham published his own litho-
graph of the inscription.
Bihâr⁶ is the chief town of the Bihâr Sub-Division of the Paṭna District in the
Bengal Presidency. The broken red-sandstone column on which the inscription is, was
eventually removed by Mr. A. M. Broadley, Magistrate of Bihâr, and was set up on a brick
pedestal opposite the Bihâr Court-House,⁷ where it still stands. Mr. Broadley perpetuated
¹ See page 30 above, note 3. ² Read duḥkha.
³ Ôm is an auspicious exclamation, used at the beginning of books, &c. It is made up of the
three letters a, u, and m; and in later times it was looked upon as a mystic name for the Hindu
triad, and as representing the union of the three gods, Vishṇu (a), Śiva (u), and Brahman (m).—
The efficacy of the exclamation is detailed in the Mânavadharmaśastra, ii. 74-85 (Burnell's Transla-
tion, p. 25 ff.)
⁴ With this plural, compare the mention of four Buddhas in the Sâñchi inscription of the year
131, No. 62 below, Plate xxxviiiB.; and also Bhagavatâm samyaksambuddhânâm Buddhânâm,
"of the divine Buddhas, who thoroughly attained perfect knowledge," in line 22 of the Walâ grant
of Dhruvasêna I. (Ind. Ant. Vol. IV. p. 105).
⁵ See page 46 above, para. 4.
⁶ The 'Behar and Bihar' of maps, &c. Indian Atlas, Sheet No. 103. Lat. 25° 11' N.; Long
85° 33' E.—The proper form of the name, which is by no means an uncommon one for villages i
Northern and Central India, is of course Bihâr, with the vowel i in the first syllable, from the San-
skrit vihâra, 'a Buddhist (and Jain) temple or convent;' and this is the form that is used by the
people of the Paṭna District.—The Sanskrit name, Vihâra, occurs in line 9-10 of the 'Pesserawa'
inscription, now stored in the collection at Bihâr, where the place is called "Vihâra, the city of the
glorious Yaśôvarman" (Jour. Beng. As. Soc. Vol. XVII. p. 492 ff.)
⁷ Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. XI. p. 192 f.

48 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM VOL. III.
the inverted position of the column, upside down; and also disfigured it with an English
inscription, printed in full by General Cunningham, a few letters of which appear in the
lithograph now published. Also, the column, as placed by Mr. Broadley, stands now in the
middle of a house, the roof of which is supported by it; and the last eight lines of the in-
scription, shewn in Dr. Rajendralala Mitra and General Cunningham's lithographs, are now
completely hidden, and rendered quite inaccessible, by a wooden structure placed on the
top, i.e. the proper bottom, of the pillar, in order to connect it with the roof.
The writing originally extended, in the First Part, lines 1 to 13, over four of the
faces of the column, as is shewn by the metres of the extant portion; and in the Second
Part, line 14 ff., over three faces, as is shewn by the number of letters lost in each line.
The extant portion, now lithographed, covers a space of about 1′ 4″ broad by 3′ 5″ high,
and is in a state of fairly good preservation.—The size of the letters varies from ⅜″ to ⅝″.
The characters belong to the northern class of alphabets, and approximate closely to those
of the Allâhâbâd posthumous pillar inscription of Samudragupta, No. 1, p. 1 ff. above,
Plate i. They include, in lines 3 and 11, forms of the numerical symbols for 3, 5, and
30.—The language is Sanskrit; and the inscription is in verse as far as line 10, and
the rest in prose.—In respect of orthography, the only points that call for notice are
(1) the use of the dental nasal, instead of the anusvâra, before ś, in anśa, lines 11 and 13;
(2) the doubling of k and t, in conjunction with a following r, e.g. in chakkrê, line 10
(but not in vikramêṇa, line 3), and pauttrasya, line 17; and (3) the doubling of dh, in
conjunction with a following y, in anuddhyâta, line 22.
