Yerragudi Minor Rock Proclamation
By K. P. Jayaswal
Summary
This note publishes a new recension of Ashoka’s Minor Rock Edict from Erragudi (Yerragudi) and makes it available to scholars of early Indian history. Ashoka’s Minor Rock Edicts are short proclamations engraved at various sites, exhorting officials and subjects to follow the Dharma. The author compares the Erragudi text with previously known versions from other sites, noting differences in wording and spelling. The proclamation instructs the mahamatras (royal officers) to bring their reports to the king every five years and to ensure the welfare of prisoners. It emphasises kindness to animals and obedience to parents and teachers. The article provides a transliteration and translation, with footnotes explaining doubtful readings.
Conclusion
The Erragudi edict adds to the corpus of Ashokan inscriptions and offers variant readings that improve our understanding of the emperor’s moral programme. Such recensions enable historians to reconstruct the evolution of the edicts and the administration of Ashoka’s realm.