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

252 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
1 Siddham [||*] Yaudh[ê]ya-gaṇa-puraskṛitasya mahârâja-mahâsênâpatêḥ
pu .................
2 brâhmaṇa-purôgaṁ ch=âdhishṭhânaṁ śarîr-âdi-kuśalaṁ prishṭvâ likhaty=
Asti Rasmâ ........
3 ² ........................................................................
TRANSLATION.
Perfection has been attained! Of the Mahârâja and Mahâsênâpati, who has been
made the leader of the Yaudhêya tribe, ....................................
................................................................ and having asked
the settlement, headed by the Brâhmans, as to the health of (their) bodies &c., writes—
“There is ... ................................................................
No. 59, PLATE XXXVI C.
BIJAYAGADH STONE PILLAR INSCRIPTION OF
VISHNUVARDHANA.
THE YEAR 428.
THIS inscription was discovered in 1871-72 by Mr. A. C. L. Carlleyle, and was first
brought to notice by him in 1878, in the Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. VI. p. 59 ff., where he
published Dr. G. Bühler’s reading of the text and translation,³ from an ink-impression
supplied by himself, with a lithograph (id. Plate viii). It is on a monolith red-sandstone
pillar that stands in a conspicuous position, near the south wall of the Fort, inside the hill-
fort of Bijayagaḍh or Bêjêgaḍh near Byânâ,⁴ the chief town of the Byânâ Sub-Division
of the Bharatpur State in Râjputânâ. The pillar stands on a rubble masonry platform,
which is about 13' 6" high and 9' 2" square at the top. The height of the pillar above
the plinth is 26' 3". The base is square, to the height of 3' 8"; each face measuring 1' 6".
Above this, the pillar is octagonal, for a length of 22' 7"; and it then tapers off to a
point. The extreme top, however, is broken; and a metal spike, which projects from it,
indicates that it was originally surmounted by a capital. The inscription is towards the
south side of the pillar; it runs vertically down the pillar, and is read from the top down-
wards;⁵ and the lowest letter of line 3, the longest line, is about 7' 0" above the level of the
plinth. The platform, on which the pillar stands, is plainly of much more recent construc-
¹ From the ink-impression.
² Several superscript vowels are legible along this line; but the consonants are all broken away
and lost.
³ Both more or less mutilated in publication.
⁴ See page 251 above, and note 3.
⁵ On this point, Mr. Carlleyle’s account is exactly the opposite; but he is wrong; as is, in fact,
shewn by his further statement that line 2 is on the left of line 1, and so on; this could not be the
case, if the inscription ran from the bottom upwards.

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 59, PLATE XXXVI C. 253
tion than the pillar itself; and this suggests that possibly the present position of the pillar
is not its original one. On the south side of the pillar, towards the top of the square base,
there is engraved, in two lines of rather rough Dêvanâgarî characters of about the tenth
to the twelfth century A.D., Śrī-yōgī Vra(bra)hmasâgara, "the holy ascetic, Brahmasâ-
gara;" with perhaps an imperfect date below, of (Vikrama-Saṁvat) 1008 (A.D. 951-52).
And this may possibly indicate the period when the pillar was placed in its present position.
The writing, which covers a space of about 9' 4" broad by 2' 6½" high, is in a state
of almost perfect preservation throughout.—The size of the letters varies from 1⅛" to 2".
The characters must be regarded as belonging to the northern class of alphabets.
They include the so-called Indo-Scythic form of m, quite in accordance with the date of
the record. They also include, in line 1, forms of the numerical symbols for 8, 20, and
400.—The language is Sanskrit; and the entire inscription is in prose.—In respect of
orthography, we have to notice (1) the use of the jihvâmûlîya in yaśaḫ-kula, line 4;
(2) the use of the guttural nasal, instead of the anusvâra, in viṅśêshu, line 1, and vaṅśa,
line 4; (3) the doubling throughout of t, in conjunction with a following r, e.g. in puttrêṇa,
line 2; (4) the doubling of p, once, under the same circumstances, in suppratishṭhita,
line 2; (5) the very exceptional doubling of ś, in conjunction with a following r and y, in
śśrêyô, line 4, and pañchadaśśyâm, line 2; (6) the doubling of bh in conjunction with a
following y, in abbhyudaya, line 4; and (7) the doubling of t, in conjunction with a follow-
ing v, in puttrattva, line 4.
The inscription is one of a Râja named Vishṇuvardhana, of the Varika tribe.
It is dated, both in words and in numerical symbols, when the year four hundred and
twenty-eight had expired; on the fifteenth lunar day of the dark fortnight of the month
Phâlguṇa (February-March). The era is not stated; but the type of the characters indi-
cates with the locality of the inscription, that we must refer the date to the Mâlava or
Vikrama era, with the result of A.D. 371-72 expired, and A.D. 372-73 current. And this
shews that the Varika Vishṇuvardhana was in all probability a feudatory of the Early
**Gupta king Samudragupta.**¹ The inscription is non-sectarian; the object of it only
being to record the erection, by Vishṇuvardhana, of this pillar, which is called a yûpa
or 'sacrificial post,' on the completion of a puṇḍarîka-sacrifice.
TEXT.²
1 Siddham [1*] Kṛitêshu chaturshu varsha-śatêshv=ashṭâviṅśêshu 400 20 8
2 Phâlguṇa(na)-bahulasya pañchadaśśyâm=êtasyâm=pûrvvâyâm³ [1*]
3 Kṛitau puṇḍarîkê yûpô=yam=pratishṭhâpitas=suppratishṭhita-râjya-nâmadhêyêna
śrî-Vishṇuvarddhanêna Varikêna Yaśôvarddhana-sat-puttrêṇa
Yaśôrâta-sat-pauttrêṇa Vyâghrarâta-sat-prapauttrêṇa⁴
¹ If we refer the date to the Śaka era, the result, A.D. 506-7, might perhaps be used to
identify this Vishṇuvardhana with the king of the same name mentioned in the Mandasôr inscription
of Mâlava-Saṁvat 589 (A.D. 532-33). But there is nothing to justify us in assuming that the Śaka era
was ever used in early times in this part of the country. Also, the form of m, as a northern letter, is
too early for that period. And, as is shewn by his titles of Râjâdhirâja and Paramêśvara, as well as
by the general tenor of his inscription, the Vishṇuvardhana of the Mandasôr record was a far greater
person than this Vishṇuvardhana, the Varika.
² From the original stone. ³ Supply tithau.
⁴ The form of ya that occurs here differs from the form used in the other instances throughout
this inscription, in the distinct loop on the right hand of the bottom of the letter.