The first part of the inscription, which is not dated, mentions the Early Gupta
king Kumâragupta, and seems to have recorded the name of his wife, which is not
given in any of the other inscriptions; her name, however, is lost in the part that has
peeled off. But this part of the inscription seems to belong, like the second, to the time
of his son and successor Skandagupta, from the mention of apparently a village named
Skandaguptabaṭa, in line 11. This part of the inscription records the erection of the
column, which in line 10 is called a yûpa or ‘sacrificial post,’ apparently by some
minister whose sister had become Kumâragupta’s wife. And the inscription further
recorded certain shares in the village of Skandaguptabaṭa (?), and in another agra-
hâra, the name of which is lost. From the mention of Skanda, or Kârttikêya, and the
divine Mothers, in line 9, this part of the inscription seems to have belonged to the Śaiva
form of worship, in its Śâkta or Tântrika development.¹
The second part, which also contains no date, is a record of Skandagupta. Not
enough of it remains to shew the form of religion to which it belonged, or to indicate
clearly its purport.
¹ Compare the undoubted instance of this, in the same period, in the Gangdhâr inscription of
Viśvavarman, No. 17 below.—The mâtaraḥ or mâtṛigaṇa, ‘the divine Mothers,’ are ‘the personified
energies (śakti) of the principal deities.’ They are closely connected with the worship of the god
Śiva. Originally they were seven in number,—Brâhmî or Brahmâṇî, Vaishṇavî, Mâhêśvarî, Kaumârî
Vârâhî, Aindrî or Indrâṇî or Mahêndrî, and Châmuṇḍâ,—as representing the Pleiades, the seven
mothers or nurses of Kârttikêya, the son of Śiva. Afterwards the number was increased to eight,
nine, sixteen, and various other figures. The chief object of the Śâkta or Tântrika worship now is
Pârvatî, Durgâ, or Mâhêśvarî, the wife and female energy of Śiva; especially under the name of
Jagadambâ, ‘the mother of the universe.’—Not long after this period, Svâmi-Mahâsêna, or Kârttikêya,
and the divine Mothers, “the seven mothers of mankind,” appear as special objects of worship, and
tutelary deities, of the Early Kadambas (e. g. Ind. Ant. Vol. VI. p. 27), and of the Early Chalukyas
(e.g. Ind. Ant. Vol. VII. p. 162; Vol. VI. p. 74; and Vol. XIII. p. 137 f.)

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 12 PLATE VI B 49
TEXT.¹
First Part.
1 [— —]ḥ² nṛi³-chandra Indrânuja-tulya-vîryyê guṇair=a-tulyaḥ [˘ ˘ ˘ — ˘ — —] [॥]
2 [--] [ta]sy⁴=âpi sûnur=bhuvi svâmi-nêyaḥ khyâtaḥ sva-kîrttyâ [˘ ˘ ˘ — ˘ — —] [॥]
3 [--] [sva]s⁵=aiva yasy=âtula-vikramêṇa Kumâragup[t]ê[na] [˘ ˘ ˘ — ˘ — —] [॥]
4 [--] p[i]tri(tṛi)ṁś=cha dêvâṁś=cha hi havya-kavyaiḥ sadâ nṛiśaṁsy-âdi[˘ ˘ ˘ — ˘ — —] [॥]
5 [— ˘ —] [a]chîkarad⁷=dêvanikêta-maṇḍalaṁ kshitâv=an-aupamya- [˘ ˘ ˘ — ˘ — ˘ —]
6 ......ba(?)ṭê(?)⁸ kila stambha-var-ôchchhri(chchhra)ya-prabhâsê tu maṇḍa.......... [॥]
7 ......bhir=vṛikshâṇâṁ kusuma-bhar-ânat-âgra-śuṁ(?)ga(?)-vyâkamba-stavak......
