Component-I (A) – Personal Details

Component-I (A) – Personal details:

Prof. P. Bhaskar Reddy Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati.

Prof. P. Bhaskar Reddy Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. & Dr. K. Muniratnam Director i/c, Epigraphy, ASI, Mysore.

Prof. Suchandra Ghosh Dept. of AIHC, University of Calcutta.

Prof. P. Bhaskar Reddy Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati.

Component-I (B) – Description of module:

Subject Name Indian Culture

Paper Name Indian Epigraphy

Module Name/Title Inscriptions of Heliodorus, Dhanadeva and Huvishka

Module Id IC / IEP / 31

Pre requisites History of Post-Mauryan period

To know about the content of Besnagar Garuda pillar Objectives inscription, Ayodhya inscription of Dhanadeva and Mathura inscription of Huvishka

Keywords Heliodorus / Dhanadeva / Huvishka

E-text (Quadrant-I) : In this module three different inscriptions of three dynasties have been compiled together. The only rationale behind this is that they belong to the post-Mauryan period covering a time frame of late second century BCE to second century CE. Moreover two of them are connected to the Shunga period. Content wise they belong to three distinct genres. We shall begin with the Besnagar Pillar inscription of Heliodorus. Topic – I : Besnagar Pillar inscription of Heliodorus Introduction The Shunga dynasty succeeded the Mauryas in north India. During the Shunga rule there was Greek incursions into their territory which is known from Patanjali’s Mahabhasya. The Mahabhashya of Patañjalī (III.2.111)i amplifies the information on the Greek invasion described in the Yugapurā nạ . He indicated the besieging of Sā keta (near Ayodhya in the Faizabad District of Uttar Pradesh) and of Madhyamikā (Nagari near Chittor in Rajasthan) by the yavana as instances of the recent past (‘Arunạ d Yavano Sā ketaṁ , Arunạ d Yavano Mā dhyamikā m’). Patañjalī also indicated that the yavanas lived outside Madhyadeśa which was situated to the east of Adarsa. The date of Mahā bhā shya is taken to be c.150 BCE. Therefore, in this case, it was Menander who was, perhaps, the leader of the yavanas (Greek). The Mā lavikā gnimitram, a play by Kalidā sa, preserves the memory of the defeat of the yavanas at the hands of Vasumitra, the grandson of Puśyamitra Suṅ ga around the same time. Yavanas were generally identified with the Bactrian and Indo-Greeks. The conflict apparently took place when in the course of Pushyamitra’s Ashvamedha sacrifice, the Yavanas challenged the horse which was accompanied by the young prince and his soldiers. In this background of rivalry between the Indo-Greeks and the Shungas, the Besnagar pillar inscription indicates a transition to cordial relation between the two powers. It is an interesting inscription of the Shunga period which is inscribed on a pillar at Besnagar (Bhilsa district of Madhyapradesh), the site of ancient Vidisha. Language and Script : the language is central-western epigraphic Prakrit with some sanskritic spellings. The script is Brahmi of the Shunga period. It consists of six lines. Date: Fourteenth regnal year of king Kasiputra Bhagabhadra , late second century BCE?

