No. 1. Kesanapalli inscription of Chantamula, Year 13.
The subjoined inscription was discovered in a ruined Buddhist stуpa in the
village Kesаnapalli in the Palnad taluk, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh [The macrons
over e and o are not marked in this article.]. It has been noticed in the A. P. Govt.
Report on Epigraphy for 1965 (No. B 92) and subsequently published by Shri N. Ramesan [The
Hindu, Weekly Magazine, dated 16-3-1969, p. 1, and facsimile.] and also by Dr. R.
Subrahmanyam [Epigraphia Andhrica, Vol. 1, pp. 146 ff. and plate. see also Md. Abdul
Waheed Khan: A Monograph on an Early Buddhist Stуpa at Kesanapalli (A. P. Govt. Arch.
Series, No. 27), p. 4 and plate XXIII.]. However in view of the fact that the treatment of
this important record by the above scholars is rather inadequate and faulty, the Chief
Epigraphist secured, on my request, two sets of impressions of the epigraph from the
Director of Archaeology and Museum, A.P. and kindly permitted me to edit it in the
following pages. I thank the Chief Epigraphist for the same. The pillar bearing the inscription is said to be octagonal and broken, the extant portion measuring 60 cm in length. The inscription is engraved on two facets of the pillar, each facet containing two lines of writing. Since both the ends of the pillar are broken away and lost some aksharas are missinig both in the beginning and end of the lines [See ibid., p. 146. The stone is stated to be kept at present in the office of the Dept. of Archaeology, A.P. Govt., Hyderabad. See A.P. Govt. Report on Epigraphy (o.p. cit.), No. B. 92.]. Thus the record is unfortunately fragmentary. The characters of the epigraph are Brаhmи and they very much resemble those of the inscriptions of the Ikшvаku king Vиrapurisadata, found at Nаgаrjunakoндa [See, eg. above, Vol. XX, plates facing pp. 6 ff.; etc.], The language of the record is Prakrit. The only geographical name occurring in our record is the village Niдigala and it is obviously identical with the modern Kesаnapalli, where the inscription has been unearthed.[Niдigala of our record has been identified with the modern Niдigallu in the Nalgonda district. (Ep. Andhrica, op. cit., p. 149). The basis for this identification is understandably the striking similarity of sounds of these two names. But this is likely to be questioned as there is no reason to believe that the pillar under question travelled from that place to Kosаnapalli.] (SS) |
S. Sankaranarayan, Mysore - EI, XXXVIII No. 52. |
TEXT.
1. . . . . . . . . . тhиputasa siri-Chaмtamуlasa saмvachharaм 10 3 Hemaмtаnaм
[pakhaм*] 1 diva 1 mahаraтhisa . . . . . . . . . . .
2.. . . . . . . . . . . gаme Niдigale nigаjasa Bahusutиyаnaм
mуla-va(vа)si-vihаra-chetik[e] Gaм
3.. . . . . . Budhisa putehi vаnikinиya Haмgаya putehi vaнijakehi Mahа-Chaмdena
Chula. . .
4. . . . . . . . .sasehi cha nиga-saмbaмdhи-vagehi ekata-hetuno mahа-chetike
Budhinikhaмbhopati . . . . . . . .
____________________________
From impressions.
L. 1. The portion lost here may be conjecturaly restored as Sidhaм namo Bhagavato Raгo
Vаse, or more probably Sidhaм Raгo Vase. Therefore not much seems to have been lost in
the beginnings of the lines; Diva stands for divasaм.
L. 2. The portion lost obviously contained the name and surname, if any, of the
mahаraтhi.
L. 3. The passage lost may be conjecturally restored as Gaмjikутa-vathavasa
vaнijakasa. It would therefore appear that not much his been lost at the ends of lines
too; the name intended is Chula-Chaмda.
L. 4. For a discussion on first four letters see above, p 316; evidently patiтhapito is
intended.