No. 1. Kodavolu (Koдavali) well inscription. Prakrit.

1908 Konow, ZDMG LXII, p. 592; Luders list No 1341; H. Krishna Sastri - EI, XVIII, No. 34.
Lu: - Establishment of the earth-dwelling (bhуmivещa) of the minister (amacha).
- raго Vasiтhиputa sаmi-Siri-Chaдasаtasa savachharе 10 3 (?) hе pa 3 diva dasamе (?)
(HKS) Going in a north-westerly direction from Piтhаpuram, a station on the East Coast Railway, for a distance of about 9 miles along the Sаmalkотa-Kattipудi road, the village of Koдavali is sighted. It is situated not very far from the right side of the road. Proceeding thence for nearly two miles again in a north-westerly direction one reaches the foot of a range of hills covered with thin forest vegetation. From here the place called "Dхanam-дibbа" [Compare Dhana Bадu near Jaggayyapеta; Burgess's 'Buddhist Stуpas of Amaravati," p, 107.] - 'the treasure-mound' - is reached by a gravelly foot-path running along the slope of the hill, which appears to have been once provided with steps of rubble stone. Struggling two or three furlongs along this unwelcome path we come to the crown of the hillock and to the mound 'Dhanam-дibbа' on it. Here are found the remains of what looks like a Buddhist stуpa consisting mostly of large-sized bricks and sometimes unhewn stone [Mr. Rea who discovered it for the first time has referred to it in his report for 1907-08, p, 8. He says that at the foot of the hills are the remains of a fort which, however, I was not able to identify]. On the southern side of the mound are seen also portions of a structure built of cut and dressed stone. The four rock cut wells on the south and west sides of the mound, 4 to 5 feet square and 6 to 7 feet deep, are of peculiar interest and seem to have been used once for storing water for the use of the occupants of the Buddhist monastery, as the mound may prove to be when excavations are properly carried out.
On the north wall of one of the wells on the western side of the mound measuring 5' 8 1/2" long by 5' 5 1/4" broad and 7' 2" deep, is engraved in 6 lines the Аndhra inscription, edited below, in Brаhmи characters of about the 3rd century A.D. This inscription which was published in 1908 by Dr. Konow in ZDMG, Vol. LXII, p. 591 f. has been noticed as No. 1341 by Dr. Luders in his List of Brаhmи Inscriptions in Vol. X, above. As remarked by Dr. Sten Konow in the Director-General of Archeology's Annual Survey Report for 1907-08, p. 225, this is the only lithic record hitherto discovered of the Аndhra king Chaдasаta, who is already known to us from a number of coins found in tlie Kistna and the Godavari districts. My friend Mr. G. R. Krishnama Acharlu, B.A., of the Madras Epigraphical Department has also spent some hours with me in reading the inscription directly from the stone; and the text given below is the joint production of both of us. The accompanying facsimile plate is reproduced from an inked estampage prepared under my direct supervision. The inscription thus deciphered will be seen to differ much from the published text of Dr. Sten Konow. The object of the record, for instance, was not the establishment of the earth-dwelling (bhumi vesa) of an unnamed minister (amacha), but was the establishment of the gift (dhama) of a khaмhgu (rock-cut well ?) by the minister Sasa of Khaддavali-the ancient form of the present village name Koдavali. [If, however, the reading bhumivesa (bhуmiveщman) of the learned Doctor is accepted, I would observe a striking coincidence in the term bhumigрha which occurs twice in the Sundarakандa of the Rаmаyana, (T. R. K.'s Edition, Chapters XII, 14 and XV, 4) where, in both instances, the commentator Gоvindarаja explains tbe term as bhуmaubilagрhа. The context also shows that these underground cellars of Rаvaнa's Palace and Pleasure-garden were primarily meant for hiding objects from the view ot the enemy. The same may have been he case with these so-called Rock-cut Wells of the Piтhаpuram forest which surely must have formed part of the Daндaka-forest and as such must have been once haunted by wicked Rаkшasas.] If this interpretation is right, the details of the date would correspond to Mаrgaщirшa bahuлa prathamа, somewhere in December 210 A.D., the second year of Chaмda-svаti.

TEXT. (HKS)

1 Sidhaм [|*] Raг[о] Vаsiтhи-
2 putasa sami-siri-
3 Chaмдasаt[i][sa] [ra]ji-vachhare 2
4 ma 1 he pa 2 d[i] 1 Khaддa[va]li-
5 amacha-Sa[sa]mi khagu-dhama
6 тhаpita [||*]
__________________
Direct from the stone.
L. 1. Spaces are left in the original after the complete words: -Sidhaм, raго, etc., as shown in the text. After Sami-siri-Chaмдasаtisa in l. 8 and after Sasami in l. 6, where we should have expected a space, it is wanting. The same system of separating words by spaces is found in the Hаthigumphа inscription of Khаravеla, the Myаkadoni inscription of Puлumаvi (above Vol. XIV, plate facing p. 155) and the Hиrahaдagalli inscription of Щiva-Skanda-varman, EI, I, plate facing p. 6.
L. 2. (for sami)[The plate gives sа -Ed.]