TO No. 31

No. 30. Inscription of Vиrapuruшadatta, 273 A.D. (two variants of reading)

J.Ph Vogel EI, XXI, 11
Inscription on carved pillar found near Stуpa No. 9.

Next we have an inscribed carved pillar found underground near stуpa No. 9. This stуpa, measuring 42 feet in diameter, is an isolated monument near a fortified hill which stands on the south-western side of the valley and not far from the river. The pillar which is rounded at the top is carved with five panels placed one above the other. The carving has suffered from exposure; but, as far as we can see, the subject of the reliefs does not appear to relate to the Buddha legend or to any of the jаtakas. The uppermost panel contains a domed building. The next one shows a corpulent male person, perhaps a king, seated in the midst of four females, one of whom seems to hold a chаmara. In the third panel there is apparently the same royal personage, [See my remarks in A. S. R., 1929-30, Epigraphical Section, under Inscriptions from Nаgаrjunikoндa.-Ed.] attended by five women, of whom three seated on the floor seem to be making music. The fourth panel shows an elephant mounted by two persons and surrounded by four marching attendants. The man seated on the neck of the elephant must be a rаjа, as is evident from the parasol visible over his head and held by the attendant sitting behind him. The scene exhibited in the fifth or lowermost relief is very curious. It shows a group of eight men; most prominent among them is a bare-headed corpulent person who seems to hold a staff in his left hand. He wears sandals, but for the rest his dress is remarkably simple. Notwithstanding the plainness of his attire, he must be a king, for behind him we notice an attendant holding a parasol, the emblem of royalty, over his head. On his right there is another attendant holding a vessel in both hands. The other persons of which the group is composed have the appearance of monks. In the midst of the group there is what looks like a heap of stones. [Possibly ingots or gift-money.-Ed.] Possibly the supposed stones are intended to be seen in perspective, so that in reality they are meant to be placed in rows on the ground. In that case, however, there is no reason why the legs of the attendant holding the vase should be partly concealed.
The inscription, which we call L, is engraved immediately under the last-mentioned panel. It consists ot thirteen lines of close writing. The letters are small and partly worn like the carvings above. The result is that in several places the reading is uncertain.

D. C. Sircar - EI, V. XXXV No. 1. A.

(D.S.)This inscription, now preserved in the Nаgаrjunikoндa Museum, is indeed one of the most important among the Ikшvаku epigraphs so far discovered. It was edifced by J. Ph. Vogel along with a large number of Nаgаrjunikoндa inscriptions published in Vols. XX and XXI of this journal. Unfortunately Vogel's transcript and translation of this particular record, which appears in Vol. XXI, pp. 63-64 (Pillar Inscription No. L), are both full of errors. His failure to read and interpret the inscription correctly seems to be largely due to the fact that its impressions examined by him were unsatisfactory.