254 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
4 śrîtyajña - dharmma - śśrêyô - bbhyudaya - yaśaḥ - kula - vaṁśa - bhâga - bhôg - âbhivṛi-
ddhayê [||] Siddhir-astu pushṭir-astu śântir-astu jîvaputtrattvam-
astv=ishṭa-kâm-âvâptir=astu śrâ(śra)ddhâ-vittê syâtâm=iti¹ [||]
TRANSLATION.
Perfection has been attained! Four centuries of years, together with the twenty-eighth
(year), (or in figures) 400 (and) 20 (and) 8, having been accomplished ;² on the fifteenth
lunar day of the dark fortnight of (the month) Phâlguna ;—on this (lunar day), (specified)
as aforesaid :—
(Line 3.)—On the ceremony of the puṇḍarîka-sacrifice (having been performed), this
sacrificial post has been caused to be set up by the Varika, the illustrious Vishṇu-
vardhana, whose royalty³ and name are well established,—who is the excellent son of
Yaśôvardhana; (and) the excellent son's son of Yaśôrâta; (and) the excellent son of
the son's son of Vyâghrarâta,—for the purpose of increasing (his) splendour, sacrifices,
religion, welfare (in the other world), prosperity, fame, family, lineage, good fortune, and
enjoyment.⁴
(L. 4.)—Let there be success! Let there be increase! Let there be tranquillity!
Let there be the condition of (his) having a son who shall live! Let there be the
attainment of desires that are wished for! May there be faith and wealth!
No. 60; PLATE XXXVII.
SPURIOUS GAYA COPPER-PLATE INSCRIPTION OF
SAMUDRAGUPTA.
THE YEAR 9.
THIS inscription, which is now published for the first time, is from a copper-plate that
was obtained a few years ago by General Cunningham at Gayâ,⁵ the chief town of the
Gayâ District in the Bengal Presidency, and was, I think, first brought to notice by him
in 1883, in his Book of Indian Eras, page 53, where it is entered as being dated in the
year 40. I obtained the original plate, for examination, from General Cunningham.
The plate, which is inscribed on one side only, measures about 8" by 7 1/8". It is
quite smooth, the edges having been neither fashioned thicker, nor raised into rims.
About half-way down the proper left side, the plate has laminated rather seriously; and
there is also a small crack just below this place, and another in the top of the plate, in the
¹ As is seen in the lithograph, there is no foundation whatever for the additional letter yô which,
in Mr. Carlleyle's published lithograph, follows this ti, or, rather, the kâ into which the ti was so gratui-
tously converted by him. The result was naturally such as to puzzle Dr. Bühler as to the close of
the inscription.
² kritêshu; see page 73 above, note 1.
³ Or, more technically, 'condition of being a Râja.'
⁴ Or perhaps bhâgabhôga should be taken as one word, meaning 'enjoyment of taxes; lordship,
royalty;' see Monier Williams' Sanskrit Dictionary, s. v. bhâgabhuj, which is explained by 'enjoying
taxes; a king, a sovereign.'
⁵ The 'Gya' of maps, &c. Indian Atlas, Sheet No. 104 Lat. 24° 48' N.; Long. 85° 3' E.

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 60, PLATE XXXVII. 255
word vâsakât; but, except at these places, the inscription is in a state of perfect preserva-
tion almost throughout. The plate is fairly thick and substantial; and the letters, which
are shallow, do not shew through on the reverse side of it at all. The engraving is fairly
good; but, as usual, the interiors of the letters shew marks of the working of the engra-
ver's tool throughout.—Onto the proper right side of the plate, there is fused a seal,
oval in shape, about 2⅞" by 3⅜". It has, in relief on a countersunk surface,—at the top,
Garuḍa, represented as a bird, standing to the front, with outstretched wings; and, below
this, a legend in five lines, which, being also in relief, is so worn, that nothing of it can
be read except a few disconnected letters here and there, and Sam[u]drag[u]p[taḥ], very
faintly, at the end of line 5. It must have contained a succinct recital of the genealogy,
after the fashion of the Asîrgaḍh seal of Sarvavarman, No. 47 above, page 219, and the
Sônpat seal of Harshavardhana, No. 52 above, page 231.—The weight of the plate, with
the seal, is 2 lbs. 10 oz.—The average size of the letters is 1/16". The characters belong
to the northern class of alphabets. They include, in line 14, forms of the numerical
symbols¹ for 9 and 10.—The language is Sanskrit; and the inscription is in prose
throughout. In line 3-4, we have, instead of the usual expression utsanna, the word
uchchanna, which, as used here, is, according to Sir Monier Williams' Sanskrit Dictionary,
a Prâkṛit corruption of the Sanskrit utsanna.—In respect of orthography, we have to notice
(1) the doubling of t throughout, in conjunction with a following r, e.g. in prapauttrasya,
line 4; pittrôr, line 8; and sagôttrâya, line 9; (2) the doubling of dh, in conjunction with
a following y, in ayôddhyâ, line 1; (3) the occasional use of b for v, in bô, line 8, and
sambat, line 14; and (4) the use of v for b, in vrâhmaṇa, lines 7 and 10; vahṛichâya,
line 9; and savrahmachâriṇê, line 9-10.
The inscription purports to be one of the Early Gupta king Samudragupta, and
to record a charter issued from his camp at the city of Ayôdhyâ.² It purports to be
dated, in numerical symbols,³ in the year nine (A.D. 328-29), on the tenth solar day,
without any specification of the fortnight, of the month Vaiśâkha (April-May). It is a
non-sectarian inscription; the object of it simply being to record the grant to a Brâhmaṇ,
ostensibly by Samudragupta, of the village of Rêvatikâ in the Gayâ vishaya.
The legend on the seal of this grant is in characters which present a very different
appearance to those of the body of the inscription; as also does the copper of the seal,
as compared with the substance of the plate; and the seal is in all probability a genuine
one of Samudragupta, detached from some other plate. The inscription itself, however,
is undoubtedly spurious. This is shewn conclusively, if by nothing else, by the fact that
from uchchhêttuh, line 1, to dauhittrasya, line 5, the epithets of Samudragupta are uni-
formly in the genitive case; the drafter of the inscription was copying from a grant of
Chandragupta II. or some other descendant of Samudragupta;⁴ he only then recognised
¹The symbol which I take to be meant for 9, was interpreted by Gen. Cunningham as 40.
But it certainly is not 40. It resembles most the decimal figure 2. But the day of the month is
distinctly marked by a form of the numerical symbol for 10. This shews that the sign here also is
intended for a numerical symbol; and the only symbol to which it approximates, is that for 9.
²The modern Ajôdhyâ or Ajûdhyâ (the ‘Oudh or Ajoodhia’ of the Indian Atlas, Sheet No. 87),
Lat. 26° 48' N.; Long. 82° 14' E., on the south bank of the river ‘Ghâgra or Ghôgra,’ about four miles
north-east of Faizâbâd, the chief town of the Faizâbâd Division of Oudh in the North-West Provinces.
³See note 1 above.
⁴Compare the construction in the Mathurâ inscription of Chandragupta II., No. 4 above, page 25,
and in the Bhitarî pillar inscription of Skandagupta, No. 13 above, page 52.

