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262
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(OCTOBER, 1896.
recognisable by the railing which surrounds them as Chaitya trees such as are often mentioned in the Buddhist Canon, the Brahmanical law books and elsewhere, the second of them withont leaves being probably one of the so-called "shameless" trees which shed their leaves in winter,
(4) the object which Mr. Smith describes as a long-handled spoon, but which is probably meant for a toilet mirror, as the mirror is one of the auspicions objects (Vishnusmriti, 63, 29) and is depicted as such, together with other symbols, above the entrance of the Jaina cave at Junagadh, called Båwå Pyâri's Mačb,3 - (5) the so-called Chaitya symbol, which however in reality may be meant for a rude representation of Monnt Meru, -- () the symbol to the right of the preceding, which Mr. Smith takes to represent the sun and the moon, but which I call with Dr. Bhagvanlal' & nandipada, the foot-mark of Siva's ball Nandin. The two double. roofed ** pavilions," which I would rather describe as sheds on four posts with a double "chapper" or straw roof, can of course not have any auspicious meaning, but unquestionably are intended to illustrate the inscription, as Dr. Hörnle has suggested.
Tarning now to the inscription, I must state that, though in general agreeing with the readings of my predecessors, especially with Dr. Hörnle, I differ from them regarding the value of six signs. The seventh sign of line 1 is neither dha (Smith) nor gha (Hörnle), but ha. On the facsimile the little horizontal stroke to the right of the top of the curve is rather difficult to recognise, but on the electrotype it is plainly visible and it may be felt with the finger, The interior of the curve, which is too narrow for a gha, is half filled in owing to the unevenness of the mould. The first sign of the line 2 may no doubt be read as ri, as Mr. Smith and Dr. Hörnle do, but it may also be read as da. The game da occurs in the word uibavadileya of the Allahabad Queen's Edict and similar forms with rounded backs are found in the Kalsi version of the Rock-Edicts. The reading da is necessary, because this alone makes sense and because the dialect of the inscription, which is the old Magadhi of the 3rd century B. C., found also in Asoka's Pillar Edicts, his Bairat Edict No. 1, his Bara bar and Sahasram inscriptions and his Rock Edicts of Dhauli and Jaugada has no ra, invariably substituting la for it. The sixth sign of the same line is not dhe (Smith) or dha (Hörnle), but & cursive va, which resembles a cha turned round. The character is not at all uncommon in Asoka's Edicts. The fourteenth sign of line 3 is in my opinion neither le (Smith) nor nara (Hörnle), bat simply a slightly disfigured la. The electrotype does not shew the straight line of the facsimile across the curve, but two shapeless excrescences, a larger one on the outside and a smaller one on the inside of the curve, which no doubt have been caused by the unevenness of the mould. In line 4 the first sign is la both according to the facsimile and the electrotype and the fifteenth is a stunted ta of the type, common in Kålsi, not a ga. This appears plain on the electrotype. Regarding two other signs, the ninth and tenth of line 3, I feel very doubtful, though I give Dr. Hörnle's transcription. The ninth may be intended for cha, tu or lu and the tenth may be either me or mo. In accordance with these remarks, my transcript of the inscription is as follows:--
1. सवतियनमहमगनससनेमनवासतिक
2. 'डसिलिमतेवसगमेवएतेदुवेकोउगननि - 3: तिघवनिमथुनचचमोदमभलकनछ
4. जकयियतिअतियायिकयनोगहितवय The new readings alone will, however, not do much for the explanation of the text. It is absolutely necessary to accept Dr. Hörnle's suggestion regarding the omission of the long vowels and to claim the liberty of adding a-strokes, where they are required, as well as some Annsvåras, and to convert short i, when necessary, into long 1. And it seems to me that this is not asking
* Burgess, Arch. Surv. Rep. West. Ind. Vol. III. Pl. xviii, No. 3; compate Dr. Bhagvanlal's remarks in the paper quoted in note 2.
Acter ilu Viemo Congres Int. Or. Vol. III. 2, p. 130. See Tafel II 20, III, of the Grundries, Vol. I. part 11. . See Tafel II, 36, VIIL of the Grurulriss.
