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394
H, D, SANKALIA
that the Bhadanta before he became a Jaina bhiksu, must have been a kşatriya and follower of the cult of Indra, which later became unpopular.
The name Kāhi also appears for the first time and would stand for Kāšī. If so, this would be the earliest epigraphical occurrence of the name Kāši or if it is read as sāhakehisaha, it will mean together with other devotees.
The cave is situated in the hitherto unknown group of hills. And there cannot be a single Jaina cave. There must be many more, which need to be searched.
The inscription from the estampage as well as from a personal examination of the text in the cave reads as follows:
Text:
(?) 7) Brent figato (-) (२) द भदंत इदरखितेन लेन (3) #TUTTET (-) Tife 7 TAIF
(%) Te. This is a form in many inscriptions from Mathura, Pabhosa and Udayagiri as discussed above. This word might be taken as an absolutive form. Cf. Sanskrit Kộtua. For a precedent we may site Abhwädetunam in Calcutta-Bairat edict of Asoka. Hulutch CII, Vol. I, p. 172. If this suggestion is not acceptable we might read the word as Katunada as a geographical name, though so far no such word for a country or a place has been known. For each of these four alternatives there is some justification. For the first alternative, we may cite the inscription No. 5 in Cave No. V from Kuda which reads:
Lenar podhr cha saha Bodhıya saha
(ASWI. Vol. IV, p. 85). If so Kāhi will stand for Käsi, a woman (disciple or a relative). In inscription No. 6 saha first appears unabbreviated, but later as sa only.
For the second interpretation, there is no early precedent. Probably the word sâdhaka never occurs so early. The word sahakahi for sākha-ka.
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