256 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
that this construction would not suit a supposed inscription of Samudragupta himself,
which was required in accordance with the seal that was to be attached; and he
promptly then adopted the nominative construction, utpannaḥ .......... Samudraguptaḥ,
without taking the trouble to correct the preceding passages. It is difficult to suggest
any definite time for the fabrication of this grant; on the one side, some of the charac-
ters are antique, e.g. the forms of k, p, m, and r, and particularly h; on the other side,
others are comparatively modern, especially the sh in valatkaushabhyâm, line 7-8. But it
has the general appearance of having been made somewhere about the beginning of the
eighth century A.D. Points which may hereafter serve to fix its date more definitely are.
(1) the use of the Prâkṛit corruption uchchhanna, in line 3-4; and (2) the opening expression
mahâ-nau-hasty-asva &c., in line 1; the only other instances of similar expressions being
in line 1 of the Dêô-Baraṇârk inscription of Jîvitagupta II., No. 46 above, page 215,
and in line 1 of the Dighwâ-Dubaulî grant¹ of the Mahârâja Mahêndrapâla, of A.D.
761-62, and of the Bengal Asiatic Society's grant² of the Mahârâja Vinâyakapâla, of
A.D. 794-95.
TEXT.³
¹ Ôm Svasti Mahâ-nau-hasty-aśva-jayaskandhâvârâj(d)-Â(a)yôddhyâ-vâsakât=
sarvva-râj-ôchchhêttu[h*] pri-
² thivyâm=a-pratirathasya chatur-udadhi-salil-âsvâdita-yaśa[śô*⁴] Dhanada-Varuṇ-
Êndr-Â-
³ ntaka-samasya Kṛitânta-paraśôr=nyây-âgat-ânêka-gô-hiraṇya-kôṭi-pradasya chir-
ôchchha-
⁴ nn⁵-âśvamêdh-âharttu[h*] mahârâja-śrî-Gupta-prapauttrasya⁶ mahârâja-śrî-
Ghaṭôtkacha-pauttrasya⁷
⁵ mahârâjâdhirâja-śrî-Chandragupta-puttrasya⁸ Lichchhavi-dauhittrasya⁹ mahâ-
dêvyâ[m*] Ku-
⁶ mâ¹⁰radêvyâm-utpanna[h*] paramabhâgavatô mahârâjâdhirâja-śrî-Samudra-
⁷ guptaḥ Gayâ-vaishayika-Rêvatikâ-grâmê vrâ(brâ)hmaṇa-purôga-grâma-vala-
⁸ tkaushabhyâm=âha । Êva ch=ârtha[m*] viditam=bô(vô) bhavatv=êśa(sha)
grâmô mayâ mâtâpittrôr=â-
⁹ tmanaś=cha puṇy-âbhivṛiddhayê Bhâradvâja-sagôttrâya Va(ba)hvṛichâya
sav[r]a(bra)hmachâ-
¹⁰ riṇê vrâ(brâ)hmaṇa-Gôpadêvasvâminê s-ôparikar-ôddêśên=âgrahâratvên=âti-
¹ Ind. Ant. Vol. XV. p. 112. ² id. p. 140.
³ From the original plate.
⁴ There is a mark over the śa, which may be only a rust-mark, but which renders it a little doubt-
ful whether yaśô-dhanada was engraved, or yasa dhanada with an omission of sô. The other in-
scriptions, however, shew that the correct reading is yaśasô dhanada &c.
⁵ The other inscriptions all read uttsanna.—Monier Williams, in his Sanskrit Dictionary, suggests
that uchchhanna,—which, in the sense of 'uncovered,' is a regular derivative from ud + chhad,—is, in
the sense of 'destroyed, fallen into disuse,' a Prâkṛit corruption of uttsanna, from ud + sad.
⁶ In order to render the inscription capable of translation, read prapauttraḥ. And, at the same
time, correct all the preceding genitives into nominatives.
⁷ Read pauttraḥ. ⁸ Read puttraḥ. ⁹ Read dauhittraḥ.
¹⁰ This mâ was first engraved closer to the margin of the plate, and then, being indistinct there,
was repeated.

An epigraphic transcription and documentation of the Spurious Gayā Copper-Plate Inscription of Samudragupta (The Year 9) from Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. III, Plate xxxvii (ed. J. F. Fleet).

Bibliographic & Epigraphic Metadata

• Corpus: Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. III (Inscriptions of the Early Gupta Kings and Their Successors)
• Editor / Epigraphist: J. F. Fleet, Bo. C.S.
• Plate: Plate xxxvii
• Title: Spurious Gayā Plate of Samudragupta — The Year 9
• Dynasty: Imperial Gupta (Spurious / Ancient Forgery attributed to the Gupta period)
• King: Samudragupta
• Date: Year 9, 10th day of the bright fortnight of Vaiśākha (Saṁvat 9 Vaiśākha-sudi 10)
• Findspot: Gayā, Bihar
• Language: Sanskrit
• Script: Northern Alphabet / Late Brahmi (Gupta script with some later/anomalous cursive forms indicative of a later date of fabrication)
• Scale of Plate: 0.90
• Photo-lithographer: W. Griggs, Photo-Lith.

Plate Heading & Margin Annotations

[H1] CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM.
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THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 60, PLATE XXXVII. 257
11 sṛishṭaḥ [|] tad=yushmâbhir=asya śrôtavyam=âjñâ cha karttavyâ sarvvê
cha¹ sa²muchitâ grâma-pra-
12 tyayâ mêya-hiraṇy-âdayô dêyâḥ [|] na ch=ê(ai)tat-prabhṛity=êtad-âgrahârikêna
[â*]nyad³-grâ-
13 m-âdi-karada-kuṭumbi-kâruk-âdayaḥ pravêśayita. yâ ma(a)nyathâ niyatam=â(a)gra-
14 hâr-âkshêpa[ḥ*] syâd=iti [||] Saṁba(mva)t⁴ 9 Vaiśâkha di 10 [||]
15 Anya-grâm-âkshapaṭalâdhikṛita-Dyûta-Gôpasvâmy-âdêśa-likhitaḥ⁵ [||*]
TRANSLATION.
Ôm! Hail! From the victorious camp, full of great ships and elephants and horses,
situated at (the city of) Ayôdhyâ,—the most devout worshipper of the Divine One, the
Mahârâjâdhirâja, the glorious Samudragupta,—who is the exterminator of all kings;
who has no antagonist (of equal power) in the world; whose fame is tasted by the waters of
the four oceans; who is equal to (the gods) Dhanada and Varuṇa and Indra and Antaka;
who is the very axe of (the god) Kṛitânta; who is the giver of many millions of lawfully
acquired cows and gold; who is the restorer of the aśvamêdha-sacrifice, that has been
long in abeyance; who is the son of the son's son of the Mahârâja, the illustrious Gupta;
who is the son's son of the Mahârâja, the illustrious Ghaṭôtkacha; (and) who is the
son of the Mahârâjâdhirâja, the glorious Chandragupta (I.), (and) the daughter's
son of Lichchhavi, begotten on the Mahâdêvî Kumâradêvî,—says to the two village
Valatkaushans,⁶ together with the Brâhmaṇs, at the village of Rêvatikâ belonging to the
Gayâ vishaya;—
(Line 8.)—“Be it known to you! For the sake of increasing the religious merit of
(my) parents and of myself, this village is granted by me, as an agrahâra, with the assign-
ment of the uparikara, to the religious student, the Brâhmaṇ Gôpasvâmin, of the Bhârad-
vāja gôtra (and) the Bahvṛicha (śâkhâ).
(L. 11.)—“Therefore attention should be paid to him by you; and (his) commands
should be obeyed; and all the customary tributes of the village, consisting of that which is
to be measured, gold, &c., should be given. And, from this time forth, the tax-paying
cultivators, artizans, &c., of other villages, &c., should not be introduced by the Âgrahâ-
rika of this (village) (for the purpose of settling in it and carrying on their occupations);
(for) otherwise there would certainly be a violation of (the privileges of) an agrahâra.”
The year⁷ 9; (the month) Vaiśâkha; the day 10.
(L. 15.)—(This deed) has been written by the order of Dyûta-Gôpasvâmin, the
Akshapaṭalâdhikṛita⁸ of another village.
¹ sa was engraved here, and then corrected into cha.
² cha was engraved here, and then corrected into sa. ³ Read ânya.
⁴ As regards the interpretation of the first symbol, see page 255 above, note 1.
⁵ Supply ullêkhô=yam, or any similar words.
⁶ Valatkaushan is evidently a technical official title; but it occurs nowhere else; and I am not
able to suggest an explanation of its meaning
⁷ As regards the interpretation of the symbol, see page 255 above, note 1.
⁸ Akshapaṭalâdhikṛita, meaning lit. ‘he who is appointed to (the duties of) a depository of legal
documents,’ is an official title that is evidently syn mous with Âkshapaṭalika (see page 100 above,
note 1).

