No. 53. Footprint slab inscription from Nagarjuниkoндa.
D. Ch. SIRCAR and A. N. LAHIRI - EI, Vol. XXXIII No. 46

(DS-AL) In tne course of the excavations conducted by the Department of Archaeology at the well-known Buddhist site of Nagarjunikonda, a monastic establishment with a four-winged monastery, a Stуpa and a Chaitya-gрha was completely exposed in the year 1955-56 at the site marked V-6. The discovery was briefly noticed in the Indian Archaeology, 1955-56-A Review, p. 24. In this connection, reference was made to the discovery of a stone slab, bearing the representation of the Buddha's feet and a small inscription engraved on it, near the entrance of the Stуpa.[See op. cit., Plate XXXIX, C.] According to the said notice, the inscription records that 'the sacred feet were of Buddha and were designed and consecrated by or for the Mahаvihаravаsins of the Theravаda-Vibhajjavаda school of Ceylon in a Vihаra described as Dharaнa-vihаra situated on the Praveнi'. [Macron over e and o to indicate the length of the vowels has not been used in this article.] It is further observed that the Mahаvihаravаsins are described as 'adepts in reading the marks on the human body and fixing horoscopes which constitute the eighth щаsana (abhuta) of the navaкga promulgated by Buddha' Unfortunately the statements regarding the contents of the epigraph are full of errors. They are apparently based on a defective transcript of the record. There is really no mention in the inscription of a Buddhist monastery called Dharaнa-vihаra, no description of the Mahаvihаravаsins of the Theravаda-Vibhajjavаda school of Ceylon as experts in reading the marks on human bodies and preparing horoscopes and no reference to the eighth щаsana of the Buddha.
Similar footprint slabs, sometimes uninscribed and sometimes bearing inscriptions, have been discovered at various early Buddhist sites including those of Amaravati and Nagarjunikoндa. It is well known that, in early Buddhist art, the Buddha was generally represented by symbols and one of the most popular symbols was his feet.[Coomaraswamy, History of Indian and Indonesian Art, p. 31.]
The Nagarjunikonda slab under study bears the representation of the two soles of two feet placed side by side with that of the Bodhi tree in railing, flanked by two human figures, on one side. The most prominent symbol engraved on each of the soles is the chakra. Behind this are an aкkuщa, a Nаga symbol, a triratna on chakra and a pair of fish with a щaкkha nearby, while in front of it are two Naga symbols, a svastika, a щrиvatsa and a pуrнa-ghaтa with a щaкkha near it. The five toes in front of the above bear respectively a stambha, an aкkuщa, another indeterminable symbol, a pair of fish and a triratna on chakra.[Cf. Monier-Williams, Buddhism, pp. 510 ff., 520 ff.; Burgess, Buddhist stуpas of Amarаvatи, pp. 97 ff. and Plates XLIII, 14; LII, 6 and 8; LIII, 1; MASI, No. 54, Plate XIXa; Marshall, Sагchи, Plates LXXXVIII, 22b, 75b; LXXXVII, 69a; LXXXII, 42b; Allan, Catalogue of Coins (Ancient India), pp. c, ci, cl, 131, 158-69, 273, etc.] The inscription under study is engraved in a rectangular space touching the toes of the feet.
There are only three lines of writing covering an area about 13 3/4 inches in length and about 2 inches in height.
The characters are similar to those of the epigraphs incised during the reign of the Ikшvаku king Vиrapuruшadatta and may be assigned on palaeographical grounds to a date about the middle of the third century A.D.

TEXT

1 Sidhaм [|*] аchariyanaм Theriyаnaм Vibhaja-vаdаnaм Kasmira-Gaмdhаra-Yavana-Vanavаsa-Taмbapaмnidipa-pasаdakanaм
2 Mahаvihаra-vаsinaм nava[м]ga-Sathu-sasana-atha-vyajana-vinichhaya-visaradanaм ariya-va[м]sa-paveni-dharanaм
3 vihаre Bhagavato pаda-saмghада nipatiтhapito sava-satаnaм hita-sukh-athanаya ti | 19

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From impressions.
L. 3. The intended reading is either saмghада nipatiтhapitа or saмghадo nipatiтhapito; the punctuation is indicated by a horizontal line.