8 [--] Bhadrâryyayâ⁹ bhâti gṛihaṁ navâbhra-nirmmôka-nirmu[kta — — ˘ ˘ —] [॥]
9 [--] Skanda-pradhânair=bhuvi mâtṛibhiś=cha lôkân=sa su(?)shya(?)[˘ ˘ ˘ — ˘ — —] [॥]
10 [— — ˘] yûp-ôchchhrayam=êva chakkrê [॥*] Bhadrâryy-âdi-
11 ...... [Ska(?)]ndaguptabaṭê aṁśâni 30 5 tâ(?)mrakaṭâku(?)ḥ kala.............
12 ...... pituḥ sva-mâtur=yyady=astu hi dushkṛitaṁ bhajatu tanê..............
13 ........k-âgrahârê aṁśâni 3 Anantasênên=ôpa...........
Second Part.
14 ...... [Sarvva-râj-ôchchhê]ttuḥ¹⁰ pri(pṛi)thivyâm=a-pratirathasya
15 [chatur-udadhi-salil-âsvâdita-yaśasô Dhanada-Varuṇ-Ê]ndr-Antaka-samasya Kṛitânta

¹ As far as line 25, from the ink-impression; the rest, partly from Gen. Cunningham's lithograph, and partly from the lithograph published with Dr. Rajendralala Mitra's reading.
² The first two entire pâdas, and parts of the third pâdas of most of the verses, have peeled off and are lost all the way down.
³ Metre, Upêndravajrâ. ⁴ Metre, Indravajrâ
⁵ The metre is faulty here: since the vi of bhuvi, which should remain short, is lengthened by the following sv.
⁶ Metre, Upêndravajrâ; and in the next verse. ⁷ Metre, Vaṁśastha.
⁸ Metre, apparently Gîti; and in the next verse.
⁹ Metre, Indravajrâ; and in the following two verses.
¹⁰ The passages that are lost in lines 14 to 22, 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 6. The sectarian epithet of Skandagupta, in line 23, is supplied from line 24, and from his silver coins (see Ind. Ant. Vol. XIV. p. 66 f.)
H₂

50 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
16 [paraśôḥ nyāy-âgat-ânêka-gô-hiraṇya-kôṭi-pradasya chir-ô]tsann-
aśvamêdh-âharttuḥ
17 [mahârāja-śrī-Gupta-prapauttrasya mahârâja-śrī-Ghaṭô]tkacha-
pauttrasya mahârājâ-
18 [dhirāja-śrī-Chandragupta-puttrasya Lichchhavi-dauhittrasya
ma]hâ-dêvyâṁ Kumāradêvyâm=utpannasya
19 [mahârâjâdhirâja-śrī-Samudraguptasya puttra]s=tat-parigṛihîtô
mahâdêvyâṁ
20 [Dattadêvyâm=utpannaḥ svayam=a-pratirathaḥ para]mabhâgavatô
mahârājâ-
21 [dhirâja-śrī-Chandraguptas=tasya puttras=tat-pâd-ânuddhyâ]tô
mahâdêvyâṁ Dhruvadêvyâm=
22 [utpannaḥ paramabhâgavatô mahârājâdhirâja-śrī-Kumāraguptas=
tasya] puttras=tat-pâd-ânuddhyâtaḥ
23 [paramabhāgavatô mahârâjâdhirâja-śrī-Ska]ndaguptaḥ [II*]
24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
parama-bhāgavatô
25 [mahârâjâdhirâja-śrī-Skandaguptaḥ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[vai]shayik-Âjapuraka-sâ(î)mai(?) -
26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . grā . . . . ka . .
[ak]shaya-nîvî grâma-kshêttraṁ
27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kṛi . . . .
uparika-kumārâmâtya-
28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ṅgikula(?)ḥ(?)
vaṇi[ja*]ka-pâdit-ârika-
29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [â]grahârika-
śaulkika-gaulmik-âsanyâṁ śra(?)-
30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vâs[i]k-âdîn=asmat-prâsâd-
ôpajîvinaḥ
31 [samâjñāpayâmi] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . varmmaṇâ vijñâpitô-smı mama
pitāmahêna
32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . namê bhaṭṭa-Guhilasvāminâ
Bhadrâ[r]yyakâ
33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . m . g . p[r]ati . . . . . â . âgrôkaya . . . .
nâkaya-
(The rest of the inscription had been broken away and lost,
before the time when it was discovered.)