258 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
No. 61; PLATE XXXVIII A.
UDAYAGIRI CAVE INSCRIPTION.
THE YEAR 106.
THIS inscription was discovered in 1874-75 or 1876-77 by General Cunningham, and was
first brought to notice by him in 1880, in the Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. X. p. 53 f., where
he published his reading of the text, and a translation of it by Râjâ Siva Prasad, accom-
panied by a lithograph (id. Plate xix).—And in 1882, in the Ind. Ant. Vol. XI. p. 309 f.,
Dr. E. Hultzsch, working from General Cunningham’s facsimile, published his own revised
reading of the text, and translation of it.
This is another inscription from **Udayagiri,**¹ in the Bhêlsâ Sub-Division of the
Îsâgadh District of Scindia’s Dominions in Central India. It is inside a cave-temple,
which General Cunningham has named “No. 10, the Jain Cave.” The cave, which is
about a hundred yards beyond “No. 9, the Amṛita Cave,” is readily discernible from the
plain, by means of the rough stone wall which forms the front of the main part of it; it is
high up in the north-western end of the hill, and is not very easy of access, in conse-
quence of its having to be entered by a narrow and steep flight of steps on the very edge
of the cliff. The inscription is on the smoothed face of the rock, on a partly natural and
partly artificial low arch, leading from the principal room of the cave to the next room
towards the east.
The writing, which covers an irregular space of about 1′ 3½″ broad by 7¾″ high, has
suffered a little damage at the beginning and end of some of the lines, owing to the chip-
ping of the angular edges of the rock; but the readings here can be completed without any
doubt; and the rest of the inscription is in a state of perfect preservation. Below the last
line, there is a row of five roughly cut modern numerals, reading 31245, the tops of which
can be seen in the lithograph; but they have no connection with the inscription.—The
average size of the letters is about ⅜″. The characters belong to the northern class of
alphabets.—The language is Saṁskṛit; and, except for the opening invocation of the
saints or perfect ones, the inscription is in verse throughout.—The orthography presents
nothing calling for special remark.
The inscription refers itself to the period of the Early Gupta kings; but not to
the reign of any particular sovereign. The recorded date, however, shews that it belongs
to the time of Kumâragupta. It is dated, in words, in the year one hundred and six
(A.D. 425-26), on the fifth solar day of the dark fortnight of the month Kârttika
(October-November). It is a Jain inscription; and the object of it is to record the instal-
lation of an image of the Tîrthaṁkara Pârśva, or Pârśvanâtha, at the mouth of the cave.
TEXT.²
¹ Namaḥ siddhêbhyaḥ [॥*] Śrî³-saṁyutânâṁ guṇa-tôyadhînâṁ Gupt-
ânvayânâṁ nṛipa-sattamânâṁ
¹ See page 22 above, and note 1. ² From the original stone. ³ Metre Indravajrâ.

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 61, PLATE XXXVIII A. 259
2 râjyê kulasy=âbhivivarddhamânê shaḍbhir=yyutê varsha-śatê=tha mâsê [II*]
Su¹-Kârttikê bahula-dinê=tha paṁchamê
3 guhâ-mukhê sphaṭa-vikaṭ-ôtkaṭâm=imâm jita-dvishô Jina-vara-Pârśva-
samjñikâm Jin-âkṛitim śama-damavân=a-
4 chîkarat [II*] Âchâryya²-Bhadr-ânvaya-bhûshaṇasya śishyô hy=asâv=âryya-
kul-ôdgatasya âchâryya-Gôśa-
5 rmma-munêḥ=sutas=tu Padmâvatâv³=aśvapatêr=bbhaṭasya [II*] Parair⁴=a-
jêyasya Ripughna-mâninas=sa Saṅghi-
6 lasy=êty=abhiviśrutô bhuvi sva-samjñayâ Śaṅkara-nâma-śabditô vidhâna-
yuktaṁ yati-mâ-
7 rggam=âsthitaḥ [II*] Sa⁵ uttarâṇâṁ sadṛiśê Kurûṇâṁ udag-diśâ-dêśa-varê
prasûtaḥ
8 kshayâya karmm-âri-gaṇasya dhîmân yad=atra puṇyaṁ tad=
apâsasarjja [II*]
TRANSLATION.
Reverence to the Perfect Ones!⁶ In the augmenting reign of the family of the best
of kings, belonging to the Gupta lineage, who are endowed with glory (and) are oceans
of virtuous qualities;—in a century of years, coupled with six; and in the excellent month
of Kârttika; and on the fifth day of the dark fortnight;—
(Line 3.)—He⁷ who has conquered the enemies⁸ (of religion), (and) is possessed of
tranquillity and self-command, caused to be made (and set up) in the mouth of (this)
cave, this image of a Jina, richly endowed with (the embellishments of) the expanded hoods
of a snake⁹ and an attendant female divinity, (and) having the name of Pârśva, the best
of the Jinas.
(L. 4.)—He is, indeed, the disciple of the saint, the Âchârya Gôśarman, who was the
ornament of the lineage of the Âchârya Bhadra (and) sprang from a noble family; but he
¹ Metre, Ruchirâ. ² Metre, Indravajrâ.
³ We have here the locative case of a base padmâvati, which, to suit the metre, is substituted for
the proper base padmâvatî, the locative of which would be padmâvatyâm.
⁴ Metre, Vaṁśastha. ⁵ Metre, Upêndravajrâ.
⁶ siddhêbhyaḥ. These Siddhas are not to be confused with the mythical semi-divine Siddhas who
are mentioned, e.g., in line 1 of No. 18 above, page 81. They are saints, who by austere practices
have attained siddhi or 'perfection or final beatitude' (see the remarks on siddham, page 25 above,
note 4) in the shape of some or all of the five states of salôkatâ, 'residence in the same heaven with
any particular deity;' sarûpatâ, 'identity of form with the deity, or assimilation to him;' 'sâmîpya,
'nearness to the deity;' sâyujya, 'absorption into the deity;' and sârshtitâ or samânaisvaryatva,
'equality with the supreme being in power and all the divine attributes.'—The Jain term siddha
corresponds pretty closely to the Buddhist samyak-sambuddha, which occurs in line 1 of No. 11 above,
page 46.
⁷ i. e. Śaṁkara, whose name occurs in line 6 below.
⁸ The allusion is to the ari-shaṭka or ari-shad-varga; see page 156 above, note 5.
⁹ Dr. Hultzsch wrongly read sphuṭa, and thus missed the meaning of this passage.—For vikaṭâ,
which I have translated by 'an attendant female divinity,' see Monier Williams' Sanskrit Dictionary
s.v., where he explains it by 'a kind of female divinity, peculiar to Buddhists.'—The image referred
to in this inscription, is not now in the cave. But, in support of my explanation of the passage, we
may refer to a precisely similar image, in the Jain cave at Bâdâmi, described in Archæol. Surv.
West. Ind. Vol. I. p. 25. It represents the same Jina, Pârśvanâtha, with a five-hooded snake over him
as a kind of nimbus, and a female on the right side, with a serpent's hood, holding up the rod of the
umbrella that shades him

