Epigraphia Indica Vol 14

SR No.: 032568
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Sten Konow, F W Thomas
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India
Publication Year: 1917
Total Pages: 480
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 24 MB

Page 342

No. 20.]
TAXILA INSCRIPTION OF THE YEAR 136.
has taken place in adya, and I think this explanation, for the time being, the most likely oue, though I am far from feeling certain about it.
287
Urasakena I take to be the name of the donor. The correct reading of this word is due to Dr. Thomas, who explains it as meaning " of Urasa" and indicating the nationality, not the name, of the donor. Though M. Boyer is of the same opinion, I prefer to explain Bahaliena as the national name, Sanskrit Bahlikšna. In the North-Western dialect in which the inscription is composed, the general rule seems to be that intervocalic k became a soft spirant and was eventually dropped in Indian and Indianised words, while it was commonly retained in foreign names and loan words which had not become naturalised. Thus in the Mathura lion capital we find samanumotakra, nakraraasa, mahasaghiana, kusulaasa, but Padika, Miyika, horaka; in the record under discussion we have prachaga and Bahaliena, but Urasakena. Urasaka is, moreover, a very likely name, containing the element saka, strength, which is rather common in Iranian.
The reading of the word after Urasakena is not certain. Sir John, who originally read Dhitaphria, has finally adopted the reading Lotaphria. Dr. Thomas suggests Imtaphria or Vimtaphria and sees in this name a variant of Vindapharna, Undopherres, Gondophernes, etc. So far as I can judge from the photograph the reading Imtaphria, or, as remarked by M. Boyer, rather Imtafria is the most likely one. The second akshara is not, however, to judge from a photograph which I owe to the kindness of Sir John Marshall, ta bat da. The anusvåra at the bottom of the letter seems to be certain, and the top is also different from lo, l. 5. I would therefore provisionally read Imdafria, though I admit that Lomdafria is also possible. At all events the form is certainly the genitive sing. of a name ending in fri. Compare Ayasia in the Mathura lion capital; Datia in the Kaldarra inscription; Kavifia in the Manikiāla bronze inscriptions; Kamagulya in the Wardak vase inscription.
Dhamaraie may be the oblique form of a dhamarai, which would represent a Sanskrit dharmaraji. This again might be a shorter form of the word dharmarajika, a stúpa. M. Boyer has, however, drawn attention to the fact that in another Taxila inscription we find Tachhaile agadhamaraie, which seems to represent a Sanskrit Takshasile agradharmarajike. It is, therefore, more probable that we have to assume a form dharmarajika with the same meaning as dharmarajika, though it is impossible to make any definite statement.
According to Professor Vogel dharmarajikä is more especially a stupa, the erection of which was ascribed to king Asoka, the dharmaraja. M. Boyer has, however, shown that this explanation is not quite certain, and I think the word can also be explained as meaning A stapa containing relics of the Buddha, the real dharmaraja. At all events dhamaraia must denote the Chir stapa itself, and this stapa M. Boyer is inclined to identify with the Kunála stupa mentioned by Hüan-tsang.
Tachhasie is, of course, miswritten for Tachhafilae, the oblique form of Tachhasila, Sanskrit Takshasilā.
Tanuvae was explained by Sir John as the name of some locality at Taxila. M. Boyer thinks that the word represents a Sanskrit tanuoyaya, "sacrifice of the body," and is the name of the Bodhisattva chapel mentioned in the next word. He compares the Vynghrijataka. To ne the dropping of the ya makes some difficulty. Though I admit the ingenuity of the explana
1 The compound bra in these words certainly denotes a guttural spirant.
1 See Justi, Iranisches Namenbuch, p. 509.
Mr. Pargiter reada kavofia and does not consider the form as a genitive. I read Kavitia chhatrapasa G(r)anafryaka chhatrapa-putrasa dapamukho, "gift of the Kshatrapa Kavisi, the son of the Kshatrapa Granafryaka." Cf. SBAW., 1916, p. 798. loc. oil. p. 204.
Archaological Survey of India, Annual Report, 1903-04, p. 238.