JOURNAL OF THE BOMBAY BRANCH OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. JANUARY 1861. ART. I.-Copies of Inscriptions from the Buddhist Cave-Temples of Kúnheri, &c. in the Island of Sulsette, with a Plan of the Kanheri Caves. By E. W. WEST, Esq. Presented 12th April 1860. THE accompanying copies of inscriptions include all that have been discovered at Kánheri, so far as they are legible,-with a few from other places. One or two inscriptions have been found to be too illegible to be copied ; and a few tablets exist, intended apparently for inscriptions, but upon which no letters have been cut into the rock; these tablets possibly bore inscriptions in plaster or paint, which have long since disappeared. The necessity for obtaining fac-similes of inscriptions by impression, in preference to copies merely sketched, has been so strongly urged by decipherers, that it appears necessary to state the reasons for adopting the latter plan. Most of the inscriptions are cut into a rough and decaying rock-surface, covered with natural markings, which, even in the original, are difficult to distinguish from the letters, and which would render an impressed fac-simile (or cast) practically illegible. In many cases the letters are so faint as to require much attention, a peculiar light, and the assistance of the sense of touch, to decipher them. Impressions of these would be useless. Fac-similes of most of the deeply-cut and easily-read inscriptions already exist; and the numerous errors found in the printed copies of these fac-similes (especially in the vowel-marks) do not tend to show the superiority of impressions over copies. Under these circumstances, it was considered that a tolerably practised hand and eye, with some knowledge of the forms of the letters, had a better chance of producing correct copies than any other means that could be devised. The following is an abstract of the accompanying inscriptions :From Kánheri, inscribed on the solid rock.. 50 inscriptions. Of the 52 rock-inscriptions at Kánheri, copies of 19 are given by Dr. Stevenson, with his paper dated 14th October 1852. Dr. Bird also gives copies of 27 of them, in his "Caves of Western India," as shown in the following table: The inscriptions appear to be of very different ages, varying probably from about the Christian era to the 13th century. They may be roughly classified, according to the forms of their letters, as follows:41 of the first and oldest class (the most numerous), Nos. 2 to 5, 10, 12, 13, 16 to 29, 31 to 36, 38 to 42, 44, 45, 47, 50, 52, 53, 57, 60, and 64. 2 of the second class, Nos. 11 and 37. 3 of the third class, Nos. 48, 49, and 58. 1 of the fourth class, No. 46. 5 of the fifth class, Nos. 1, 6, 7, 8, and 9. 1 of the sixth class, No. 14. 11 of the seventh and most modern class, Nos. 15, 30, 43, 51, 54, 55, 56, 59, 61, 62, 63. Nos. 2, 3, 10, and 64 are probably the most ancient of these inscriptions. In the following notes on the inscriptions, the numbers of the caves refer to the accompanying Plan of the whole group, which has been reduced for publication. The terms "right" and "left" have reference to the sides of a person standing facing the object referred to. No. 1.-An inscription of six short and one long line, situated partly on the left-hand side, and partly beneath a standing figure of Buddha, in one corner of the recess behind the large dagob, in the open cave No. 2. The lengths of the lines are 6 inches and 12 inches. Dr. Bird gives a very incorrect copy of this inscription; it is tolerably distinct where not defaced, but has been injured by the metal scraper employed by some former copyist for cleaning out the letters. No. 2.-An inscription of two lines, 2 feet 2 inches long, cut into the back wall of the open cave No. 2 (called "the refectory" by Dr. Stevenson), and above a long bench against the wall. This inscription is deeply cut and distinct. The name of the donor mentioned is more probably Nánunaka than Kanaka. No. 3.-Another inscription of two lines, 2 feet 9 inches long, similarly situated, but a few feet to the north of the last, and nearer to the tank, which is in front of the cave. This inscription is also deeply cut and distinct. No. 4.-An inscription of 22 lines, cut into the right-hand gate-post of the chaitya, or cave No. 3. The right-hand side is imperfect, owing to that part of the gate-post having been built of squared stones, which have been since removed. The original length of the lines was 3 feet 8 inches, now reduced to 2 feet in the upper part and 3 feet 1 inch in the middle, by the removal of the stones. This inscription is deeply cut and distinct, but rather defaced in some of the lower lines. The name Nagakanda" does not exist in the 18th line, as Dr. Stevenson supposes. No. 5. An inscription of eleven lines, originally 3 feet 4 inches long, cut into the left-hand gate-post of the chaitya. The left-hand side of this inscription is imperfect in the upper lines, owing to the outer angle of the gate-post (which in this case has been cut out of the solid rock) being broken off. This inscription