260 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
is more widely renowned on the earth (as being) the son, (begotten) on Padmâvatî,¹ of
the Aśvapati,² the soldier Saṁghila, who, unconquerable by (his) enemies, took himself
to be a very Ripughna;³—by his own appellation, he is spoken of under the name of
Śaṁkara;—(and) he has adhered to the path of ascetics, conformable to the sacred
precepts.
(L. 7.)—Born in the region of the north, the best of countries, which resembles (in
beatitude) the land of the Northern Kurus,⁴—he, the wise one, has set aside whatever
religious merit (there is) in this (act), for the purpose of destroying the band of the
enemies⁵ of religious actions.
No. 62; PLATE XXXVIII B.
SANCHI STONE INSCRIPTION.
THE YEAR 131.
THIS inscription was first brought to notice in 1837, in the Jour. Beng. As. Soc. Vol. VI.
p. 451 ff., where Mr. James Prinsep published a very fair lithograph of it (id. Plate xxvi.),
reduced from copies on cloth and paper made by Captain Edward Smith, of the Engi-
neers, and, with it, his own reading of the text, and a translation of it.
This is another inscription from Sâñchî,⁶ in the Dîwângañj Sub-Division of the
Bhôpâl State in Central India. It is on the outer side of the centre rail in the fourth row
outside and on the south side of the eastern gateway, and in a re-entering angle of the rail-
ing, of the Great Stûpa.
The writing, which covers a space of about 2′ 5″ broad by 2′ 0″ high, is in a very
fair state of preservation, every letter being, with care, legible from beginning to end;
but, owing to the discolouration of the stone from lapse of time, it is much easier to read
in the ink-impression and lithograph, than on the original stone.—The size of the letters
varies from ⅜″ to 1″. As in the case of the Sâñchî inscription of Chandragupta II. of the
year 93, No. 5 above, page 29, Plate iii B., the characters belong to the southern class
of alphabets; they are not so carefully formed as the characters of that inscription: but,
¹ See page 259 above, note 3.
² Aśvapati, lit. ‘lord of horses,’ appears to be a technical official title.—See Prof. F. Kielhorn’s
note on the analogous term Gajapati, in the Ind. Ant. Vol. XV. p. 9, note 52.
³ Or we may translate “took himself to be the slayer of (all his) foes.”—But Ripughna seems
to be intended as a proper name, and as a synonym for Ripuṁjaya, which was the name of three or
four Purâṇic kings and heroes; or for Śatrughna, which was the name of one of the brothers of Râma.
We may also compare the name of Śatrughnarâja, in No. 55 above, lin 19 page 237.
⁴ The Kurus, one of the tribes of India, were divided into two branches, the northern and the
southern. Uttarakuru, or the country of the Northern Kurus, is supposed to be a region beyond the
most northern range of the Himâlaya mountains, and is described as a country of everlasting happi-
ness.
⁵ Here, again, the allusion is to the ari-shaḍ-varga; see page 156 above, note 5.
⁶ See page 29 above, and note 2.—In connection with what I have said there, regarding the
origin of the name of Sâñchî, I would add that we should compare, with Sâñchî or Sâchî and Kâchî,
such instances as Tôṇḍal and Bôṇḍal, two villages next to each other, separated only by a stream,
in the Mâḷsiras Tâlukâ or Sub-Division of the Shôlâpur District; and Hisrê and Phisrê, two con-
tiguous villages in the Karmâḷeṁ Tâlukâ of the same District. Similar rhyming names may be found
all over the country.

CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM

Vol. III — Plate XXXVIII

Vol. III.
CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM.
Plate xxxviii

A. — Udayagiri Cave Inscription. — The Year 106.

(Gupta Era 106 = A.D. 425–26, Reign of Kumāragupta I)

Sanskrit Text (Line-by-Line as numbered on the plate):

नमोऽर्हद्भ्यः [॥] श्रियाभिवृद्धे प्रथिते यशोभिरुद्भासिते सर्व्वगुणातिरेकैः [।] प्रकाश्यमानाद्भुतपुण्यकीर्त्तौ
गुप्तप्रिये श्रीयुतराजगुप्ते [॥] तस्यात्मजस्तत्प्रथितावदातान्वयोदितो भद्र इवेभपोतः [।] प्रद्युम्न[शर्म्मा]-
[स]मविक्रमोऽभूदजातशत्रुः पृथिवीपतिभ्यः [॥] तस्यात्मजस्तत्पदपद्मभृङ्गः स[ङ्घात]-
नामोऽप्यथ सङ्घिलस्य [।] विवर्द्धमानोरुयशाः सदाभूद्विमलविख्यातमति[र्नृपेन्द्रः] [॥]
तस्यात्मजस्तत्पदपूजने रतो ह्युदग्गुणे चापरगोत्रभूष[णः] [।] विशे[षसाङ्गायन]-
गोत्रजश्शुचिर्य्यशोऽभिख्यो विश्रु[तो] भुवि [॥] आचार्य्यभद्रा[न्वय]-
साधुसूनुः समाहितो गोशर्म्म[णो] मुनेः [।] यतीन्द्र[गोशर्म्मसहो]-
दरो बल्यधीष्ट जिनेन्द्ररू[पं]... कारयत् [॥] सं १०० ६ [...]

