________________
94
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[APRIL, 1907.
INSCRIPTION No. I. Position: High up on the Maitreya Rock. Text.
Translation. idkon mchog yumla phyag 'athsal dang, nga 1 greet the three highest beings (Buddhist Trinity)
(da 1) skyabs su yolte, rgyalpo chenpo, tsan po and ask them to come to my help. Making lha sraskyi sku yondu mngārisikyi' abangsla it as an offering of the great king, the Tsanpo, rigste, phyogs bcui semscan thamscadkyi the son of the gods, and for the benefit of] the bsoddamseu boodsnas, 'aphagspa byams dpal, subjects of m Ngaris, and for the benefit of all khor tang bcaspai ska yzugs......
the beings of the ten regions, the images of the ... pa mtbar brtan.... august Byams dpal (Maitreya) with his bgyis.
attendants ...... stúpa ...... made.
Notes on the Tibetan Text. ysolte; the style of the writing nsed for this word reminds us of the Endere Inscriptions in Tarkestan, where we find the final consonant of a syllable written not after, but below, the preceding one. In this case the l is written not after, but below the 8.
mngārisi, instead of later mNgūris. This is the ancient name of Western Tibet, as is proved by the rGyal-rabs, though in more modern times it has been restricted to the most Eastern part of that country.
rigs is the classical sgrigspa, arrange, &o. See Ladakhi Grammar, Law of Sound, No. 3.
bsodsnas ; I take this word to be another instance of placing the second consonant under the first. Otherwise the word would have to be read bangosnas, which would give it the sense of resolve to go the way of Nirvana,' according to Sarat Ch. Das' Dictionary.
byams-dpal, the glorious Maitreys. This shows that the inscription refers to the figure of Maitreya with his attendants carved along with it on the rock, giving the same date both for the inscription and its attendant sculptures. mthar- ten. I am told that this refers to a particular kind of stúpa.
INSCRIPTION No. II. Position: Behind the masonry-wall at the same n'te. Text.
Translation. dkon mehog yum dang, 'ajigrtengyi mgonpo Asking the three highest beings (Buddhist
kunla skyabssa yolnas, khyaba phagspa Trinity) and all the lords of the world to byamspa 'akbor dang bcaspaisku yugs khra come to my] help, the image of the august svalpa mthai bardu choskyi 'akhorlo dampa Maitreya with (bis) attendants (was made]. myurdu bslobpar skulla ysoldoing, dus mchod- Praying that the glorious (bright shining) one kyi rkyen sbyardpala sogspai bsodnams dang, may quickly teach and admonish the holy 'aphagspa mnamskyi byin rlabs kyis, btsanpo wheel of religion until the ends of the earth), Iba sras ydung rabs dang pbyoga beui semscan and that there may be the merit of the phalpo che .... thamscad, bdeskyid phon- confirmed effect and such like of the periodical sum thsogs shing, blanamedpai sangergyassa sacrifices; and through the blessing of the myurdu grubper stonte 'aphagspai aku ysugs exalted ones, may the btsanpo, the son of the rdo 'aburda bgyispao, yyaskyi dgebai bshes gods and (his) family, and the ordinary as nyen ramskyis kyang thsonyaal bur bgyibs well as the great beings of the ten quarters dang brtanpar bgpio.
remain in perfect blessing, and be taught to attain soon to the very highest Buddhahood. [For all this] the image of the exalted one was made of stone. All the friends of the virtue of the right hand will [from time to to timo) renew the colour (make clear colour) [of the image] and protect it (make it safe).
