North Indian Inscriptions

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS

TEXT

Seal A

1 . . . . . [vyā[m=a[pra]t[i]rathasya Mah[ā]r[ā]ja-śr[ī*]-Gupta-p[r]ap[au*]ttras[ya] Mah[ā]r[ā]ja-śr[ī*]-Ghaṭ[ō*]tkacha-pau-
2 . . . . . ja-śrī-Chan[dra]gupta-puttrasya [Li]chchhavi-dauhittras[ya Mahādē]yāṅ =Kum[a*]radēvyām=utpanna-
3 . . . . . ja –śrī-Sam[u]d[ra*]g[u]p[ta]sya p[u]ttras=[ta]t-par[i]g[ṛi]h[ī]t[ō] Mah[ā] d[ē]vyān=Dattad[ē*]vyām=utpanna-
4 . . . . . [h]=Paramabhāgavat[ō] Mahārāj[ā]dhirāja-śrī-Chan[d]raguptas=tasya puttras=tat-p[ā*]d[ā*]nu-
5 . . . . . Dhr[uva]dēv[y]ām=[u]t[pa]nnō Mahār[ā]j[ā]dh[i]rāja-śr[ī]-Kumāra- guptas=tasya puttras=tat-pā-
6 . . . . . [dē] vyām=Anantad[ē]vy[ā]m=[u]tpa[nnō] Mah[ā]r[ā]j[ā]dh[i]rāja-śrī-Puruguptas=tasya pu-
7 . . . . . Mah[ā*]dēv[y]āṁ śrī-Chan[dra]d[ē]v[y]ām=utpannaḥ[h*]=Paramabhāga-
8 . . . . [rā]ja-śr[ī*]-Narasiṅhagupta[ḥ*]

Seal B

1 . . . . [ja]-śr[ī]-Gupta-prap[au]ttra[sya Ma]h[ā]rāja-śrī-Ghaṭōtkacha-pau-
2 . . . . vi-d[au]h[ittrasya Ma]hādēvyāṅ=[Ku]māradēvyām=utpanna-
3 . . . . [s=tat-pa]rigṛihīt[ō] Mahādēvyān=Dattadēvyām=utpannō-
4 . . . . [dhi]r[ā]ja-śr[ī]-Chandraguptas=tasya puttras=tat-pādānu-
5 . . . . [rā]jādhirāja-śrī-Kumāragup[ta]s=[ta]sya puttras=tat-pā-
6 . . . . Mahārājādhirāja-śrī-Pur[u]guptas=tasya pu-
7 . . . . śrī-Chandradēvyā[m=utpannah=Parambhāga]-
8 . . . . śrī-Narasiṅhagupta[ḥ]

No. 45 : PLATE XLV

NĀLANDA CLAY SEALS OF KUMARAGUPTA III

       These seals, which were originally clay impressions, each bearing an identical inscription of Kumāragupta III, were picked up from the excavations of Monastery Site No. 1 at Nālandā in the Patna District, Bihar. Out of the several specimens excavated, only two are complete, of which, the one marked A on the accompanying plate, is quite well preserved, while the other, marked B, though larger in size and exhibiting bolder and superior execution of letters and device, is unfortunately broken into two. This break about the middle has damaged a letter or two in each line of its legend while the mutilation of a portion of its lower surface in the proper right corner has caused further loss of two or four letters in the three lower lines. The damaged or lost letters, however, can be easily restored from the identical text of seal A. The inscription was first noticed by Hirananda Sastri in Ep. Ind., Vol. Xxi, p. 77, postscript; and subsequently a note was published by N.P. Chakravarti (A.R.ASI., 1934-35, p. 63) who made an improvement in regard to the name of a queen. There is clear evidence of the Monastery Site being set on fire more than once. It seems that all the clay impressions here were thus baked; and this explains why these seals along with others found upon the site and described above look like terracottas. That these seals, like their companions, were originally clay impressions is clear from the section of seal B, which shows an aperture running right through