Yavanarajya inscription
The Yavanarajya inscription, dated to "year 116 of Yavana hegemony", probably 70 or 69 BC, was discovered in Mathura. Mathura Museum.
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| Material | red sandstone |
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| Period/culture | 1st Century BC |
| Discovered | 27°36′00″N 77°39′00″E |
| Place | Mathura, India. |
| Present location | Mathura Museum, India |
The Yavanarajya inscription, also called the Maghera inscription, was discovered in Mathura, India in 1988. The inscription, carved on a block of red sandstone, is dated to the 1st century BC, and is currently located at the Mathura Museum in Mathura.[1][2] The inscription was published and analysed by French indologist Gérard Fussman in 1993.[3] The inscription is important in that the Mathura sculptors mention the date of their dedication as "The last day of year 116 of Yavana hegemony (Yavanarajya)". It is considered that this inscription is attesting the control of the Indo-Greeks in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC in Mathura, a fact that is also confirmed by numismatic and literary evidence.[4]
Inscription
The Yavanarajya inscription describes a dedication for a well and a tank in Mathura on "The last day of year 116 of Yavana hegemony (Yavanarajya)". It is considered that this inscription is attesting the control of the Indo-Greeks in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC in Mathura, a fact that is also confirmed by numismatic and literary evidence.[4]
Yavanas
Although the term Yavanas, meaning "Greek" (from the region of "Ionia") was used more broadly in the following centuries to designate various foreigners, in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC the term "Yavana" does quite securely designate Indo-Greeks, rather than Indo-Parthians (called Palhavas) or Indo-Scythians (called Sakas) who were less relevant in India in that early time period.[5] Also, these other groups are never mentionned by the term Yavanas in later inscriptions in Mathura.[5]
Date
The year 116 probably refers to the Yavana era (yonana vasae) thought to begin in 186-185 BC.[5] The inscription referring to the 116th year of the Yavana era (starting in 186-185 BC) would thus have a date of 70 or 69 BC.[4][5]
Content
The Yavanarajya inscription, written in elegant Sanskrit reads:[6]
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1. Yavanarajyasya ṣoḍaśottare varṣaśate 100 10 6 hemata māse 4 divase 30 etaye purvaye
3. puṣkariṇi saha putreṇa vīrabalena vadhuye bhāgureye pautrehi ca śuradattena ṛṣabhadevena viradattena ca puṇyam vardhatu[5]
2. brāhmaṇasya maitreyasa gotrasya ghoṣadatta putrasya sārthavāhasya vīrabalasya māturāhogaṇiya udapāni
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On this day, the year one hundred sixteen, 116, of the Yavana kingdom, in the fourth month of winter on the thirtieth day...
May (their) merit increase
[This is] the well and tank of Ahogani, the mother of the merchant Virabala, who was the son of Ghosadatta, a brahmin of the Maitreya clan, with [her] son Virabala, daughter-in-law Bhaguri, and grandsons Suradatta, Rsabhadeva, and Viraddata.— Mathura Yavanarajya inscription.[5]
Interpretations
From numismatic, literary and epigraphic evidence, it seems that the Indo-Greeks had control over Mathura at some time, especially during the rule of Menander I (165-135 BC).[4] The control of Mathura seems to have continued for some time under the successors of Menander, with Strato I, Antimachus and Apollodotus II, where they were facing the territory of the Sungas.[4] Coins of Menander and Strato can be found in the area of Mathura, and Ptolemy records Menander as having ruled as far as Mathura (Μόδουρα) in Book VII, I, 47 of his Geographia.[4]
Conversely, the city of Mathura never seems to have been under the direct control of the Shunga Empire as not a single archaeological remain of a Shunga presence were ever found in Mathura.[4] The presence of the Shungas is only proved as far as Ayodhya in northern central India, thanks to the Dhanadeva-Ayodhya inscription.
Since this period of Greek control corresponds to the presence of Mitra dynasty local rulers in Mathura in the same time frame (150-50 BC), it is thought that there may have been a sort of tributary relationship between the Mitra dynasty and the Indo-Greeks to the west.[4]
The Indo-Greeks may then have been supplanted by Indo-Scythians around 50 BC, who would then rule in Mathura as the Northern Satraps.[4]
References
- ↑ History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE - 100 CE, Sonya Rhie Quintanilla, BRILL, 2007, p.254 [1]
- ↑ "Some Newly Discovered Inscriptions from Mathura : The Meghera Well Stone Inscription of Yavanarajya Year 160 Recently a stone inscription was acquired in the Government Museum, Mathura." India's ancient past, Shankar Goyal Book Enclave, 2004, p.189
- ↑ "Ménandre l’Indo-grec ou Paul Demiéville revisité" Journal Asiatique 1993, 1-2, pages 61–138
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE - 100 CE, Sonya Rhie Quintanilla, BRILL, 2007, p.8-10 [2] Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "Rhie" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE - 100 CE, Sonya Rhie Quintanilla, BRILL, 2007, p.255-256 [3]
- ↑ Published in "L'Indo-Grec Menandre ou Paul Demieville revisite," Journal Asiatique 281 (1993) p.113