TRANSLATION.
First Part.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . a very moon of a man; equal in prowess to (the god Vishṇu) the
younger brother of Indra; unequalled in respect of virtuous qualities; . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(Line 2.)— . . . . . . . . . . . . . moreover, his son, docile towards (his) master on the earth;
renowned; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by his own fame.
(L. 3.)— . . . . . . . . . . . . . whose sister, indeed, [was espoused] by Kumâragupta, of
unequalled prowess.

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 12, PLATE VI B. 51
(L. 4.)— . . . . . . . . . . . . both the deceased ancestors and the gods, with the oblations
proper for each of them;¹ . . . . . . . always . . . . . . . . . . . things that are injurious to
man, &c.
(L. 5.)— . . . . . . . . . . . caused to be made a group of temples, not [rivalled by] any-
thing else that could be compared with it in the world.
(L. 6.)— . . . . . . . . . . . assuredly in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . which is beautiful with the
erection of (this) best of columns.
(L. 7.)— . . . . . . . . . . . of the trees . . . . . . . . . . . the groups of fig-trees and castor-
oil plants, the tops of which are bent down by the weight of (their) flowers.
(L. 8.)— . . . . . . . . . . . by (the presence of) Bhadrâryâ, the house shines . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . the sky laden with fresh clouds.
(L. 9.)— . . . . . . . . . . . headed by (the god) Skanda, and by the divine Mothers, on
the earth, . . . . . . . . . . . mankind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(L. 10.)— . . . . . . . . . . . [he] made, indeed, the erection of (this) sacrificial post
. . . . . . . . . . . Bhadrâryâ and others . . . . . . . . . . . . . in (the village (?) called)
Skandaguptabaṭa (?), 30 (and) 5 shares . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(L. 12.)— . . . . . . . . . . . if there be any misdeed on the part of (his) father (or) his
mother, let him share . . . . . . . .
(L. 13.)— . . . . . . . . . . . in the agrahâra of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 shares . . . . .
. . . . . . . . by Anantasêna . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Second Part.
(L. 14.)— . . . . . . . . . . . . The son of the Mahârâjâdhirâja, the glorious
Samudragupta,—who was the exterminator [of all kings]; who had no antagonist (of
equal power) in the world; [whose fame was tasted by the waters of the four oceans];
who was equal to (the gods) [Dhanada and Varuṇa] and Indra and Antaka; [who was the
very axe] of (the god) Kṛitânta; [who was the giver of many millions of lawfully acquired
cows and gold]; who was the restorer of the aśvamêdha-sacrifice, that had been [long]
in abeyance; [who was the son of the son's son of the Mahârâja, the illustrious Gupta];
who was the son's son of [the Mahârâja, the illustrious] Ghaṭôtkacha; (and) who was
[the son] of the Mahârâjâdhirâja, [the glorious Chandragupta (I.), (and) the
daughter's son of Lichchhavi], begotten on the Mahâdêvî Kumâradêvî,—
(L. 19.)—(was) the most devout worshipper of the Divine One, the Mahârâjâdhirâja,
[the glorious Chandragupta (II.)],—who was accepted by him;² [who was begotten on]
the Mahâdêvî [Dattadêvî]; (and) [who was himself without an antagonist (of equal
power.)]
(L. 21.)—[His son], who meditated on [his feet], (and) [who was begotten] on the
Mahâdêvî Dhruvadêvî, (was) [the most devout worshipper of the Divine One], [the
Mahârâjâdhirâja, the glorious Kumâragupta].
(L. 22.)--[His] son, who meditated on his feet, (is) [the most devout worshipper of
the Divine One, the Mahârâjâdhirâja, the glorious] Skandagupta.
