Ancient Indian Inscriptions

INDO-GREEK Inscriptions

11

Shinkot Steatite Casket Inscriptions of the time of Menander (158 to 138 BC.) and of vijayamitra

Regnal year 5.

Provenance Shinkot, Bajaur Tribal territory in south-eastern

Afghanistan. about 32 kms of the Panjkora, Swat confluence

Script

Kharoshthi

Language: Prakrit. North-Western variety

Reference N.G. Majumdar, Ep Ind XX 7 D.C Sircar ibid XXVI pp. 318 ff Age  of imperial unity Pp 114-15 sel.inscI pp102-106 Sten Know N.I.A Jan 1940 pp 639-48 Note on Bajaur inscription of Manendra pp 52 FF M V D Mohan North West India pp 217-18

 

On the basis of palaeography majumdar has assigned the Group I records in the second century B.C and

 Vijayamitra of Group II was probably the son or grand son of Viyakamitra, a feudatory of Manendra and was  prabably ldentical with the prince named on certain Indo Scythic coins

SEE Majumdar Ep.ind XXIV p 2 and Sten konow N.I.A 1939-40 p 641.

His son Aparchariaia Indravarman issued certain coins. (Num chron 1944 pp 99 FF) The latter's son Apavarman was a strategos, first under the saka king Azes and later under the Parthian king Condophares CF his coin legends LMC sec II nos 310-318 and Sec III Nos 35-37.

Greek rule seems to have weekend at the time of Vijayamitra, who omits the mention of his overlord.

2

In the Buddhavamsa (P.T.S.) p68 V.8 the bowl relic Patra of the Buddha is supported to have been deposited at vajira, which may be identical with Bajaur.

 Vajravati.mentioned in the Boddhistavadana kalplata (BC Law Geogr Essays 1937, I, p 40) may have been its capital.

A On the rim of the lid

"Manander Maharaj Diwas"

A1

In the centre of lid

A2

Inner face of the lid

"Bhagwato shkmanit prun tamed"

"Prati Thavi"

B

Inside of casket

"Viyakmitrat Aprajat"

 

1 From the plates in Ep Ind XXIV between pp. 6 & 7 and Sal.Inss. I, Plates.

2 The third figure is in inscribed below the line. In brahmi Inscription this number would be indicated as 10 and 4

Brahmi in inscriptions this number 

 

3 According to Sten Konow Menander himself installed the relic, and got sections A, A1 and A2 recorded

and about a century later viyakamitra the same as Vijayamitra restored the relic. This implies

the Buddhist belief that the Buddha 's relics were endowed with life and could perform miracles.

 

Group II

C

Centre of the lid

1

1 Vijay Mitra

2 Pate pratithvide

D

Inside the casket

1 "ime sharir pulugbhodrjo na tkre atrit"

Ta shrijatri kldre no.

Shoro na pindovkevi pitri grinvatri

2 tut ye patre apemuj vdme punchmye

Ye mst diwas punchvishesh iyo

3 patrithvitre vijay mitren aparchjen bhagwat shukimunit Tums

Budt shrir
Identified with the father of Apracharaja Indravarman, whose coin legends are 

Vijaymitra-putre Itrvmet aprchjrt

See L M.C Sec II p and plate XVII and

Nun Chron 1944 Pp-94-104
Sten Konow Ime shrir plug bhut thun tkrjati  rr tut shriati klde na pito bkevi grimvati
This relic, its place having been damaged, to be repaired.
 Its periodical offering is being discontinued, not does anybody let the Pitras get Sraddha, nott
Pind odaka Majumdar 
On the back of the casket
Vishiplen aungkten tvitre
Sten Konow aungkten
According to him the phrase is equivalent to  Greek Anankaois which was used in the sense of a ruler's advisors, court and friends and became Something like an

honor (cf J.R.A S 1939 p.265 D.C Sircar Sel Insq I p 105 n rejects both the reading as well as the intarpretation Exact connotation is not clear. Also interpreted as
king without rival and "king of the west a-prächya Sanskrit pratyanch means equal to A match for
The phrase accordingly mean
An unequalled king or A king without a match The stealite casket inscription of the time of Menander  is a budhist reliquary from Bajaur tribal territory in Shinkot Bajoutribal territory in south eastern Afghanistan, about 32 kms west of Panjkora. 
This casket is probably one of the oldest known inscribed Buddhist relic casket from the area of Gandhara. On the basis of palaeography, Majumdar had assigned the Group I records in the Second half of the 2nd century B.C. and later in lst century BC Vijayamitca of Group II was probably the son or grandson of Viyakamitra, a feudatory of Menander, and was probably identical with the prince named on certain Indo-Scythic coins.  His son. Apracharaja Indravarman issued certain coins. The latter's son, . ASpavarman, was a Strategos, first under the Saka King, and later under the Parthian king Gondophares cf’, his coin legends,  Greek rule seems to have weakened at the tima of Vijayamitra, who omits the mention of his overlord. Menander is therefore known from his coins, which are generally bilingual in Greek and Kharoshthi, where his name is given as Menadra.
On his coinage, the full title of king Menander appears as Menadrasa Maharajasa Trataresa "Saviour Great King Menander".In the Buddhavamea bowl relic (gükra) of the Buddha, is supposed to have been deposited at Vajira, which may have been sent to Bajaur, Vajravati