Sirpur Gandhesvara Temple Inscription
By Sant Lal Katare
Summary
Katare publishes a full edition of the Gandhesvara Temple inscription from Sirpur (Sripura), discovered by Beglar in 1878 but previously only briefly noted and poorly photographedfile:///home/oai/share/563033-1-398-185-288.pdf#:~:text=Sirpur%20Gandhesvara%20Temple%20Insoription%20,has%2014%20lines%20of%20writing. The inscription, carved on a broken slab built into the temple wall, comprises fourteen lines of Sanskrit verse in northern Indian script; it is dated to Mahasivagupta Balarjuna’s reign and may belong to the 6th–7th centuryfile:///home/oai/share/563033-1-398-185-288.pdf#:~:text=kw%22hich,879. The record begins with admonitory verses extolling virtuous deeds and names the composer Sumangala, son of Taradatta, and the engraver Visuganafile:///home/oai/share/563033-1-398-185-288.pdf#:~:text=%E0%AB%AC%E0%AB%A6%209%20of%20the%20inscription,Lines%20%26%E0%AB%A6%20%E0%AB%AC%E0%AB%A6%2015%2C%20which. The second part praises Siva and records that Jorjjaraka instituted a perpetual offering of flowers for the worship of the god Gandharvvesvara (now Gandhesvara), with garland-makers of Navahatta supplying flowers while resident therefile:///home/oai/share/563033-1-398-185-288.pdf#:~:text=are%20supposed%20to%20contain%20the,funds%20for%20the%20offering%20of. The inscription thus confirms the temple’s dedication and provides evidence of religious endowments. Katare notes that the composer Sumangala authored other prasastis and that Sirpur under Mahasivagupta was a thriving religious centre supporting Saiva, Vaisnava, Buddhist and Jain institutionsfile:///home/oai/share/563033-1-398-185-288.pdf#:~:text=%E0%AA%B0%20patron%20of%20Vaisnavism%2C%20Saivism%2C,74%2C%22%20Cunningham%20in. The edition corrects earlier misreadings and clarifies the inscription’s historical significance.
Conclusion
Katare’s edition rescues the Sirpur Gandhesvara inscription from obscurity. It reveals that under Mahasivagupta Balarjuna a donor named Jorjjaraka endowed flowers for worship of Gandharvvesvara, and that the composer and engraver were Sumangala and Visuganafile:///home/oai/share/563033-1-398-185-288.pdf#:~:text=%E0%AB%AC%E0%AB%A6%209%20of%20the%20inscription,funds%20for%20the%20offering%20of. By dating the record to the 6th–7th century and situating it within Sirpur’s multi-religious landscapefile:///home/oai/share/563033-1-398-185-288.pdf#:~:text=kw%22hich,879file:///home/oai/share/563033-1-398-185-288.pdf#:~:text=%E0%AA%B0%20patron%20of%20Vaisnavism%2C%20Saivism%2C,74%2C%22%20Cunningham%20in, the study enriches our understanding of religious patronage in early medieval India.