Epigraphia Indica Vol 18

Author(s): H Krishna Shastri, Hirananda Shastri
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 37

16
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
No. 3.AN INSCRIBED RELIC CASKET FROM KURRAM.
BY THE LATE PANDIT V. NATESA AIYAR, B.A., PATNA.
This casket was brought to my notice in the year 1917, when I was Superintendent of the Archeological Survey, Frontier Circle, Peshawar, by Khan Sahib Mian Wasi Uddin, my Assistant. On enquiry I learnt that its exact find-spot was unknown, but that it was given as a present by a villager to one of the sons of the Nawab of Landi Yarghazo, while he was Tahsildar of Kurram. The casket is now in the possession of his younger brother, a student of the Edwardes College, Peshawar, from whom I tried to acquire it for the local Museum, of which I was the ex-officio Curator; but I could not succeed until the moment of my departure from Peshawar in January, 1919.
[VOL. XVIII.
The casket is made of copper and measures 18" in height. Its base is square and is attached to the drum by means of a fillet and grove joint. The harmika is of the convertional shape and loosely threaded on to a central shaft, also of copper.
The casket is almost perfect in every detail and has the appearance of a miniature stup with its harmind and umbrellas. (Pl. I, a)
The relics which the casket was meant to enshrine are no longer traceable. Likewise, as I have observed already, the exact find-spot of the casket is unknown. Neither could I, owing to the unsettled state of the Kurram valley, visit the spot and obtain any local information.
The inscription on the casket consists of four lines of Kharōshṭhi script punctured, as in the case of the Kanishka casket from Shah-ji-ki-dheri, on the four sides of its square base. The writing covers a space of 4" x 2" on each side and seems to be in fairly good preservation, except as regards the lowermost line on two of the sides, which, unfortunately, has disappeared altogether. (Pl. I, b, and Pl. II.)
The paleography of the record presents the same peculiarities as the silver scroll inscription from Taxila, the Kanishka casket from Shah-ji-kl-dheri and the Manikiāls casket. The letters are of the elongated and cursive variety and belong. undoubtedly, to the Kushan period. It is noteworthy that in the case of some of the letters in the present record, such as ka, dha, ya, sa and sa, the shape is not uniform throughout, but differs slightly in different places. This I attribute more to the carelessness of the engraver than to the transitional nature of the script at the time. This is borne out also by nearly the same symbol being used to represent ta, ra, ba and similarly of a and va.
The language is Prakrit and of the variety peculiar to the Western Punjab and the North-Western Frontier of India, which constituted the ancient kingdom of Gandhara. Among the orthographical peculiarities may be mentioned that cha is invariably used for ta, va for pa and ga for ya. Besides, double consonants are always represented by single consonants, as in avija for avijja, prachaga for prachchaga, viñana for viññana, phasha for phassa, tusha for tanha and dukha-khamdasa for dukkha-khamdhassa.
The inscription records the enshrinement of the bodily relics (sarira) of the Holy Sakya-muni in a shrine (gaha ?) belonging to the Sarvästivädin sect, in the year 21 (P), cn the twentieth day of the tenth month, Asvina. Then follows the anuloma portion of the text of the Pratitya-samutpada or Nilana-Sutra, which the Lord Buddha revealed soon after
1 A. 8. R. for 1912-13, p. 18 f. and Plate; Ep. Ind., Vol. XIV, plate facing p. 295.
4. 8. R. for 1908-9, p. 50 f.
J. R A. S.. 1920, pp. 193 ff.
•
[Wi h the reading and translation as given by me below, some of these details will be modified.-P. W. T.]
Ep. Ind., Vol. XII, Plate facing p. 299.