No. 35. Kanheri Buddhist cave inscription. Mixed dialect
| The inscription is on the left-hand side-wall outside the verandah of Cave No.50. It is interesting to note that the board for writing the inscription is made smooth. The upper portion of the inscription is deeply cut. After line 7, there is a svastika. There are three faint lines thereafter. It measures 1.50 m x 1.6 m. Letters 8 cm. x 4.4 cm. Characters: The characters show the admixture of Brаhmи of 3rd Century A.D. (Southern variety) and the earlier forms. Language: The inscription has recorded the most remarkable mixture of Sanskrit and Prakrit forms. Language: Prakrit. Orthography: The inscription has recorded the duplication of letters in the words 'Аryyaghoшasya ', 'Bhаdrаjaнijанam', 'deyyadharmma', 'puttанa', 'ттhitанam', 'sarvvasatvанam '. (ShG) |
| 1847 Bird, Hist. Res. Plate XLVII, 25; 1861 West, JBBRAS VI, p. 9, No. 37, and Plate; 1883 Buфhler, ASWI V, p. 85, No. 27; Luders list 1018; ShG No 33; |
| Lu: - Fragment. Dedication of a cave (lенa) and a water-cistern (pанiyya-pодhи) . . . . as the property of the Bhаdrajaнijjas (Bhadrаyaниyas), for the merit of the donor's mother Naмdinikа (Nandinikа). One cell (оvaraka) is the gift of the donor's wife, the housewife (ghariни) Dаmi[lа]. The merit is assigned to the donor's sons Je . . . , his nephew Аryyaghошa, his daughter Saмghadеvanikа, and other relatives. |
TEXT.
1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . leнaм pанiyya[poдhi cha] . . .
2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . нa Bhаdrajaнijjанaм pratigrahe [|] etta
pунaм
3. . . . . . . . . . mаtua cha Naмdiнikа bhаjаya ghariнiya Dаmi-
4. [lаya] . . . . . . ya ekka ovarako deyyadhaмrmma etto cha puнabhаgo puttаnaм je-
5. . . . . . . . sya bhаtuputrasya cha Аryyaghoшasya dhutua cha Saмghadevanikаya
6. . . . . . нatukанaм nаtiнaм panatukанaм panatiнaм щuнhанaм savvaseva
cha kulasya
7. [a]titанaм ттhitанaм aнagatанaм cha sаrvvasatvанaм cha
hitasukhаrtthаya bhavatu tti [||]
L 8 Kаhаpaнаni datаni 1600 Kallivanaм Kakalakarardha visito тhapanaм vадhi
patike sataм 100 mаtta ekachaм dati
L 9 Vадhapaнiko mhаdiam sulabhati visiya nigamа natti аsandi khatavvа etta leнe
vasattанaм beno bhikhunа
____________________________________
L. 3. Thus from ASWI, ShG read Naмdininikаyal and in notes: the reading would be
'Nandinikаya'.
L. 4. ASWI read puttаna
L. 5. Buфhler has not read . . sya.
L. 6. ASWI - read наtiнaм; Buфhler has not read cha.
L. 7. ASWI - read: aнаgatанaм;
ShG - Buфhler has not noted (he note, that he is unable to make out the whole of
postscript - DNL) the last three (two - DNL) lines. The letters of the last three lines
are small, thin and bleak in appearance. However, the following meaning could be
reconciled. It narrates a perpetual endowment of 1600 kаrшаpaнas. The reading of lines
8 and 9 could be made out with the help of photograph and the eye-copy of West. The
donation of 1600 kаrшаpaнas was made by stone-masons from Kallivana, near Nasik. Line
9 states that the rich trader Sulabhati among them repaired the washed away road and his
relatives excavated the benches for the two Bhikшus tho were living in that cave.