¹ lit. “with the havya (the oblation to the gods) and the kavya (the oblation to deceased ances-
tors).”
² i.e. by Samudragupta; see page 12 above, note 1.
U O

52 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
(L. 24.)—[I], the most devout worshipper of the Divine One, [the Mahârâjâdhirâja,
the glorious Skandagupta, issue a command] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . of the town
of Ajapura in the . . . . . vishaya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a perpetual endowment
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a village-field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the Uparika,¹ the
Kumârâmâtya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . acquired by the merchant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
in the seat (of office) (?) of the Âgrahârika,² the Śaulkika,³ and the Gaulmika⁴ . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and others who subsist on Our favour :—
(L. 31.)—" I have been requested by . . . . . varman,—‘ By my father’s father,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by the Bhaṭṭa Guhilasvâmin, . . . . . . . . . . . . . belonging to
Bhadrâryâ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .”

No. 13; PLATE VII.

BHITARI STONE PILLAR INSCRIPTION OF SKANDAGUPTA.

THE column containing this inscription appears to have been discovered in 1834 by
Mr. Tregear; but the inscription itself was not observed till a short time afterwards, when
General Cunningham found it, on clearing away the earth from the lower part of the shaft.
The discovery was announced in 1836, by Mr. James Prinsep, in the Jour. Beng. As. Soc.
Vol. V. p. 661. And the inscription was first brought to notice in 1837, in the same Jour-
nal, Vol. VI. p. 1 ff., where the Rev. W. H. Mill published his reading of the text, and a
translation of it, accompanied by a lithograph (marked id. Vol. V. Plate xxxii.), reduced
by Mr. Prinsep from a copy made by General Cunningham.⁵—In 1871, in the Archæol.
Surv. Ind. Vol. I. p. 98 and Plate xxx., General Cunningham published another lithograph of
the inscription.—In 1875, in the Jour. Bo. Br. R. As. Soc. Vol. X. p. 59 ff., Dr. Bhau Daji
published a revised reading of the text, and a translation of it, accompanied by a lithograph,
from a hand-copy made by Dr. Bhagwanlal Indraji.⁶—And finally, in 1885, in the Jour. Bo.
Br. R. As. Soc. Vol. XVI. p. 349 ff., Dr. Bhagwanlal Indraji has given his own reading of
the text, and a translation of it, with another lithograph reduced from his hand-copy.
Bhitari⁷ is a village about five miles to the north-east of Sayyidpur,⁸ the chief
town of the Sayyidpur Tahsil or Sub-Division of the Ghâzîpur⁹ District in the North-West
Provinces. The red-sandstone column on which the inscription is, stands just outside the
¹ Uparika is a technical official title, the exact purport of which is not known, and a suitable
rendering of which cannot be offered at present.
² Âgrahârika is a technical official title, denoting probably ‘an officer in special charge of
an agrahâra.’
³ Śaulkika is a technical official title, which might be rendered by some such term as ‘superintend-
ent of tolls or customs (śulka).’
⁴ Gaulmika is a technical official title, which might be rendered by ‘superintendent of woods
and forests (gulma).’
⁵ The translation is reprinted in Thomas’ edition of Prinsep’s Essays, Vol. I. p. 242 f.
⁶ This paper was not published till 1875; but it was read before the Society four years earlier,
on the 13th April 1871.
⁷ The ‘Bhitari, Bhitree, Bhitrî, and Bihtarî,’ of maps, &c. Indian Atlas, Sheet No. 103. Lat.
25° 35' N.; Long. 83° 17' E.
⁸ The ‘Saidpur and Sydpoor’ of maps, &c.
⁹ The ‘Ghazeepoor’ of maps.

village, on the south side. The inscription is on the eastern face of the square base of the
column ; and the bottom line is only a few inches above the level of the ground.
