No. 1. RENTALA PILLAR INSCRIPTION OF SIRI-CHANTAMULA 1, YEAR 5
S. SANKARANARAYANAN. - EI, XXXVII. No. 5
The subjoined inscription,\1 edited with the kind permission of the Government Epigraphist
for India, was discovered in 1936 at Reнтаla, a village in Palnad Taluk, Guntur
District, Andhra Pradesh. It is engraved on a sculptured white marble stone pillar set up
on the southern mound of the hillock, locally known as Stambhаlabодu in the village. I
visited the hillock in January 1964. The pillar under question measures about 2.65 m in
height and about 25 cm X 25 cm at the bottom. An examination of the site gives an idea
that the original structure to which the pillar belonged might have been a mandapa,
circular in shape and having twelve pillars-four pillars set up in the middle, two on
either side of an entrance measuring about 90 cm and eight pillars at the end set up in
such a way as to form a circle. The inscribed pillar under study appears to be one of the
two pillars on the left side of the entrance. Unfortunately the whole structure is
completely broken to pieces and lost excepting our solitary pillar. The heights of other
broken eleven pillars vary from 10 cm to about 30 cm. The epigraph occupies an area of 75
cm x 24 cm and contains 15 lines. The proper right side of the lower part of the record
viz. lines 11-15, is broken away and the number of letters thus lost in each line varies
from one (line 11) to four (line 14). The preservation of the record, even in the extant
portion, is not quite satisfactory. However, in spite of the fragmentary nature, the
purport of the epigraph is far from doubt.
The characters of the record resemble those of the other inscriptions found at Nаgаrjunikoндa\2
and Jaggayyapeтa\3 belonging to the Ikшvаku rulers Vиrapuruшadatta and
Ehuvula-Chantamula and assigned to the middle and the second half of the third century
A.D.\4 However, the following peculiarities of our record are noteworthy. Unlike in the
above mentioned inscriptions, the middle stroke of the letter k and the bottom line of n
in the inscription under study are straight. Similarly, the bottom line of n is also
straight though its right end slightly curves downwards. These features suggest a slightly
earlier date for our record. The language of the inscription is Prakrit.
____________________
1 1 A.R. Ep., 1936-37, No. 349. back
2 2 Above, Vol. XX, pp. 1 ff. and Plates; Vol. XXI, pp. 61 ff. and Plates; Vol. XXXV, pp.
1 ff, and Plates. back
3 3 Arch. Surv. South India, Vol. 1, pp. 107 ff. and Plates LXII-LXIII. The macron over e
and o has not been used in this article. back
4 4 D. C. Sircar, Suc. Sаt., p. 1. back
TEXT
1 Siddha[m] | Namo Bhagavato [1*] Raмгo Vase.
2 . . . . siri-Chaмtamulasa vijaya-
3 [saм]vachhara[м] pachama[м] 5 vаs[а]нa[м] pakha[м]
4 padhamaм 1 divasa[м] padhamaм [1] | nakare Ga[м]-
5 jikuтe vathavasa vaнijaka[sa*] Saмghi-
6 [la]sa bhariya[ya*] cha vaнijakiнiya Haм-
7 ghaya putana vaнijakena Chuтi[dhа]-
8 [ra] sirинa sa-bhariyakeнa sa-dhutuke-
9 na sa-[suм]ha-vи(ni)vahena sa-mita-natuke[na]
10 [sa]-pacha-chatuмhi apaнo аyu-vadha-
11 . [kaм] v[i]jaya-vejayikam cha game Tuva[re]
12 . . . . . v[i]h[а]ra-ma[м]дale Upedagiri-vadha-
13 . . . . gavato Budhasa saмghasa
14 . . . дave selаmay[o] аya-
15 . khabho karito ti |
TEXT IN SANSKRIT
1 Siddham | Namo Bhagavate | Rаjгo Vаsiштhи-
2 putrasya щrи-Щаntamуlasya vijaya-
3 saмvatsare paгchame 5 Varшанам pakшe
4 prathame 1 divase prathame 1 | nagare Gaгji-
5 kутe vаstavyasya vaнijakasya Saмghi-
6 lasya bhаryаyащ=cha vaнijakаnyах Saм-
7 ghаyах putreнa vaнijakena Chудаdhа-
8 raщriyа sa-bhаryeнa sa-duhiтrike-
9 na sa-snuша-nivahena sa-mitra-naptрkena
10 saha paгcha-chaturbhiх аtmanaх аyur-vardha-
11 nikaх vijaya-vaijayikaх cha grаme Tuvare
12 . . . . . . vihаra-maндale Upendragiri-varddha-
13 mаne bhagavato Buddhasya saкghasya
14 . . . . . . maндape щailamayaх аya-
15 ka-skaмbhaх kаritaх iti [||]*
__________________________
Cf. D. C. Sircar, op. cit., p. 38. 4 From the impressions.
L. 1. The final m (in Siddham) is written slightly below the line.; This punctuation mark
is indicated by a small horizontal stroke.;
L. 2. The damaged letters are obviously tбhiputasa.
L. 4. This punctuation mark is indicated by a small horizontal stroke.
L. 7. Read putena.
L. 8. In the original pillar very faint mark of ra appears before si; read siriна.
L. 9. This letter (ha), originally written as а, is corrected into su.
L. 11. The lost letter may be restored as ni; Indistinct trace of this letter [re] - may
be found in the impression.
L. 12. Two letters seem to have been lost here which apparently contained the name of the
vihаra.
L. 13. The three letters which are lost here are obviously mаne Bha.
L. 14. Of the four letters which are broken away and lost, the last one may be restored as
ma.
L. 15. The broken portion of the pillar here must have been big enough to accommodate five
letters. But as the usual expression is аyaka-khabha or -skaмbha, only one letter viz.
ka appears to have been lost. Thus the last line ka-khabho, etc. appears to have been
engraved in the middle. Cf. above, Vol. XX, Plate facing p. 18, B. 4, line 7 and Plate
facing p. 19, C. 2, line 12.
Sk. L. 11. Better vaijaya-vijayikaх.