Purpose: The inscription records the setting of this pillar, a garudadhvaja (a column with its capital adorned by the figure of Garuda), in honour of Lord Vasudeva by Heliodorus, an ambassador of the Greek king of Taxila, Antialcidas to the court of Kasiputra Bhagabhadra. Summary: The inscription says that this garuda pillar of Vasudeva, the God of Gods was constructed here by Heliodora (Heliodorus), the Bhagavata, son of Diya (Dion) of Takhkhasila (Taxila), the Greek ambassador, who came from the great king Amtalakita (Antialcidas) to king Kasiputra Bhagabhadra, the Saviour, prospering in his fourteenth year. The other side of the pillar has a short inscription translated as follows [These] three steps to immortality, when correctly followed, lead to heaven:control, generosity and attention. Historical Importance The Besnagar pillar inscription indicates that the Shungas continued the Maurya tradition of entertaining ambassadors from Greek courts and demonstrates a kind of friendship. We were aware of king Antialcidas (115-95 BCE) from his coins. This inscription further proves his presence as a king of Taxila. The identification of Bhagabhadra is also a matter of discussion. From the Puranas we learn that there were ten kings in the Sunga dynasty and Kasiputra Bhagabhadra was the fifth king. According to D.R. Bhandarkar and D.C. Sircar, Bhagabhadra ascended the throne sixty one years after Pushyamitra Sunga founded the dynasty in 187 BCE. Thus Bhagabhadra ruled around 126 BCE. It is interesting to note the titles used in the inscription. Thus Maharaja was used for Antialcidas and Rano for Bhagabhadra. The use of the title ‘tratarasa’ deserves mention. It is the Prakrit form of ‘Soteros’ meaning ‘Saviour’ used by many Indo-Greek rulers on their coins. Since the inscription was written by a Greek, he used the said title also for the ruler of Vidisa. The appellation ‘Kashiputra’ before Bhagabhadra is significant. It suggests the use of the mother’s gotra by the son. ‘Kaso’ was the name of the gotra of Raja Bhagabhadra’s mother and so he was named Kashiputra Bhagabhadra. The religious importance of this inscription is immense. Heliodorus professes to be a follower of Vasudeva (the incarnation of Vishnu as Krishna) and obviously though he is an ethnic Greek, has become a Vaishnava. According to scholars the advent of the Vaishnava sect resulted from the emergence of mainly three gods—Vishnu, the Vedic personification of Sun-God, Narayana (the chief deity of Pancharatrins) and Vasudeva Krishna (the deified hero of the Vrishni). What is striking that he established a garuda pillar, garuda, being the vehicle of Vishnu. The foundation of a structure near the pillar no doubt represents the remains of an ancient temple in front of which the Greek ambassador left an inscribed record of his devotion. So the antiquity of the cult of Bhagavata is evident from this inscription. This was the time of newly emerging Bhagavata sect, whose beliefs and practices facilitated the process of acculturation. These trends isolated Vedic Brahmanism as a recipient of royal patronage. The Bhagavata sect was open to accepting persons who came from societies without caste such as the Hellenistic Greeks. Related to this is the silver coins of Agathocles (185–170 BCE) which depict the brahmanical deities Balarāma-Sam͘karṣana and Vāsudeva- Kṛṣṇa, the earliest depictions of these two gods ever attested in India. Sam͘karṣana- Balarāma is shown holding a musala (pestle) and a hala (plough), while Vāsudeva-Kṛṣṇa holds a cakra (wheel) and a śaṅkha (conch shell). Sam͘karṣana is depicted on the obverse with the legend in Greek, while Vā sudeva is represented on the reverse with the legend in Brā hmī .ii This suggests a period when Sam͘karṣana was at the head of the cult of the five Vrishnị heroes (pañchavīra) of the Bhāgavata religion. Heliodorus was apparently well versed in the Mahabharata. The three immortal precepts dama, chaga and apramada, self control, self denial and watchfulness mentioned in the second part of his inscription occur in the Mahabharata. Thus this inscription highlights the popularity of Vasudeva-Krishna who was worshipped as the God of Gods in second century BCE which is supported by