The writing, which covers a space of about 2' 4½" high by 2' 2¼" broad, has suffered
very much from the effects of the weather ; also the stone has peeled off in a few places ; and
there is a crack running vertically down the inscription, near the left side. With care, how-
ever, nearly the whole of the inscription is legible, on the original stone, with certainty ; and
nothing of a historical nature seems to be lost.—The size of the letters varies from ¼" to 7/16".
The characters belong to the northern class of alphabets, and, though more squarely cut,
are of the same type with those of the Mathurâ inscription of Chandragupta II., No. 4,
p. 25 ff. above, Plate iiiA.—The language is Sanskrit ; and the inscription is in prose as far
as the middle of line 6, and the rest in verse.—In respect of orthography, we have to notice
(1) the use of the guttural nasal, instead of the anusvâra, before ś, in vaṅśa, lines 7, 13,
and 14; (2) the doubling of k, in conjunction with a following r, in vikkramêṇa and
kkramêṇa, line 9; (3) the doubling of t, under the same circumstances, in pauttrasya,
line 3 (but not in prapautrasya, line 2 ; putras, line 4 ; and other places) ; and (4) the
doubling of dh, in conjunction with a following y, in anuddhyâta, line 5
The inscription is one of the Early Gupta king Skandagupta. It is not dated.
It belongs to the Vaishṇava form of religion ; and the object of it is to record the instal-
lation of an image of the god Vishṇu, under the name of Śârṅgin or "the wielder of the
bow of horn named Sârṅga," and the allotment, to the idol, of the village, not mentioned
by name, in which the column stands.
TEXT.¹
1 [Siddham²] [||] [Sar]vva-râj[ô]chchh[ê]ttuḥ pṛithivyâm=a-pratirathasya chatur-
udadhi-salil-[â]svâdita-yaśasô Dhanada-Varuṇ-Endr-[Â]ntaka-sa[masya]
2 Kṛitânta-paraśôḥ nyây-âgat-[â]nêka-gô-hiraṇya-k[ô]ṭi-pradasya chir-ô[t]sann-
âśvamêdh-âharttur=mahârâja-śrî-Gupta-prapautra[sya]
3 mahârâja-śrî-Ghaṭôtkacha-pauttrasya mahârâjâdhirâja-śrî-Chandragupta-
putrasya Lichchhavi-dauhitrasya mahâdêvyâṁ Kum[â]rad[ê]vyâ-
4 m=utpannasya mahârâjâdhirâja-śrî-Samudraguptasya putras=tat-parigṛihîtô
mahâdêvyân=Dattadêvyâm=utpannaḥ svayam=a-pratirathaḥ
5 paramabhâgavato mahârâjâdhirâja-śrî-Chandraguptas=tasya putras=tat-pâd-
ânuddhyâtô mahâdêvyâṁ Dhruvadêvyâm=utpannaḥ parama-
6 bhâgavatô mahârâjâdhir[â]ja-śrî-Kumâraguptas=Tasya [। ] Prathita³-pṛithu-
mati-svabhâva-śaktêḥ pṛithu-yaśasaḥ pṛithivîpatêḥ pṛithu-śrîḥ
7 pi[tri]-pa[r]igata-pâdapadma-varttî prathita-yaśâḥ pṛithivîpatiḥ sutô=yam [॥]
Jagati⁴ bhu[ja]-bal-âḍyô(dhyô) Gupta-vaṅś-aika-vîraḥ prathita-vipula-
8 dhâmâ nâmataḥ Skandaguptaḥ sucharita-charitânâṁ yêna vṛittêna vṛittaṁ
na vihatam=amal-âtmâ tâna-dhîdâ(?)-vinîtaḥ [॥] Vinaya-
9 bala-sunîtair=vvikkramêṇa kkramêṇa pratidinam=abhiyôgâd=îpsitam yêna
la[b]dhvâ svabhimata-vijigîshâ-prôdyatânâṁ parêshâṁ praṇi-
10 hita iva lê[bhê sa]mvidhân-ôpadêśaḥ [॥*] Vichalita-kula-lakshmî-stambhanây=
ôdyatêna kshititala-śayanîyê yêna nîtâ triyâmâ samu-
¹ From the original column.