Transliteration:

namo'rhadbhyaḥ [||] śriyābhivṛddhe prathite yaśobhir udbhāsite sarvva-guṇātirekaiḥ [|] prakāśyamānādbhuta-puṇya-kīrttau
gupta-priye śrīyuta-rāja-gupte [||] tasyātmajas tat-prathitāvadātānvayodito bhadra ivebha-potaḥ [|] pradyumna-[śarmmā]-
-[sa]ma-vikramo'bhūd ajāta-śatruḥ pṛthivī-patibhyaḥ [||] tasyātmajas tat-pada-padma-bhṛṅgaḥ sa[ṅghāta]-
-nāmo'pyatha saṅghilasya [|] vivarddhamānoru-yaśāḥ sadābhūd vimala-vikhyāta-mati[r-nṛpendraḥ] [||]
tasyātmajas tat-pada-pūjane rato hy udag-guṇe cāpara-gotra-bhūṣa[ṇaḥ] [|] viśe[ṣa-sāṅgāyana]-
-gotra-jaś śucir yyaśo-'bhikhyo viśru[to] bhuvi [||] ācāryya-bhadrā[nvaya]-
-sādhu-sūnuḥ samāhito gośarmma[ṇo] muneḥ [|] yatīndra-[gośarmma-saho]-
-daro balyadhīṣṭa jinendra-rū[paṁ]... kārayat [||] saṁ 100 6 [...]

Translation:

Reverence to the Arhats! In the reign of the glorious king (Kumāra)gupta, loved by the Guptas, who has increased in prosperity, is renowned for his fame, is illuminated by the excellence of all good virtues, and whose wonderful holy renown is made manifest;
[L2–L3] His son, sprung from his celebrated and spotless lineage, was like an auspicious elephant-cub, resembling Pradyumnaśarman in valour, and without enemies among the lords of the earth;
[L3–L4] His son, a bee on the lotus of his feet, named Saṅghāta (and also) Saṅghila, possessed ever-increasing great fame and a mind celebrated and stainless;
[L5–L6] His son, devoted to worshipping his feet, born of northern virtues, the ornament of an incomparable lineage, born of the Viśeṣa-Sāṅgāyana gotra, pure, known on earth by the name of Yaśas;
[L6–L8] The virtuous son of the disciple of the lineage of the Ācārya Bhadra; the composed (disciple) of the sage Gośarman; the brother of the lord of ascetics Gośarman, caused to be made this image of the lord of the Jinas (Pārśvanātha) ... in the year 106.

SCALE .40

B. — Sāñchī Inscription. — The Year 131.

(Gupta Era 131 = A.D. 450–51, Reign of Kumāragupta I)

Sanskrit Text (Line-by-Line):

[सिद्धम्] [॥] स्वस्ति [॥] संवत् १०० ३० १...
[परमभट्टारक-महाराजाधिराज-श्री-कु]मारगुप्त[स्य प्रवर्द्धमान-विजय-राज्य-संवत्सरे...]
...स्यां दिवसे...
...भगवतो सम्यक्सम्बुद्धस्य...
...जम्बुद्वीपे महाविहारे...
...आर्य्यसङ्घस्य...
...अक्षयनीवी...
...प्रदीप-प्रवर्त्तनाय...
...रत्नत्रयस्य...
...सर्व्वसत्त्वानामनुत्तरज्ञानावाप्तये...
...भवतु [॥]

Translation & Notes:

Perfection! Hail! In the year 131...
In the augmenting and victorious reign of the Paramabhaṭṭāraka, Mahārājādhirāja, the glorious Kumāragupta...
[L3–L11] Recording an endowment (akṣaya-nīvī) made by a devotee for the continuous burning of a lamp (pradīpa-pravartanāya) before the Holy, Perfectly Enlightened One (the Buddha) at the Mahāvihāra of Sāñchī (Kākanādaboṭa) in Jambudvīpa, for the benefit of the Venerable Assembly (Ārya-Saṅgha) and the Three Jewels (Ratna-traya), to the end that all sentient beings may attain supreme knowledge (sarva-sattvānām anuttara-jñānāvāptaye).

Plate Footer:

J. F. FLEET, BO. C.S.
SCALE, .55
W. GRIGGS, PHOTO-LITH.

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THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 62, PLATE XXXVIII B. 261
allowing for this, the details shew no particular development. In line 11, they include
forms of the numerical symbols for 1, 5, 30, and 100.—The language is Sanskrit; and
the inscription is in prose throughout. In pravishṭaka, line 4, we have to notice the affix
ka which I have commented on at page 69 above.—In respect of orthograpny, the only
point that calls for remark, is the doubling of v, after the anusvâra, in saṁvvat, line 11.
The inscription does not refer itself to the reign of any king; but the date recorded
in it, allots it to the time of either Kumâragupta, of the Early Gupta dynasty, or his
son and successor Skandagupta. It is dated, in numerical symbols,¹ in the year one
hundred and thirty-one (A.D. 450-51), on the fifth solar day, without any specification of
the fortnight, of the month Âśvayuj (September-October). It is a Buddhist inscription.
And the object of it is to record the grant, by the Upâsikâ or lay-worshipper Hari-
svâminî, the wife of the Upâsaka Sanasiddha, of certain sums of money to the
Ârya-Saṁgha, or community of the faithful, at the great vihâra or Buddhist convent of
Kâkanâdabôṭa,—i.e. the great Stûpa at Sâñchi,²—for the purpose of feeding one
Bhikshu day by day, and of maintaining lamps in the shrines of Buddha.
TEXT.³
1 S[iddha]m⁴ [॥*] Upâsaka-Sanasiddha-bhâryyayâ upâsik[â*]-Harisvâminyâ
mâtâ-
2 pitaram⁵=uddiśya Kâkanâdabôṭa-śrî-mahâ-vihârê châturddiśây=âryya-saṁ-
3 ghâya akshaya⁶-nîvî dattâ dînârâ dvâdasa [।*] êshâṁ dînârâṇâṁ
yâ vriddhi-
4 r=upajâyatê tayâ divasê-divasê saṁgha-madhya-pravishṭaka-bhikshur=êkaḥ
bhôja-
5 yitavyaḥ [॥*] Ratna-grihê=pi dînâra-trayaṁ dattam [।*] [ta]d-dînâra-
trayasya vri[d*]dhyâ ratna-grihê
6 bhagavatô Buddhasya divasê-divasê dîpa-trayaṁ prajvâlayitavyaṁ [॥*]
Chatur-Buddh-âsa-
7 nê=pi dattaḥ dînâra êkaḥ [।*] tasya vriddhyâ chatur-Buddh-âsanê
bhagavatô Buddhasya
8 divasê-divasê dîpaḥ prajvâlayitavyaḥ [॥*] Êvam=êsh=âkshaya-nîvî
9 â-chandr-ârkka-śilâ-lêkhyâ svâminî-Sanasiddha-bhâryyayâ
10 upâsik[â*]-Harisvâminyâ pravarttitâ iti [॥*]
11 Saṁvvat⁷ 100 30 1 Âśvayug=di 5 ॥
¹ Gen. Cunningham (Bhilsa Topes, p. 193) read the first symbol as 300. But the two marks on
the right side, required to convert 100 into 300, are entirely wanting; and he must have been misled
by the natural marks of the stone becoming exaggerated in an imperfect ink-impression.
² See page 31 above.
³ From the original stone.
⁴ This word is in the margin, before upâsaka. The traces that remain of it are very faint.
⁵ Read mâtâpitarâv.
⁶ The initial a of this word is badly formed, and is partly run into the ya of saṁghâya. Perhaps
saṁghây-âkshaya was being engraved, as required by saṁdhi, and then the initial a was inserted.
⁷ As regards the reading of the first symbol, see note 1 above.

