456 Ancient Sculpture and Inscriptions [June, 



The son of Amuka, the destroyer of his father's enemies*, the 

 punisher of the oppressors of a desolated country, the winner of the 

 glorious flag of victory in many hattles, daily by his good counsel 

 gaining the esteem of the worthy persons of the court, and obtaining 

 the gratification of every desire of his life through the favor of the 

 great emperor Chandragupta ; — having made salutation to the eter- 

 nal gods and goddesses, has given a piece of ground purchased at the 

 legal rate ; also five temples, and twenty-five (thousand ?) dinars ; (half 

 of which has been spent for the said purchase of the said ground,) as 

 an act of grace and benevolence of the great emperor Chandragupta, 

 generally known among his subjects as Deva raja (or Indra). 



As long as the sun and moon (shall endure,) so long shall these five 

 ascetics enjoy the jewel- adorned edifice, lighted with many lamps. For 

 endless ages after me and my descendants may the said ascetics enjoy 

 the precious building and the lamps. Whoso shall destroy the struc- 

 ture, his sin shall be as great, yea five times as great as that of the 

 murderer of a brahman. — In the Samvat (or year of his reign ?) f , (in 

 the month of) Bhddrapada, the tenth (day.)" 



There are two or three points in this document, if I have rightly 

 interpreted it, of high interest to the Indian antiquarian. 



1st. It teaches us that the current coin of the period was entitled 

 dinar, which we know to be at the present day the Persian name of a 

 gold coin, although it is evidently derived from the Roman denarius, 

 which was itself of silver ; while the Persian dirhem (a silver coin) re- 

 presents the drachma, or dram weight, of the Greeks. The word "^t«n^ 

 is otherwise derived in the Sanskrit dictionaries-}-, and it is used in books 

 for ornaments and seals of gold, but the weight allowed it of thirty-two 

 ratis, or sixty-four grains, agrees so closely with the Roman and 

 Greek unit of sixty grains, that its identity cannot be doubted, 

 especially when we have before us the actual gold coins of Chandra- 

 gupta (didrachmas) weighing from 120 to 130 grains, and indubitably 

 copied from Greek originals in device as well as weight, 



2nd. We have a positive date to this inscription — but how shall we 

 read it? The day of the month is plain, " Bhddrapada dik" in letters, 

 the tenth (Se/ca) of Bhddrapada (hod. Bhadoon.) It is in a form 

 somewhat different from ordinary inscription dates, which, if founded 

 on the luni-solar division of the year, necessarily allude to the light 



* This epithet is doubtful : the pandit has supplied a letter s^ to make it intelligible 

 T <^f«T a pauper and ^ to go— what is given to the poor ! Wilson's Dictionary. 