² There are some faint marks above the sarvva, which seem to be remnants of this word ; but it
is not quite certain.
³ Metre, Pushpitâgrâ. ⁴ Metre, Mâlinî; and in the next four verses.

54 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
11 dita-ba[la]-kôshân=Pushyamitrâṁś=cha [j]itvâ kshitipa-charaṇa-pîṭhê sthâpitô
vâma-pâdaḥ [||] Prasabham-anupam[ai]r=vvidhvasta-śastra-pratâpai[r]=
vina[◡ ◡]mu-
12 [◡ - -]kshânti-śaury[ai]r=nnirûḍhaṁ charitam=amala-kîrttêr=ggîyatê yasya
śubhraṁ diśi-diśi paritushṭair=â-kumâraṁ manushyaiḥ [||] Pitari
divaṁ=upê[tê]
13 viplutâṁ vaṁśa-lakshmîṁ bhuja-bala-vijit-ârir=yyaḥ pratishṭhâpya bhûyaḥ
jitam=iti paritôshân=mâtaraṁ sâsra-nêttrâṁ hata-ripur=iva Krishṇô
Dêvakîm=abhyupê-
14 [ta]ḥ [||] Sv[ai]r¹=ddaṇḍ[aih] [◡ ◡] ra(?)tyu[-]t-prachalitaṁ vaṁśaṁ prati-
shṭhâpya yô bâhubhyâm=avaniṁ vijitya hi jitêshv=ârttêshu kṛitvâ dayâm
n=ôtsiktô [na] cha vismitaḥ pratidinaṁ
15 saṁvarddhamâna-dyutiḥ gîtaiś=cha stutibhiś=cha vandaka-ja(?)nô(?) yaṁ
prâ(?)payaty=âryyatâm [||] Hûnair=yyasya samâgatasya samaré
dôrbhyâṁ dharâ kampitâ bhîm-âvartta-karasya
16 śatrushu śarâ[— — ◡ — — ◡ — — — ◡ ◡ — ◡ —] vira(?)chi(?)taṁ
prakhyâpitô [-]î[◡]î[-] na dyô(?)ti[◡]nabhî(?)shu lakshyata iva
śrôtrêshu Gâṅga-dhvaniḥ [||]
17 S[v]a²-pituḥ kîrtti[— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
— — — — ◡ ◡ — —] [||] [Karttavyâ] pratimâ kâchit=pratimâṁ
tasya Śârṅgiṇaḥ
18 s[u]-pratitaś=chakâr=êmâṁ y[âvad=â-chandra-târakam] [||] Iha ch=ainam
pratishṭhâpya su-pratishṭhita-śâsanaḥ grâmam=ênaṁ sa vidadh[ê] pituḥ
pu[ṇ]y-âbhivṛiddhayê [||]
19 Atô bhagavatô mûrttir=iyaṁ yaś=ch=âtra saṁsthi(?)ta(?)ḥ ubhayam
nirddidêś=âsau pituḥ puṇyâya puṇya-dhîr=it. [||*]
TRANSLATION.
[Perfection has been attained] ! The son of the Mahârâjâdhirâja, the glorious
Samudragupta,—who was the exterminator of all kings; who had no antagonist (of
equal power) in the world; whose fame was tasted by the waters of the four oceans; who
was equal to (the gods) Dhanada and Varuṇa and Indra and Antaka : who was the very
axe of (the god) Kṛitânta; who was the giver of many millions of lawfully acquired cows
and gold; who was the restorer of the aśvamêdha-sacrifice, that had been long in
abeyance; who was the son of the son’s son of the Mahârâja, the illustrious Gupta; who
was the son’s son of the Mahârâja, the illustrious Ghaṭôtkacha; (and) who was the son
of the Mahârâjâdhirâja, the glorious Chandragupta (I.), (and) the daughter’s son of
Lichchhavi,³ begotten on the Mahâdêvî Kumâradêvî,—
(Line 4.)—(was) the most devout worshipper of the Divine One, the Mahârâjâdhirâja,
the glorious Chandragupta (II.), who was accepted by him;⁴ who was begotten on the
Mahâdêvî Dattadêvî; (and) who was himself without an antagonist (of equal power).
