Pabhosa cave inscription of the time of udaka – Regnal year 10
Province Pabosa ( Ancient Pabosa Tirtha) Near Kosam ( Ancient Kausambi) Allahabad district UP
1. From the facsimile in Ep Ind XXII P1 facing p203 The first six letters have been tentatively restored with the help of Ghosundi well inscription.
Script: Brahmi of the closing years of the Ist century BC
Language: Prakrit influenced by Sanskrit
References Nos 904-05 DC sarcar Sel.. Inse I page 95 FF
No I
(On a rock outside the cave)
1. Fuhrer assigns the two records to 2nd or Ist century BC Buhler to 150 BC.
But D C Sarcar assigns it to late Ist century BC, because of similarity of certain letters eg tra en etc to those in the inscriptions of the Sakas of Mathura.
2. From the facsimile in Ep.ind. II Pl facing p 242
3. Presumably identical with the king Bahasatimita of Magadha mentioned in the Hathigumpha, inscription of khravela the Kalinga ruler and of the coins discovered at Ram nagar ( Ancient Ahichchhatra Capital of Panchala) Bareilli District and Kosam (Ancient Kausambi, the capital of vatsa) Allahabad district UP ( See Smith Catalogue pp146, 155 and 185) The line is carried by the Mora inscription, mentioning the daughter of Bahasatimita as the wife of king(Possibly of Mathura) and as the mother of living sons (See JRAS 1912 Page 120 CHI I page 525
4 Erased later as redundant
English Translation of the Inscription
By Ashadasena the son of Gopalika vaihidari and maternal uncle of the king Brihaspatimitra who is the son of Gopali This cave dwelling has been got constructed in the tenth regnal year of Udaka for the acceptance of the kasyapiya Arhats.
1. Identified with the sunga successor of vasumitra but D C Sircar does not accept this identification because according to him the script can not be assigned to second century BC
But the writing is very clear
1 From the facsimile in Ep ind II facing p 243
2 Sircar (Sel inss I pn97 n 2) finds faint traces of medial I over n and prefers to accept the name as sanakayani and argues that in polygamous society matronymics had to be used to distinguish step brothers. But traced he refers to are visible all over the unpolished surface of the rock, while the writing is inscribed in clear deep grooves, leaving no room for speculation
3 The prakritised form Ahichhatra became more popular in Sanskrit literature.
4 The above two Pabosa inscriptions provide us the pedigree of the early kings of Ahichhatra, the capital of once a mighty kingdom in northern panchala:-
Saunakayana
Vangapala the king of Ahichhatra
Tevani married the princess of Trivarna
King Bhagavata married Gopalika vaihidari the princess of vaihidari
Ashadasena Gopali
Bahasatimita king of kausambi where many of his coins are found
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