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No. 23.) NEW BRAHMI INSCRIPTIONS OF THE SCYTHIAN PERIOD.
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left arm of tho imugo is missing. The Jina is seated in the dhyānamudra posture on a throne supported by a couple of lions standing (Plate II). The intervening space between the lions is occupied by a bas-relief. In the centre of the bas-relief is a wheel on a short Indo-Corinthian pilaster with two capitals and a square a bacas, while a devotee is seated on the ground on each side. To the right of the pillar ten women are standing in two rows with garlands in their hands and to the left a group of ten mea in similar positions. So far as I know, the usual order has been reversed in this case. The majority of bas-reliets on the pedestals of images from Mathuri show the men on the right and the women to the left of the wheel.
Nothing is known about the provenance of this image. It is now standing on a masonry pedestal without a label close to the entrance of the Jaina section. In his report for the month of April 1892, Dr. Führer, as the Curator of the Lucknow Museum, reports the presentation of "1 pedestal (sic) of a statue of a Tirthamkara, inscribed Saka-Sat vat 10, excavated from the ancient site of a Digambara temple at Ramnagar in Rohilkhand." It is possible that our image is referred to by these words of Dr. Führer.
TEXT. 1 Sam 10 2. Va 4 di 10 [1] ētasya parvvåyåth Kottiyató [ga]ņato
Ba[mJbhadāsi yajtó kulāto Uschēna) 2 garitö sükhito gavi[]ya Aryya Puši[lasya] sisini Datila . ti Harinan[di]sya
bhaginiye ni{ var*]3 taná sävikinai vaddha[ki]nina Jinadāsi Rudradēvs Dāttāgälā Rudradē[va).
såmi[na] Rud[ra]... [Gahami]tra ..... 4 Kumarasiri Vamadasi Hasti[sē]nā Grahasiri Rud[r]adeta Jayadāsi Mit[r]aširi
Remarks, 1. The symbol for 10 is peculiar. This form seems to show the transition between the form in No. I and that in No. V.
2. The akshara ki of vaddha [ki]ninai seems to be corrected by the engraver himself from ka.
3. The word Dattagala is most probably the name of a village. It occurs in an inscription on a colossal image of Buddha from Bodh Gaya now in the Indian Museum.
- TRANSLATION. In the year 12, the 4th (month) of the rainy season, the 11th day, on that (date specified as) above,- (an image was set up by the following) lay-hearers (who belonged to the caste) of carpenters, (vis.) Jinadäsi, Rudradēvā, Rudradēva-sāmi (Rudra devastīmin) of Dattāgāla, Budra.. Gahamitra (Grahamitra). ..i Kumarasiri (Kumārasri) Vamadasi (Brahmadāsi or Vāmādāsi) Hastisēnā, Grahasiri (Grahasri) Rudradatā (Rudradatta), Jayadāsi, Mitrasiri (Mitrasri). . . . at the request of . . ... . the sister of Datila. Harinandi, the female pupil of the venerablo Pušila out of the Kottiya gana, Bambhadāsiya (Brahmadasiya) kula and the Uchenagari (Uchchanagari) sākhā.
INW.P. and Oudh Provincial Museum Minutes, Vol. V. p. 6, Appx. A. ? J. A. S. B. Vol. XXXIII. p. 177, and Mitra, Buddha Gaya, p. 192.
? Vadakis (vaddkabino) occurs in one of the Sauchi inscriptions (ante, Vol. II. p. 389) in the sense of Carpenter.' Vadhai in Hindi means carpenter.'
• It is also possible that the two names Jinadasi and Rodradevi bare to be taken as one naine Jinadasi. Rudradeva. The mother's name might have been prefixed to distinguish ber from others bearing the naine Rudradova. The same may be the case with some of the other names in this inscription.
