No. 35. Kanheri Buddhist cave inscription. Mixed dialect
| The inscription is on the left-hand side-wall outside the verandah of Cave No.50. It is interesting to note that the board for writing the inscription is made smooth. The upper portion of the inscription is deeply cut. After line 7, there is a svastika. There are three faint lines thereafter. It measures 1.50 m x 1.6 m. Letters 8 cm. x 4.4 cm. Characters: The characters show the admixture of Bràhmè of 3rd Century A.D. (Southern variety) and the earlier forms. Language: The inscription has recorded the most remarkable mixture of Sanskrit and Prakrit forms. Language: Prakrit. Orthography: The inscription has recorded the duplication of letters in the words 'Àryyaghoøasya ', 'Bhàdràjaíijàíam', 'deyyadharmma', 'puttàía', 'òòhitàíam', 'sarvvasatvàíam '. (ShG) |
| 1847 Bird, Hist. Res. Plate XLVII, 25; 1861 West, JBBRAS VI, p. 9, No. 37, and Plate; 1883 Buôhler, ASWI V, p. 85, No. 27; Luders list 1018; ShG No 33; |
| Lu: - Fragment. Dedication of a cave (låía) and a water-cistern (pàíiyya-pîähè) . . . . as the property of the Bhàdrajaíijjas (Bhadràyaíèyas), for the merit of the donor's mother Naìdinikà (Nandinikà). One cell (îvaraka) is the gift of the donor's wife, the housewife (ghariíè) Dàmi[là]. The merit is assigned to the donor's sons Je . . . , his nephew Àryyaghîøa, his daughter Saìghadåvanikà, and other relatives. |
TEXT.
1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . leíaì pàíiyya[poähi cha] . . .
2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ía Bhàdrajaíijjàíaì pratigrahe [|] etta
póíaì
3. . . . . . . . . . màtua cha Naìdiíikà bhàjàya ghariíiya Dàmi-
4. [làya] . . . . . . ya ekka ovarako deyyadhaìrmma etto cha puíabhàgo puttànaì je-
5. . . . . . . . sya bhàtuputrasya cha Àryyaghoøasya dhutua cha Saìghadevanikàya
6. . . . . . íatukàíaì nàtiíaì panatukàíaì panatiíaì ùuíhàíaì savvaseva
cha kulasya
7. [a]titàíaì òòhitàíaì aíagatàíaì cha sàrvvasatvàíaì cha
hitasukhàrtthàya bhavatu tti [||]
L 8 Kàhàpaíàni datàni 1600 Kallivanaì Kakalakarardha visito òhapanaì vàähi
patike sataì 100 màtta ekachaì dati
L 9 Vàähapaíiko mhàdiam sulabhati visiya nigamà natti àsandi khatavvà etta leíe
vasattàíaì beno bhikhunà
____________________________________
L. 3. Thus from ASWI, ShG read Naìdininikàyal and in notes: the reading would be
'Nandinikàya'.
L. 4. ASWI read puttàna
L. 5. Buôhler has not read . . sya.
L. 6. ASWI - read íàtiíaì; Buôhler has not read cha.
L. 7. ASWI - read: aíàgatàíaì;
ShG - Buôhler has not noted (he note, that he is unable to make out the whole of
postscript - DNL) the last three (two - DNL) lines. The letters of the last three lines
are small, thin and bleak in appearance. However, the following meaning could be
reconciled. It narrates a perpetual endowment of 1600 kàrøàpaías. The reading of lines
8 and 9 could be made out with the help of photograph and the eye-copy of West. The
donation of 1600 kàrøàpaías was made by stone-masons from Kallivana, near Nasik. Line
9 states that the rich trader Sulabhati among them repaired the washed away road and his
relatives excavated the benches for the two Bhikøus tho were living in that cave.