262 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
TRANSLATION.
Perfection has been attained! By the Upāsikā Harisvâminî, the wife of the
Upāsaka Sanasiddha, for the sake of (her) parents, twelve dînâras are given, (as)
a permanent endowment, to the community of the faithful, collected from the four quarters
of the world, at the holy great vihâra of Kâkanâdabôṭa. With the interest that
accrues of these dînâras, day by day one Bhikshu, who has been introduced into the
community, should be fed.
(Line 5.)—Also three dînâras are given in the jewel-house.¹ With the interest of
these three dînâras, day by day three lamps of the divine Buddha should be lit in the jewel-
house.
(L. 6.)—Also, one dînâra is given in the place where (the images of) the four
Buddhas are seated.² With the interest of this, day by day a lamp of the divine Buddha
should be lit in the place where (the images of) the four Buddhas are seated.
(L. 8.)—Thus this permanent endowment,—written upon stone (so as to endure) for
the same time with the moon and the sun,—has been accomplished by the Upāsikā
Harisvâminî, the noble lady,³ the wife of Sanasiddha.
(L. 11.)—The year⁴ 100 (and) 30 (and) 1 ; (the month) Âśvayuj ; the day 5.
No. 63; PLATE XXXIX A.
MATHURA STONE IMAGE INSCRIPTION.
THE YEAR 135.
THIS inscription was discovered by General Cunningham, and was first brought
to notice in 1871, in the Jour. R. As. Soc. N. S. Vol. V. p. 184 f., where Professor
J. Dowson published his reading of the text, and a translation of it, accompanied by a litho-
graph (id. Plate ii. No. 8) reduced from General Cunningham’s ink-impression.— And this
rendering of the inscription was reprinted, with a few corrections, in 1873, in the Archæol.
Surv. Ind. Vol. III. p. 36 f., accompanied by a fresh lithograph (id. Plate xvi. No. 22).
The inscription is on the pedestal of a broken standing statue that was found in the
Jail Mound at Mathurâ,⁵ the chief town of the Mathurâ District in the North-West Pro-
¹ ratna-griha; see page 33 above, note 5.
² chatur-Buddh-âsana.—As pointed out by Gen. Cunningham in his Bhilsa Topes, p. 191 f., this
is explained by four statues of Buddha, seated, one opposite each entrance, which are in the circular
enclosure that runs round the Stûpa, inside the railing. Owing, I suppose, to alterations made in the
course of the restorations that have been carried out at Sâñchi, the statue at the south entrance is
now a seated statue, similar in general design to the statues at the north, east, and west entrances ;
it is evidently the original statue, which had somehow been shifted, now restored to its proper place ;
and the standing statue, which was opposite the southern entrance when Gen. Cunningham wrote his
description, now stands a little to the west of it.
³ svâminî.—Or perhaps the word stands here for the fuller title, Vihârasvâminî, which occurs in
the next inscription ; see page 263 below, note 7.
⁴ As regards the reading of the first symbol, see page 261 above, note 1.
⁵ See page 26 above, and note 2.

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 63, PLATE XXXIX A. 263
vinces. When I examined it, it was in the Government Museum at Allâhâbâd; but it has
now, I understand, been transferred to the Provincial Museum at Lucknow. Of the statue
itself, all that remains is the feet, with part of a small kneeling figure at each side;
and there is thus nothing to shew its nature; but, from the tenour of the inscription, it
must have been a standing image of Buddha.
At the commencement of the inscription, in the margin, there is engraved a Bud-
dhist dharmachakra, or 'wheel of religion,' an emblem the object of which appears to be
to denote the way in which religion encompasses and envelops everything.—The writing
covers a space of about 1' 6½" broad by 2¾" high; and is in a state of very good preserva-
tion, except in the last line, of which almost the whole of the last part is broken away and
lost.—The average size of the letters is about ½". The characters belong to the north-
ern class of alphabets. They include, in line 1, forms of the numerical symbols for
5, 20, 30, and 100.—The language is Sanskrit. The first two lines are in prose, and the
rest in verse.—In respect of orthography, the only point that calls for notice is the
doubling of v, after the anusvâra, in saṁvvatsara, line 1.
The inscription does not refer itself to the reign of any king; but, from its date, it
appears to belong to the time of the Early Gupta king Skandagupta; since his father,
Kumâragupta, having commenced to reign in at least the year 96, can hardly have conti-
nued on the throne up to the present date. It is dated, both in words and in numerical
symbols, in the year one hundred and thirty-five (A.D. 454-55), and on the twentieth solar
day, without any specification of the fortnight, of the month Pushya (December-January).
From the expressions used, as well as from the emblem on the margin of the stone, it is
evidently a Buddhist inscription; and the object of it is to record the gift of the statue, on
the pedestal of which it is engraved.
TEXT.¹
1 Saṁvvatsara-śatê paṁcha-striś²-ôttaratamê 100 30 5 Pushya-mâsê
divasê vi[ṁ]ś[ê] di 20 [I*] Dêya-dharm[ô]=yaṁ vihârasvâminy[â]
2 Dêvtâyâ³ [II]* Yad=atra puṇyaṁ tad=bhavatu mâtâpitrôḥ sarvva-
sat[t*]vânâñ=cha anuttara-jñân⁴-âptayê⁵ ||
3 Saubhâgyaṁ⁶ pratiru(rû)patâ guṇavatî kîrttis=sapatna-kshayaḥ śrîman[t]ô
vibhavâ bhavâ[ḥ*] sukha-phalâ nirvvaṇaṁ=amtê śivaṁ
4 a-stabdha(?)ni bhavanti dâna-niratau chittaṁ niyôjy=aikadâ [—] î [— — ◡]
vichâ(?tâ)raṇa[◡ ◡]dhiyâṁ [— — ◡ ◡ — —] i [◡] yâṁ [II*]
TRANSLATION.
In a century of years, increased by the thirty-fifth (year), (or in figures) 100 (and)
30 (and) 5; in the month Pushya; on the twentieth day, (or in figures) the day 20;—
this is the appropriate religious gift of the Vihârasvâminî⁷ Dêvatâ. Whatever religious

