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NOVEMBER, 1880.)
THE PAHLAVI INSCRIPTIONS AT KAŅHERI.
267
Mah-bâzâe, Mâh-alyyâr va Bandêsh* i Hîrâd-farukhó, va Mâh-bandâd-i Gêhân-khash chash"-nyôkhsh.
The following are translations of these three inscriptions, as transcribed above; the words in italics being understood, but not expressed, in the original Pahlavi :
1. In the name of God.15 Through strong omens and the good Judge this year 378 of Yazdakard, on the day Adhar- mazd of the month Mitrô (10th October 1009), there have come to this place the co-religionists" Yazdan-pansk and Mâh-aiyyâr sons of Mitra- aiyyar, Panj-bûkht and Padar-bûkht sons of Máh-aiyyâr, Mardan-shad son of Hirad-Bahram and Hîrad-Bahrâm son of Mardan-shad, Mitraaiyyâr son of Bahrâm-pankh and Bâbrâm-panah son of Mitra-alyyâr, Falan-zâd and Zâd-sparham sons of Atûr-mâhân, Nák-mâhân, Din-Bahrâm Bajúrg-átûr, Hârâd-mard, and Bêh-zâd son of Mah.....
2. In the name of God. In the year 378 of Yazdakard, the month Avân and day Mitrô (24th November 1009), there have come to this place the co-religionists Yazdan-pânak and Mâh-aiyyar, sons of Mitraaiyyår, Panj-bûkht and Padar-bûkht sons of Mâh-aiyyar, Mardân-shậd son of Hirad-BAbrâm and Hirad-Bahram" son of Mardan-shậd, Mitraaiyyår son of BAhrâm-panah and Bahrâm-panah son of Mitra-aiyyår, Falân-zâd and Zad-sparham sons of Atûr-mâhân, Nak-mâhân, Dîn-Bährám, Bajůrg-âtûr, Hirâd-mard, and Bêh-zâd sons of Mâh-bázke, and Båbrâm-panah son of Mitrabandad. In the month Aturo Allharmazd son of Avân-bandád died.'
3. In the name of God." In the month Mitrô and day Ding of the year 390 of Yazdakard (30th October 1021) there have come from Irân" to this place Mâh. Frôbag and MAb-alyyáros sons of Mitra-aiyyâr Panj-bûkht" son of Mâh-aiyyår, Mardan-shado
son of Hîråd-Bahrain, Bôh-zâd son of Mitravindad, Javidan-bûd son of Babrâm-Gushnasp, Bajúrg-âtûres son of Mâh-bázke, MAh-aiyyâr and Bandôsh sons of Hîrâd-farukhỏ, and Mah-bandad son of Gôhân-khash, the listener to instruction."
It must have been during the visit mentioned in this third inscription that the few words were inscribed on the dâgoba, as mentioned above ; for they mention the same year and one of the same names. This short inscription (No. 5 on the accompanying plate), was correctly deciphered in 1866, as published in the Zartoshti Abhids, No. 3, p. 164, and is as follows:
Shnat 300 90-1 Yazdaka(rd) Shatra-iyar
Mâh-Fröba(g). The year 390 of Yazdakard Shatra-iyår. MAh-Frôbag.
Besides these four Pahlavi inscriptions at Kaņhori there has been a fifth (No. 4 on the plate), of which only two or three detached letters are legible on another stone of the dâgoba, which is now in the Museum of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. This inscription appears to have consisted of seven vertical lines on a flat space between two groups of sculpture; but the surface of the stone is so much decayed, that the letters legible are only just sufficient to show that the words have been Pahlavi.
The interest attaching to these Pahlavi inscriptions is threefold :-First, they show that | Parsis visited the Kanheri Caves early in the
eleventh century. Secondly, they exhibit the form of Pahlavi writing at that period, though due allowance must be made for the fact that such cursive writing is not well-adapted for inscribing on stone. Thirdly, they indicate what kind of names was commonly used by the Parsis of those times; differing very much from the kind now in use.
13 Or, perhaps, Bisth. 2. This word is doubtful, being partly broken away. 16 The Pahlavi word is here in the singular number.
16 As already stated, the reading of this first phase is doubtful. Another guess would make it mean "in a good omened and happy state I write."
11 This word is doubtful, but hamdingkan seems to be the only intelligible reading for it as it stands in No. 2.
13 Breaking off in the middle of a name.
19 Probably son of the preceding man, who had been named after his grandfather, a custom still common among the Parsis.
10 That is in the following month (9th Dec, to 8th Jan.). It might possibly be "on the day MAh of the month Ator
(20th Deo.)"; or it might be translated "Mah-Atdr and A dharmad sons of Avan-bandAd died," but the word " died" is doubtful. This last sentence seems to have been a later addition to the inscription.
The Pahlavi word is here in the plural number. 13 The words "from Iran" are doubtful, being partly cat away to form a mortice in the rock for attaching woodwork.
» These four names also ocour in the former lists in Nos. 1 and 2:
3. This last phrase is doubtful, and it is possible that the list of name is incomplete in this inscription, as it is in that on the other pilaster.