¹ Metre, Śârdûlavikrîḍita; and in the next verse.
² Metre, Ślôka (Anushṭubh); and in the following three verses.
³ The usual form of this name is Lichchhavi, with the vowel a in the second syllable. As
regards the present variant, see page 16 above, note 1.
⁴ i.e. by Samudragupta; see page 12 above, note 1.

Vol. III Plate vii
CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM.
Bhitari Pillar Inscription of Skandagupta

Text of the Inscription (in Sanskrit / Gupta Brahmi Script):
[1] [सर्व्वराजोच्छेत्तुः पृ]थिव्यामप्रतिरथस्य चतुरुदधिपयिलादस्वादितयशसो धनदवरुणेन्द्रान्तकसमस्य
[2] कृतान्तपरशोर्न्यायागतानेकगोहिरण्यकोटिप्रदस्य चिरोत्सन्नाश्वमेधाहर्त्तुर्महाराजश्रीगुप्तप्रपौत्रस्य
[3] महाराजश्रीघटोत्कचपौत्रस्य महाराजाधिराजश्रीचन्द्रगुप्तपुत्रस्य लिच्छविदौहित्रस्य महादेव्याङ्कुमारदेव्या-
[4] मुत्पन्नस्य महाराजाधिराजश्रीसमुद्रगुप्तस्य पुत्रस्तत्परिगृहीतो महादेव्यान्दत्तदेव्यामुत्पन्नः
[5] स्वयम्प्रतिरथः परमभागवतो महाराजाधिराजश्रीचन्द्रगुप्तस्तस्य पुत्रस्तत्पादानुद्ध्यातो महादेव्यान्ध्रुवदेव्या-
[6] मुत्पन्नो महाराजाधिराजश्रीकुमारगुप्तस्तस्य [।] प्रथितपृथुमतिस्वभावशक्तेः पृथिवीपतेः पृथुश्रीः [।]
[7] पितृपरिगतपादपद्मवर्ती प्रथितयशाः पृथिवीपतिः सुतोऽयम् [॥] विचलितकुललक्ष्मीस्तम्भनायोद्यतेन
[8] क्षितितलशयनीये येन नीता त्रियामा [।] समुदितबलकोशान्पुष्यमित्रांश्च जित्वा क्षितिपचरणपीठे
[9] स्थापितो वामपादः [॥] चरितममलकीर्त्तेर्गीयते यस्य शुभ्रं दिशि दिशि परितुष्टैराकुमारम्मनुष्यैः [।]
[10] पितरि दिवमुपेते विप्लुतां वंशलक्ष्मीं भुजबलविजितारिर्यः प्रतिष्ठाप्य भूयः [।] जितमिति परितोषान्मातरं
[11] साश्रुनेत्रां हतरिपुरिव कृष्णो देवकीमभ्युपेतः [॥] स्वैर्दण्डैः क्षितिपकुलैश्चरितं नयद्भिर्गीतं च
[12] यस्य चरितं प्रथितेन ... [।] हूणैर्यस्य समागतस्य समरे दोर्भ्यां धरा कम्पिता भीमावर्त्तकरस्य
[13] ... [तस्य] च ... [।] ...
[14] ...
[15] ... [अनेन] ...
[16] ... [पितुः कीर्त्तिकर्त्तनाय] ...
[17] ... शार्ङ्गिणो ... [प्रतिमा प्रतिष्ठिता] ...
[18] ... [ग्रामोऽतिसृष्टः] ...
[19] ... [अक्षयनीवी] ...

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