¹ From the original stone. ² Read triṁś. ³ Read dêvatâyâḥ.
⁴ This n is rather an anomalous one; but the character cannot stand for anything else.
⁵ There is no objection to the present reading; but we usually have avâptayê.
⁶ Metre, Śârdûlavikrîḍita.
⁷ Vihârasvâminî, lit. 'mistress (lady-superintendent) of a vihâra,' seems, not to be a technical
religious title denoting an office held by females, but to mean simply 'the wife of a Vihârasvâmin;'
see page 279 below, note 5.—We may compare Dandanâyakitî, in line 40-41 of the Kargudari in-

264 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
merit (there is) in this (act),—let it be for the acquisition of supreme knowledge by (her)
parents and by all sentient beings !
(Line 3.)—Good fortune ; the condition of being a model (worthy of imitation),
abounding in virtuous qualities ; fame ; the destruction of the enemies (of religion) ;¹
riches abounding in prosperity, births that result in happiness ; (and) finally, an
auspicious nirvâṇa ;—(all these) are not permanent (?) ;² having once fixed the thoughts
upon the happiness of making gifts, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

No. 64 : PLATE XXXIX B.

GAḌHWÂ INSCRIPTION.

THIS inscription was discovered by General Cunningham in 1874-75 or 1876-77, and was
first brought to notice by him in 1880, in the Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. X. p. 10 f., where
he published his reading of the text, accompanied by a lithograph (id. Plate v. Nos. 2
and 3).
It is another inscription from Gaḍhwâ,³ in the Karchhanâ Sub-Division of the
Allahâbâd District in the North-West Provinces. It was found on pulling down a ruined
wall ; and is on two faces of a fragment of a square sandstone pillar which had been cut
into four beams by splitting it down the middle of each face, in order to adapt it to some
later building purposes. The other pieces were not found. The original stone is now in
the Imperial Museum at Calcutta.
The writing includes the remains of two separate records, which, however, seem to
refer to one and the same object of donation. On that face of the stone which is repre-
sented in the left part of the lithograph, we have the remains of fourteen lines, covering a
space of about 3¾″ broad by 1′ 2¾″ high ; and, on the other side, the remains of eight
lines, covering a space of about 6¼″ broad by 11½″ high. Such of the writing as remains,
is fairly well preserved ; but of course some of the letters are doubtful from want of the
context to explain them.—The size of the letters varies from ⅜″ to ½″. The characters
belong to the northern class of alphabets, and are of precisely the same type as those of
Nos. 7, 8, and 9 above, Plate ivB. C. and D. They include, in lines 18 and 19, forms of the
numerical symbols for 1 and 2.—The language is Sanskrit ; and the inscription is in
prose throughout.—In respect of orthography, the only point that calls for notice is the
use of the guttural nasal, instead of the anusvâra, before ś, in viṅśati, line 16.
From the letters visible at the end of line 1, the inscription may belong to the time
of the Early Gupta king Kumâragupta. The details of the date, however, have been

scription of Śaka-Saṁvat 1030 (Ind. Ant. Vol. X. p. 252, and note 20) ; it means, not ‘a female Leader
of the Forces,’ but ‘the wife of a Danḍanâyaka.’ Modern instances of finding appellations for women
in the official titles of their husbands, are afforded by the Kanarese Gauḍasâni, and the Marâṭhî Pâṭlîn,
as used to designate the wife of the Gauḍa or Pâṭîl, the village-headman.
¹ The allusion is to the ari-shaḍ-varga or ari-shaṭka ; see page 156 above, note
² According to the Buddhist doctrine, it would appear that even nirvâṇa, or the extinction of
existence, is not a permanent state, and does not free the individual who attains it from the liability
of future births unless it is followed by parinirvâṇa, or absolute destruction of identity by complete
absorption into the divine essence.
³ See page 36 above, and note 1.

Vol. III.
CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM.
Plate xx
A.—Mathura Image Inscription.—The Year 135.
SCALE .50
B.—Gadhwa Inscription.
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
SCALE .25
C.—Kosam Image Inscription
of the Maharaja Bhimavarman.—The Year 139.
SCALE .33
D.—Gadhwa Inscription.—The Year 148.

This page is blank and contains no transcribable text (only a stray scan mark/artifact).

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS, No 64 PLATE XXXIX B. 265
entirely destroyed. The remnant of the inscription does not display any sectarian charac-
ter. The object of it was to record certain grants to a sattra, or charitable hall or alms-
house.
TEXT.¹
First Part.
1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . śr . ku-²
2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . r . . . . . sattra yû(?) 9(?)
3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [di]vasa-pûrvvâyâṁ ma-
4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . guptasy=aiva da . y .
5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [A]nantaguptâya(?yâ)
6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . puṇy-âpyâyan-â-
7 [rtthaṁ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sattra-sâ[mâ*]nya-bhôja-
8 [na] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [dî]nâraiḥ . . . . .
9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vâsô-yugâ-
10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . parô dî-
11 [nâra] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dînâraiḥ dê(?)va-
12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [Yaś=ch=ainaṁ] dharmma-skandhaṁ vyu-
13 [chchhindyât=sa pañchabhir=mahâpâta]kaiḥ sa[ṁ]yu-
14 ktaḥ syâd=iti [॥]
Second Part.
15 . . . . sat[t*]ra-sâmânya-bhôjanê . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
16 prati suvaṇṇair=êkân-na-viṁśatibhi[ḥ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
17 kâritaḥ [। ] Brâhma(?)ṇô mayika . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
18 dvayaṁ 2 karôṭa 2 bra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
19 yugaṁ 1 koṭṭayba sukun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20 dakshiṇa-kûla-kañchaḍaṁ paksha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [॥]
21 Yaś=ch=ainaṁ • vyuchchhin[dy]â[t=sa pañchabhir=mahâ]-
22 [pâ]takais=sa[ṁ*]yuktaḥ [s]y[âd=iti ॥]
TRANSLATION.
It is impossible to give any connected rendering of the contents of this inscription.
We can only note that, in the First Part, we may perhaps have remnants of the name of
Kumâragupta in line 1-2; that there is the name of Anantagupta or Anantaguptâ in line 5,
evidently belonging to some private person; and that lines 7 to 12 appear to have recorded
certain grants, fixed in dînâras, for the purpose of providing food in a sattra or ‘almshouse,’
and also to provide pairs of upper and lower garments. It ends with the usual impreca-
tion against interfering with the continuance of the grant.
The Second Part, again, refers to food in an almshouse, recording something in
connection with it at a cost of nineteen gold coins of the kind called suvarṇa. Other de-
tails follow, including two karôṭas or ‘basins or cups,’ and one pair [of upper and lower
garments]. Then follows apparently a grant of some land, on the south bank of a river.
And the inscription winds up, as before, with the usual imprecation against interfering with
the grants.
¹ From the original stone.    ² Possibly the original had śrî-Kumâraguptasya.