is deeply-cut, and, the rock being smoother and of a lighter colour, it is more distinct than the last. Dr. Stevenson's copy of this inscription is exceedingly incorrect; the third line is altogether omitted in the lithograph, though given in the transcript. The letters "rája" occur near the middle of the eighth line. No. 6. An inscription of three lines, 2 feet 11 inches long, under a standing figure of Buddha, sculptured on the inside of the outer wall of the verandah to the chaitya, between the left-hand gate-post and the left-hand colossal figure of Buddha. This inscription is deeply cut and tolerably distinct, though the rock is rather rough. The space between “ká” and “ri," in the first line, seems to contain an anuswar; the large spaces in the second and third lines are blanks. No. 7. An inscription of one line, 3 feet 1 inch long, under a small sitting figure of Buddha, sculptured on the back wall of the verandah of the chaitya, above the dancing figures on the righthand side of the doorway. It is tolerably distinct, but high up, beginning with an ornamental spiral, and ending with a similar one reversed. No. 8.-An inscription of one line, 10 inches long, cut into the square shaft of a small bas-relief dagob, on the right-hand side-wall, outside the verandah of the chaitya. This inscription is distinctly cut, but the rock is somewhat honeycombed. No. 9.-An inscription of nine lines, 4 inches long, cut into a pilaster on the right-hand side of a standing figure of Buddha, sculptured on the western wall inside the small chamber, to the left of the entrance to the chaitya. This inscription is faintly cut. No. 10. An inscription of three lines and two letters, cut into one side of the square stepped-out top of the dagob, in the small circular chamber No. 4, just north of the chaitya. The lengths of the lines are 2 feet 2 inches, 1 foot 11 inches, and 1 foot 9 inches. Stevenson's transcript is not very correct. Dr. No. 11. An inscription of two very long lines, on the back of the recess, over the tank with two openings (No. 5), on the path up the hill. The original length of line was probably 9 fect 10 inches, of which the left-hand, I foot 10 inches, is entirely peeled off. This inscription is deeply cut, but much of it is defaced. The first four syllables of "máhakshatrapasya" are plain enough, but the last two are doubtful, and would require some of Dr. Bird's hasty generalisation to make them out. An amusing instance of Dr. Bird's antiquarian zeal overcoming his discretion occurs in "The Caves of Western India," page 10, where we observe the following :-" On one of the legs of the left-hand statue we meet with a cross and inscription, in Roman letters, which might be taken to be not more ancient than the times of the Portuguese, were it not for the Ethiopic or Arabic term Abuk, meaning thy father, being found here; and which, accompanied by the date 78, with a resemblance of the cross and the letters for Kal Buddha, Buddha Sakya, may indicate its connection with primitive Christianity; whose spurious doctrines, introduced into India, are supposed, by Wilford, to have given rise to the era of Shalivahana, which dates 78 years after Christ." Again in page 71, these letters are once more brought forward as one proof (!) of the antiquity of the caves. cave No. 10 (the Durbar Cave). Comparing these together, we come to the conclusion that these mysterious letters are the initials of Ann Butfer, K. (Katharine?) Bakes, John Butfer, and John Shaw, who visited the caves in the year 1678, and left behind them their names, which are now the oldest European names remaining inscribed. Nos. 12 and 13.-Two inscriptions, one of three and the other of four lines, cut into the rock side by side and about six inches apart, above the two openings of the tank at the left-hand end of cave No. 7. Length of lines in the first is 2 feet 4 inches; in the second, 2 feet 9 inches. These inscriptions are deeply cut and distinct. From the "swastika" at the beginning of the first and at the end of the last, as well as from their general similarity, it would appear that they are to be read continuously, though they may commemorate two distinct gifts. The first letter of No. 13 is certainly "che." No. 14. An inscription of 16 lines, 6 feet 4 inches long, with part of another, and two half-lines; on the left-hand side-wall, outside the verandah of cave No. 10 (commonly called the Durbar Cave), and above a recess over the tank. This inscription is minute, but tolerably distinct where not defaced; but, owing to the complicated character, it is not easy to copy. The following spaces, where the rock is too hard to cut, are blanks: namely, one space in the first part of the sixth line, two spaces in the seventh line, one space in the middle of the tenth line, spaces at the end of the twelfth and thirteenth lines, one space in the first half of the fourteenth line, one space near the end of the fifteenth line, and one space near the middle of the sixteenth line. The thirteenth and succeeding lines are cut somewhat deeper than those above them. |