numismatic data from Afghanistan. Conversion of a Greek ambassador to Bhagavata cult speaks eloquently of the influence this cult had in the post-Mauryan period. Topic –II : Ayodhya Inscription of Dhanadeva Introduction The city of Ayodhya was the earliest capital of the Kosala (Uttar Kosala) janapada. It stood on the river Sarayu (modern Ghagra) and has been identified with modern Ayodhya in the Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh. The early inscribed coins from Ayodhya gives us the names of certain rulers like Dhanadeva, Visakhadeva, Muladeva, Vayudeva, Naradatta and Sivadatta. It is highly probable that Dhanadeva of the coins is same as the Dharmaraja Kausiki putra Dhana (Deva), king of Kosala who is mentioned in the Ayodhya inscription which we shall discuss. In this epigraph which may be assigned on palaeographical grounds to the end of the first century BCE, king Dhanadeva is represented as the son of Phalgudeva as the sixth in descent probably on the mother’s side from Senapati Pushyamitra, the performer of two Ashvamedhas. This Pushyamitra was definitely Pushyamitra Shunga. Language : The document is written in correct Sanskrit and is thus one of the few early inscriptions recorded in that language. Script : Brahmi of c.1st century CE which shows considerable resemblance with the inscriptions of the northern kshatrapas. It consists of two lines. Date: First century CE Purpose of the inscription: The inscription records the erection of a shrine or other memorial by him in honour of his father Phalgudeva. Dhanadeva is represented as the lord of Kosala (Kosaladhipa). The inscription thus adds a new name to the list of the kings of Kosala known from the coins. Ketana actually was a structure for the accommodation of an image of the deceased, or a structure or pillar (dhvajastambha) on the cremation ground in memory of Phalgudeva. The inscription was first brought to the notice of scholars by Babu Jagannath Das Ratnakara of Ayodhya. It is inscribed on a flat stone slab at the foot of the eastern entrance of the Samadhi of Baba Sangat Baksh which is said to have been built in the time Nawab Shujauddaula. The shrine and the connected buildings is situated in the western portion of a large walled enclosure known as Ranopali about a mile distant from the town of Ayodhya on the road leading to Fyzabad. Subsequently it has been studied by G.H.Ojha, K.P. Jayaswal, N.K.Bhattasali, N. G.Majumdar, A. Bannerjee Shastri, D. R.Sahni and D.C.Sircar. It is the first inscription on stone or metal which mentions the name of Pushyamitra, the celebrated founder of the Shunga dynasty. He was earlier known only from literary sources. Pushyamitra’s horse sacrifice is referred to in the Mahabhashya and the Malavikagnimitra which also styles him as senapati. The title appears to have been popular even after his accession to the throne. Pushyamitra possibly never assumed any royal title even after becoming a king. The Ayodhya inscription records the performance of two Ashvamedha sacrifices by Pushyamitra. It goes to the credit of Pushyamitra that he revived this sacrifice. The Ayodhya inscription is also interesting as it establishes the fact that the correct name of the founder of the Shunga dynasty was Pushyamitra and not Pushpamitra. Finally the epithet Kosaladhipa used by Dhanadeva suggests that this inscription was probably inscribed prior to the Kushana foray in the region for we know from the Rabatak inscription of Kanishka that his empire included Saketa which was very much within the domain of Kosaladhipa.

