>Michaelwallace22 at 18:49, 16 December 2020

2020-12-16T18:49:06Z

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{{Infobox settlement
| name = Bodh Gayā
| native_name = बोधगया
| native_name_lang = hi
| other_name = Bodhgayā
| settlement_type = town
| image_skyline =
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| nickname =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| pushpin_map = India Bihar
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| coordinates = {{coord|24.695102|N|84.991275|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = India
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_name1 = Bihar
| subdivision_type2 = District
| subdivision_name2 = [[Gaya district|Gaya]]
| established_title = 
| established_date =
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| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
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| elevation_m =
| population_total = 30883
| population_as_of = 2001
| population_rank =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym =
| population_note =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| demographics1_info1 = Maithili, Hindi
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
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}}

The '''Bodh Gayā inscription of Mahānāman''' is an epigraphic record documenting the construction of a temple by the Sri Lankan monk Mahānāman at [[Bodh Gaya]] in the late sixth century.

==Location==
Bodh Gayā is located south of [[Patna]] in [[Bihar]], India. The shrine built by Mahānāman stood to the north of the [[Mahabodhi temple]]. The inscription, recovered by [[Alexander Cunningham]] in the course of his excavations, is reported to be in the [[Indian Museum]]; the inked impression used by Fleet is in the collection of the [[British Museum]].
[[File:Bodh Gaya Inscription.jpg|thumb|right|Rubbing of the Bodh Gayā inscription of Mahānāman.]]

==Publication==
The [[Bodh Gaya]] inscription was published by [[John Faithfull Fleet]] in 1888.<ref>J. F. Fleet, ''Inscriptions of the Gupta Kings and their Successors'', p. 274.</ref> It has subsequently drawn the attention of a number of scholars. [[Sylvain Lévi]] reinterpreted the inscription in 1929 in a study that showed the author of the text was familiar with Vasubandhu and the ''Abhidharmakoṣa''.<ref>Sylvain Lévi, “L’Inscription de Mahānāma à Bodh-Gaya : Essai d’ Exégèse, Appliquée a l’ Epigraphie Bouddhique,” in ''Indian Studies in Honour of [[Charles Rockwell Lanman]]'', Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 1929.</ref> In a complex analysis, [[Senarath Paranavitana]] attempted to link the Mahānaman of the inscription with Mahānāman, author of the [[Mahavamsa]], but this interpretation has been rejected by [[Oskar von Hinüber]].<ref>[[Senarath Paranavitana]], "Mahanaman, the Author of the Mahavamsa." ''[[University of Ceylon Review]]'' 20 (1962): pp. 269-286; Oskar von Hinüber, ''Handbook of Pāli Literature'' (Berlin, 1996).</ref>

==Description and Contents==
The inscription records the building of a temple by a monk named Mahānāman. It is dated year 267, in the month of caitra on the 8th day of the śudi fortnight. This date is generally accepted as belonging to the Gupta era and thus refers to 586-87 CE.

==Text==
The full text is given in [[The South Asia Inscriptions Database]]. The purport of the inscription is given in lines 9-11.

9-11) laṅkādvīpaprasūtaḥ ... san mahānāmanāmā tenoccair bbodhimaṇḍe śaśikaradhavalaḥ sarvvato maṇḍapena kāntaḥ prāsāda eṣa smarabalajayinaḥ kārito lokaśāstuḥ

==Translation==
The purport of the inscription can be translated as follows:
This beautiful mansion of the Teacher of mankind, dazzling white as the rays of the moon ... has been caused to be made by him ... whose excellent name was Mahānāman, born in the island of Laṅkā.

==See also==
*[[Indian inscriptions]]

==Notes==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://siddham.uk/inscription/IN00119 SIDDHAṂ: The South Asia Inscriptions Database]
*[https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectid=3097738&partid=1&output=Terms%2F!!%2FOR%2F!!%2F20656%2F!%2F%2F!%2Frubbing%2F!%2F%2F!!%2F%2F!!!%2F&orig=%2Fresearch%2Fsearch_the_collection_database%2Fadvanced_search.aspx&currentPage=3&numpages=10 British Museum Collection Online page]
*[http://www.buddhanet.net/bodh_gaya/bodh_gaya03.htm Ven. S. Dhammika's Bodhgaya website]

[[Category:Sanskrit inscriptions in India]]
[[Category:Gupta and post-Gupta inscriptions]]

Bodhgaya inscription of Mahanaman - Revision history

>Michaelwallace22 at 18:49, 16 December 2020