South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

REMARK.

(1) AS. and CTI. ºkhuṇi[ye] . . . . The letter ye seems to have disappeared in the crack, and I think I can see after it d[â]naṁ ; the naṁ, especially, is comparatively clear.

TRANSLATION.
“ The gift of the nun Âsâḍhamitâ.”

At Kuḍâ (CTI. No. 5) we find a nun named Âsâḍhamitâ, the disciple of Paduminikâ. That inscription looks later than the present one. But it may be that the engravers of Kârlê had kept up a slightly more archaic tradition.

No. 13, Plate ii. (Ksh. 6).
Chaitya cave. On the upper frieze to the right of the central door.

The estampages does not throw much more light on the text than the Plate. From this it will be understood that this inscription in its actual state leaves very much room for the ingenuity of the reader, and that the earlier reproductions greatly exaggerate the actual certainty of several readings. To become convinced of this, one need only compare the differences between AS. and CTI. at the end of the 3rd line.

TEXT.
1 Sidhaṁ [||*] Raño Khaharâtasa khatapasa Nahapânasa jâ[ma]tarâ (1) . n .
kapûtena (2) Usabhadâtena ti-(3)
2 gosatasahasa[de]ṇa nadiya (4) Baṇâsâyâ (5) s[u]vaṇatathakarena (6) . . . . brahmaṇana (7) cha soḷa[sa]gâ-
3 ma[d]e . Pabhâse pûtatithe (8) brahmaṇâṇa aṭhabhâyâp[r]a . . [a]nuvâsaṁ pi tu (9) satasahasaṁ bho¬-(10)
4 japayita Valûrakesu leṇavâsinaṁ (11) pavajitânaṁ châtudisasa saghasa 5 yâpaṇatha gâmo [Ka]r[a]jiko (12) dato sa . na . . . . vâsitânaṁ (13).

REMARKS.

(1) CTI. ºmâº. I cannot discover any trace of the â.─ (2) The reading Dinika is no doubt certain ; but the d is quite indistinct on the estampages, and the k is much worn.─ (3) I believe that there is nothing but ti at the end of this line. What has been taken for ṇi (AS.) would run into the bottom of ti. Besides, tîṇi = trîṇi would be a serious and unusual mistake. ─ (4) AS. ṇadiyâ, which is inadmissible.─ (5) CTI. reads ºṇâsayaṁ.─ (6) I do not see any trace of the u below the s, though the reading su is certain. AS. and CTI., read ºrathaº, though admitting that the word corresponds to tithi = tîrtha. The still visible stroke would not be so straight if it were a ra. It is the remnant of a t, above which the i is lost.─ (7) I do not see anything of devâna, though this word is warranted by the comparison with the Nâsik inscription No. 10. AS. and CTI. read brahmaṇâna[ṁ] with a long â, of which I do not discover any trace.─ (8) AS. puñatithe ; but the ta is sure.─ (9) The p has at the right bottom a perpendicular line which may express the r, as in brâhmaṇa. The restoration dena seems certain ; but nothing remains of these letters. After this, CTI. reads gâvasâpi trisaº. The reading of AS., which resembles mine closely, appears to me almost certain, though the initial a is much spoiled.─(10) AS. ºtasâhasi[bho]º. The final bho is quite clear. Though believing that I see ºsahasaṁ in the estampages, I do not venture to deny that the actual reading may be ºhasiṁ.─