Topic-III : Mathura Brahmi inscription of Huvishka of the year 28 Introduction The chronological framework of the dynasty of the Great Kushans is provided by a series of inscriptions dated in the era of Kanishka. Recent historiography prefers to place Huvishka (year 28-60) as the direct successor to Kanishka I. Earlier scholars placed Vasishka after Kanishka. Huvishka was a very powerful and famous Kushana monarch well represented in a large variety of coins and inscriptions. The dates recorded in his inscriptions range from year 28 to 60, indicating a long reign of over three decades, assignable in terms of the Saka/Kanishka era from 106 CE to 138 CE. Huvishka’s reign was a period of political security and economic prosperity. The extensive range of gold coins of Huvishka, retaining a good weight standard and high gold purity, suggests economic stability closely associated with political stability. The inscription is engraved in a pillar and it consists of 13 lines. This inscription has been edited by Sten Konow, K.P.Jayaswal, H.K.Deb, D.C.Sircar. Language and Script : The script of the inscription is Brahmi of Kushana variety and the language is Prakrit influenced by Sanskrit. Numerous early inscriptions of Mathura are written in this language. Purpose of the inscription : The purpose of the inscription is to record the endowment of a punyasala, a hall for acquiring merit through distribution of alms, with an akshaya nivi i.e.a permanent endowment which could not be withdrawn and whose interest alone could be enjoyed. Summary of the inscription: In the year 28, on the first day of Gorpiaios, an eastern/old hall of merit was given a perpetual endowment by the son of Kanasarukamana, the lord of Kharasalera and an official in charge of temple (Vakanapati). Though earlier Bakhan was taken to be a place, H.W.Bailey has suggested that it should mean in charge of temple. The endowment is of 550 puranas in each of the two guilds of flour makers(samitakara) and another(word broken) guild. From the interest of that endowment each month hundred Brahmanas should be served in the open hall. Each day in front of the door of the hall of merit, some provisions for the benefit of hungry and thirsty destitutes must be made. These are three adhaka of groats, one prastha salt, one prastha saku (meaning not known), three ghataka and five mallaka of green vegetable bundles. The merit for this should be accrued to the Devaputra Shahi Huvishka and also to those to whom the Devaputra is dear and may the merit accrue to the whole world. The title ṣāhi is very rare in his time Historical Importance In this inscription we find the use of the Macedonian month Gorpiaios (Gurppiya). This is in congruence with inscriptions from the north-west. A change in the dating pattern in north- west India was noticed following the Greeks. In the inscriptions from north-west , we find not only references to Indian months named after stars but also to Macedonian or Greek months. These include the Panemos (Panemasa), the Artemisios (Arthamisiya), the Apellaios (Apela), the Daisios (Daisika), the Audunaios (Avadunakalga) . Thus, the Taxila Inscription of Moga is dated in the fifth day of the month of Panemasa of the year 78 or the Wardak Inscription of Huvishka of the year 51 is dated on the fifteenth day of the month of Arthamisiya of the year 51 of the Kanishka Era. This change in the dating pattern in the north-west commenced during the rule of the Indo-Greeks and continued till the Kushā nạ period. Thus even in Mathura, use of Macedonian month continued. It is also apparent that this system was influenced by the pattern of dating familiar to the Greek world. The economic importance of this inscription is remarkable. The existence of the guild of traders (sreni) in Kushana Mathura is suggested by this epigraph. It records two perpetual

endowments (akshayanivi) in purana currency made in two guilds, entrusted with the task of performing certain acts out of the interest on the amount. Thus only the interest was to be enjoyed and not the capital. Obviously the Srenis in the Kushana empire acted as banking corporation. The money that they had to pay as interest could have been covered by investing the endowed amounts in trade on higher interests. This would also ensure supply of capital to traders, which would result in the increase of trading activities. It is an example of monetized transactions in a commercial economy. The term akshaya nivi deserves our attention. An akshaya nivi was a permanent endowment in the sense that it was given on the condition that the principal of the endowment would be maintained in perpetuity and the donee could make use of the income accruing from its interest. In the Buddhist context it represented a long term investment of capital for the benefit of the sangha. The first inscriptional reference to this term occurs in the second Nasik inscription of Saka ruler Usavadata which records the endowments he has placed with two different guilds. In the case of this inscription the donation is not to Buddhist sangha or monks but to the benefit of the brahmanas, but the vocabulary is practically the same as Buddhist donations. Thus it draws upon the financial transactions of the period. Saka-Kushana world was that of trade and commerce and therefore such terms gained ground. Donation to the guild of samitakaras (wheat flour dealers) indicates the importance of the profession. The Samitakaras are also included in the list of guilds given in the Mahavastu. The entrusting of a substantial amount of money with these guilds speaks of their economic stability. Another interesting phenomenon is the use of the term ‘purana’ instead of ‘dinara’, the common Kushana gold currency. On the strength of the Mathura inscription of the year 28, which records an endowment of a total 1100 (550 + 550) puranas, we can safely argue, that silver currency also formed a part of the monetary system of the Kushana age. The purana coins mentioned in this inscription could have been either indigenous silver coins, struck officially or unofficially in pre-Kushana period or even silver pieces minted locally or unofficially in the Kushana period itself. The Kushana administration seems to have given approval to or at least did not object to the circulation of these non-Kushana silver coins (puranas) in an integral part of the Kushana empire like Mathura. We have reference to adhaka and prastha as measuring unit. A prastha is usually1/4 th of an adhaka though measurements may differ according to region. Summary : Thus the Mathura inscription of the year 28 in spite of being only of thirteen lines throws ample light on the economy of the period by referring to guild like activities, perpetual endowment and concept of interest within the general notion of donative records which one inscribes or gets to be inscribed for accruing merit.