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devotee, Hariswamini, to prevent 

 begging, caused an almshouse to be 

 erected, and money was given for 

 the lamps of the four Buddhas ; so 

 that, at this period, as Fa Man 

 states, more than one Buddha was 

 worshipped. The numerals of the 

 date are not understood. 



All the inscriptions are in the cha- 

 racter before the Allahabad No. 2, 

 or Gaya, therefore before the eighth 

 century, and they are of different 

 ages : they record small gifts by 

 Bhuddhists to the chaitya — parti- 

 cularly by different communities of 

 Buddhists from Ougein ; and there 

 is a regular progression in the form 

 of the letters, from the simple out- 

 line to the more embellished type of 

 the second alphabet of Allahabad. 



The inscriptions are the same on all 

 the columns. Five hundred years 

 ago, the author of the Haft Aklim, 

 Mahumed Amin, said, the character 

 was unintelligible to the learned of 

 all religions. No images of Bud- 

 dha, no temples or relics, mention- 

 ed. But Dhamma (the doctrine) 

 is to be taught under the sacred tree. 

 The chief object is the interdict of 

 the slaughter or destruction of any 



8 



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Not mentioned. . 

 Not mentioned. . 



Piyadasi, or Aso- 

 ko, Emperor of 

 all India, iden- 

 tified as Asoko 

 by the Hon. Mr. 

 Tumour, from 

 the Pali Dipa- 

 wanso, which 

 states that he 

 was the grandson 

 of Chandagutto, 



Religion ; or 



Divinities or 



Sages mentioned. 



Buddhist. Men- 

 tions the holy 

 monastery of 

 KakunadaSpho- 

 ta ; and the four 

 Buddhas are 

 thrice named ; 

 and images of 

 four Buddhas 

 are in niches. 



Gifts to the chai- 

 tya recorded. 



Buddhist. Of 

 this there can 

 be no doubt, 

 from the injunc- 

 tions to teach 

 '■* Dharma" un- 

 der the sacred 

 tree, and turn- 

 ing the wheel of 

 the law, the 

 mention of the 



Character used 



in 



Inscriptions. 



c 

 C 



Varyingfrom Lat 

 to Allahabad 

 No. 2, or Gaya. 



Lat, or oldest 

 form of Deva 

 Nagari, which 

 latter is deduci- 

 ble from it, 

 letter by letter 

 through succes- 

 sive ages, ex- 

 cepting the new 

 or additional 

 Saaskrit letters. 



Date. 



Numerals unin- 

 telligible. 



Ditto, but before 

 thefifthcentury. 



By the Mahawan- 

 so, the four- 

 teenth year of 

 Asoko's reign 

 corresponds to 

 the 232nd year 

 after the death 

 of Buddha, and 

 therefore to B.C. 

 311, and the in- 

 scription being 



Language 



of 



Inscriptions. 



c 

 C 



Old Pali .... 



Pali, but of an 

 old character, 

 between Pali 

 and Sanskrit, 

 possibly the 

 original of 

 both. The 

 phraseology 

 simple and 

 straightfor- 

 ward, opposed 



Location 



of 



Inscriptions. 



Second in- 

 scription, dit- 

 to, ditto, on 

 the Bhud- 

 dhist temple 

 at Sanchi. 



Inscriptions 3 

 to 25, on the 

 Blmddhist 

 temple at 

 Sanchi. 



Column at 

 Delhi, Alla- 

 habad. 



Mattiah, Ra- 

 dhiah. 



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