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Bhatideva

Ikshvaku queen, wife of King Virapurushadatta and mother of King Ehuvula Chamtamula. In the 2nd year of her son's reign she founded a monastery at Nagarjunakonda for Buddhist teachers of the Bahusutiya school.

Bhatideva (also written Bhattideva) was a queen (mahadevi) of the Ikshvaku king Virapurushadatta and the mother of his successor, Ehuvula Chamtamula.12 She is known from three inscriptions recording her foundation of a monastery at Nagarjunakonda.12

The inscriptions

J. Ph. Vogel called the first inscription G. It was one of the three inscriptions copied when the site was discovered in March 1926.345 It is cut on a weathered pillar carved with lotus medallions, standing with others about two furlongs north-west of the Great Stupa.345 Vogel took these pillars to be the verandah of the monastery’s courtyard.345

Vogel could read that the donor was the daughter-in-law of Chamtamula and the mother of a king whose name appeared to be Ehuvula Chamtamula.46 The word giving her relation to Virapurushadatta was damaged, but he thought it could hardly be anything but “wife”.46 The date could not be read. Hirananda Sastri’s early summary gave the son’s name as Siribahuvalachatamula.7

Longhurst’s later digging found two more inscribed pillars at the same site, which Vogel called G 2 and G 3.12 They settled the doubtful points.12 Bhatideva is named as the daughter-in-law of Maharaja Chamtamula, who is praised for his sacrifices, and as the wife of Maharaja Virapurushadatta.12

The foundation is dated in the 2nd year of King Ehuvula Chamtamula, the 6th fortnight of summer, the 10th day.12 Hirananda Sastri wrote that one of these records “indubitably establishes” her relationship to the two kings.8 G 2 is unusual among the Ikshvaku records for marking double consonants, as in Bhattideva.2

The Queen’s Monastery

All three records describe the gift as a fully equipped monastery (vihara) for the teachers of the Bahusutiya school. G 3 names it the Devi-vihara, the Queen’s Monastery.629 Vogel listed the Bahusutiyas among the Buddhist schools named at Nagarjunakonda.10 Sircar described them as a branch of the Mahasamghikas.11

The site, locally called Itikarallabodu, lies at the south-eastern foot of Nagarjunakonda hill, about two furlongs from the Great Stupa.112 Longhurst found there a monastery, a stupa (relic mound), two apsidal temples (with one rounded end) and a roofless hall.112 Vogel identified the monastery with Bhatideva’s foundation.112

In his memoir Longhurst described a large monastery at the foot of the hill whose hall pillars carried inscription G.1314 The hall was about 8 feet high, with lotus medallions, and the monastery had a fairly large stupa and two apsidal temples facing each other.1314 Vogel and Longhurst numbered the monasteries differently: Vogel called this one No. 4 and Longhurst No. 3.113

Footnotes

  1. J. Ph. Vogel, “Additional Prakrit Inscriptions from Nagarjunikonda”, Epigraphia Indica XXI (1931–32), p. 61 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10

  2. Vogel, “Additional Prakrit Inscriptions” (1931–32), p. 62, inscriptions G 2 and G 3 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  3. J. Ph. Vogel, Prakrit Inscriptions from a Buddhist Site at Nagarjunikonda, Epigraphia Indica XX (1933), p. 3 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. Vogel, Prakrit Inscriptions from Nagarjunikonda (1933), p. 5 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  5. Vogel, Prakrit Inscriptions from Nagarjunikonda (1933), p. 15, list of inscriptions (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. Vogel, Prakrit Inscriptions from Nagarjunikonda (1933), p. 24, translation of inscription G (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  7. A. H. Longhurst, “Excavations at Nagarjunikonda”, Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey of India 1927–28 (1931), p. 118 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  8. Hirananda Sastri, “Nagarjunikonda Inscriptions”, Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey of India 1929–30 (1935), p. 164 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  9. Vogel, “Additional Prakrit Inscriptions” (1931–32), p. 63 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  10. Vogel, Prakrit Inscriptions from Nagarjunikonda (1933), p. 11 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  11. D. C. Sircar, The Successors of the Satavahanas in Lower Deccan (1939), p. 35 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  12. Vogel, “Additional Prakrit Inscriptions” (1931–32), p. 65 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  13. A. H. Longhurst, The Buddhist Antiquities of Nagarjunakonda (1938), p. 10 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  14. Longhurst, Buddhist Antiquities of Nagarjunakonda (1938), p. 11 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

References

Sources (6)
  1. Hirananda Sastri (ed.), Epigraphia Indica, Vol. XX (1929–30) (opens in a new tab), Archaeological Survey of India, 1933, pp. 3, 5, 11, 15, 24. J. Ph. Vogel, Prakrit Inscriptions from a Buddhist Site at Nagarjunikonda, inscription G. [Public domain]
  2. Hirananda Sastri, K. N. Dikshit and N. P. Chakravarti (eds.), Epigraphia Indica, Vol. XXI (1931–32) (opens in a new tab), Archaeological Survey of India, 1933, pp. 61–63, 65. J. Ph. Vogel, Additional Prakrit Inscriptions from Nagarjunikonda, inscriptions G 2 and G 3; paraphrased. [Public domain in India]
  3. Daya Ram Sahni (ed.), Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey of India, 1929-30 (opens in a new tab), Manager of Publications, Delhi, 1935, pp. 164. Hirananda Sastri, Nagarjunikonda Inscriptions. [Public domain]
  4. A. H. Longhurst, The Buddhist Antiquities of Nagarjunakonda, Madras Presidency (Memoirs of the Archaeological Survey of India No. 54) (opens in a new tab), Manager of Publications, Delhi, 1938, pp. 10–11. Paraphrased. [Public domain in India]
  5. D. C. Sircar, The Successors of the Satavahanas in Lower Deccan (opens in a new tab), University of Calcutta, 1939, pp. 35. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  6. H. Hargreaves (ed.), Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey of India, 1927-28 (opens in a new tab), Government of India, Central Publication Branch, Calcutta, 1931. [Public domain]

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