________________
282
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
(VOL. XXIV.
the left of the vertical, whilst in the letter read as nu here, as in Videtürapallikā, the re-ascent is to the right. The letter can only be tu. That the last letter is da and not da, is shown by copper plate No. 2 of 1924-25 (Madras), where the back of da has a notch at the right whilst that of da lacks it. Mutuda being the correct Sanskrit reading, Hultzsch's reading must be abandoned in favour of Mududa which would be the Präkrit form of Mutuda.
XV. The Mattepad plates of Damodaravarman (Above, Vol. XVII, pp. 327 ff., text, ll. 2-3).
Anēka-go-sahasr-anēka-Hiranyagarbh-odbhav-odbhavasya. Hultzsch has read the word preceding go-sahasra as a[vandhya), and translated; pregnant'. A careful examination of the plates shows that the proper reading of the phrase is as given above.
Hultzsch's translation : "(and) who is the origin of the production (i.e., who has caused the performance) of many Hiranyagarbhas and of (gifts of) thousands of pregnant cows", must be amended into : "(and) who is born of one who was the cause (or one who was born) of several Hiranyagarbhas and of several go-sahasras ", meaning that Dāmõdaravarman's father made these two dānas repeatedly. The play upon the word udbhava has special reference to the nature of the Hiranyagarbha and is untranslatable.
XVI. A Karla Chaitya Pillar Inscription. While all other Chaitya Pillar inscriptions at Karla are incised on octagonal columns having a pot-shaped base, lotus-shaped top, and elephant capital, this inscription is on one of the eight plain octagons in the apse, standing second from the right row. (Marked x on the photograph.)
The letters resemble those on the other pillars. But the cursive ha of our inscription, especially the hi in putahi, is peculiar. Medial o is indicated in bho by two short strokes one going up and the other going down from the horizontal. The e sign in Je is attached to the centre of the letter.
The orthography of the inscription calls for very few remarks. In cognate inscriptions be is used for dvē, e.g., bitiye for dvitiye (Karla No. 22, ASWI., Vol. IV, p. 113 and Näsik No. 2 above, Vol. VIII, p. 60), bitiyika for dvitiyikā (Junnar Nos. 3 and 18 ASWI., Vol. IV, pp. 93 and 95). In one of the Junnar inscriptions (ASWI., Vol. IV, No. 25, pp. 96-7) we have however ve.
The language is Prakrit.
The personal names, Jebubhūti, Mițidasa and Bhayabhūti are names not met with in other records, though the last one may recall to our mind the Bhāya.. ....of a Nānāghat relievo inscription. Dāsa and bhūti enter into the composition of names (Násik No. 8, above, Vol. VIII and ASWI., Vol. V, No. 23, pp. 83 ff.).
TEXT.
1 Dhenukākața Mițidasa-vejasa 2 thabho dāna[m] sahā bhariyāya Jayami3 tãye(ya) sahá ve put[e]hi Bhayabhūtina 4 Jebubhūtinā - cha Vasumit[a]ya cha.
TRANSLATION. Gift of a pillar by the physician (vejasa Skt. vaidyasya) Mițidāsa, of Dhenukākața, with his wifo Jayamita, two sons Bhayabhūti and Jebubhūti' and with Vasumita."
[Reading may be Jabu- or Jambubhati.-Ed.) * She was perhaps a daughter.
