Shinkot casket
| Shinkot casket | |
|---|---|
 The Shinkot relic casket. The segment Minadrasa Maharajasa ("Great King Menander") appears on the closest portion of the lid, outer rim. | |
| Material | Steatite |
| Size | Diameter: 28.7 centimeters, 11.3 inches. Height: 8.38 centimeters, 3.3 inches |
| Created | 2nd century BCE |
| Discovered | Shinkot, Bajaur 34°40′N 71°30′E / 34.66°N 71.5°E |
  Bajaur  Bajaur | |
Kharoshthi
script.
The Shinkot casket, also Bajaur reliquary of the reign of Menander, is a
Indo-Greek king Menander I.[1] The steatite casket is said to have contained a silver and a gold reliquary at the time of discovery, but they have been lost.[2]
Inscription
This casket is probably the oldest known inscribed Buddhist relic casket from the area of
Milindapanha, his name is given as Milinda.[2]
A translation of the different fragments has been made:
| Inscription | Original (Kharosthi script) | Transliteration | English translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 𐨨𐨁𐨣𐨅𐨡𐨿𐨪𐨯 𐨨𐨱𐨪𐨗𐨯 𐨐𐨚𐨁𐨀𐨯 𐨡𐨁𐨬𐨯 𐩃 𐩃 𐩃 𐩀 𐩀 𐨤𐨿𐨪𐨞𐨯𐨨𐨅𐨡 𐨭𐨪𐨁𐨪 𐨧𐨒𐨬𐨟𐨆 | Minedrasa maharajasa kaṭiasa divasa 4 4 4 1 1 praṇasameda śarira bagavato | ... of Menandros the great king, on the month Kārttika's 14th day, relics of the Lord, |
| A¹ | 𐨤𐨿𐨪𐨟𐨁𐨠𐨬𐨁 𐨟 ... | Śakamunisa pratithavi ta | the Śākya sage, were established; |
| A² | 𐨤𐨿𐨪𐨞𐨯𐨨𐨅𐨡 ... 𐨭𐨐𐨨𐨂𐨣𐨁𐨯 | praṇasameda śarira bhagavato Śakamunisa | relics of the Lord, the Śākya sage, that are endowed with life. |
| C1 | 𐨬𐨁𐨗𐨩𐨨𐨁𐨟𐨿𐨪𐨅𐨞 | Vijayamitreṇa | By Vijayamitra |
| C2 | 𐨤𐨟𐨅 𐨤𐨿𐨪𐨡𐨁𐨠𐨬𐨁𐨡𐨅 | pate pradithavide | this bowl is established. |
| D1 | 𐨀𐨁𐨨𐨅 𐨭𐨪𐨁𐨪 𐨤𐨫𐨂𐨒𐨧𐨂𐨟𐨀𐨆 𐨣 𐨯𐨐𐨪𐨅𐨀𐨟𐨁 𐨟𐨯 𐨭𐨪𐨁𐨀𐨟𐨁 𐨐𐨫𐨡𐨅 𐨣 𐨭𐨢𐨿𐨪𐨆 𐨣 𐨤𐨁𐨎𐨜𐨆𐨩 𐨐𐨅 𐨩𐨁 𐨤𐨁𐨟𐨿𐨪𐨁 𐨒𐨿𐨪𐨁𐨞𐨩𐨟𐨁 𐨟𐨯 𐨩𐨅 𐨤𐨟𐨿𐨪𐨅 𐨬𐨤𐨆𐨨𐨂𐨀 | ime śarira palughabhutao na sakareati tasa śariati kalade na śadhro na piṃḍoya ke yi pitri griṇayati tasa ye patre vapomua | These relics, having become broken, are not treated with respect. [...] after some time. Nobody provides the funerary ritual nor food nor water to the ancestors. The bowl that belongs to it is barely covered. |
| B | 𐨬𐨁𐨩𐨐𐨨𐨁𐨟𐨿𐨪 𐨀𐨤𐨿𐨪𐨕𐨪𐨗𐨯 | Viyakamitra Apracarajasa | Of Vijayamitra, king of Apraca, |
| D2 | 𐨬𐨮𐨩𐨅 𐨤𐨎𐨕𐨨𐨩𐨅 𐩃 𐩀 𐨬𐨅𐨭𐨑𐨯 𐨨𐨯𐨯 𐨡𐨁𐨬𐨯 𐨤𐨎𐨕𐨬𐨁𐨭𐨩𐨅 𐨀𐨁𐨩𐨆 | vaṣaye paṃcamaye 4 1 veśakhasa masasa divasa paṃcaviśaye iyo | in the fifth - 5 - year, on the 25th day of the month Vaiśākha, |
| D3 | 𐨤𐨿𐨪𐨟𐨁𐨠𐨬𐨁𐨟𐨅 𐨬𐨁𐨗𐨩𐨨𐨁𐨟𐨿𐨪𐨅𐨣 𐨀𐨤𐨿𐨪𐨕𐨪𐨗𐨅𐨣 𐨧𐨒𐨬𐨟𐨂 𐨭𐨐𐨁𐨨𐨂𐨞𐨁𐨯 𐨯𐨨𐨯𐨦𐨂𐨢𐨯 𐨭𐨪𐨁𐨪 | pratithavite Vijayamitrena Apracarajena bhagavatu Śakimuṇisa samasabudhasa śarira | is established by Vijayamitra, king of Apraca, this relic of the Śākya sage, the completely enlightened one. |
| E | 𐨬𐨁𐨭𐨿𐨤𐨁𐨫𐨅𐨣 𐨀𐨞𐨎𐨐𐨩𐨅𐨞 | Viśpilena aṇaṃkayeṇa likhite | Written by Viśpilena, the [...]. |
The characters are very clear and without ambiguity. The "Great King Menander" segment (𐨨𐨁𐨣𐨡𐨿𐨪𐨯 𐨨𐨱𐨪𐨗𐨯, Minadrasa Maharajasa) also reads clearly.Kharoshthi script, and are bold and deeply incised.[2]
The later segments of the inscription were apparently made under the orders of
Indo-Scythian tribe now known from other archaeological remains from the region of Bajaur.[4]
The authenticity of the inscription pertaining to Menander has been doubted by Harry Falk in 2005, but later upheld by Stefan Baums in his 2017 article on Gandharan inscriptions, "A framework for Gandharan chronology based on relic inscriptions".[1][5]
The content of the inscriptions was fully published in 1937 in
Calcutta, but its whereabouts are now unknown.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Baums, Stefan (2017). A framework for Gandharan chronology based on relic inscriptions, in "Problems of Chronology in Gandharan Art". Archaeopress.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Chakravarti, N. P (1937). Epigraphia Indica Vol.24. pp. 1–10.
- ^ Baums, Stefan. (2012). Catalog and Revised Text and Translations of Gandhāran Reliquary Inscriptions. Gandhāran Buddhist Reliquaries. D. Jongeward. Seattle, University of Washington Press
- ^ ISBN 9789047420491.
- JSTOR 24049367.
- Baums, Stefan, and Andrew Glass. 2002– . Catalog of Gāndhārī Texts, no. CKI 176
Sources
- Baums, Stefan (2017). A framework for Gandharan chronology based on relic inscriptions, in "Problems of Chronology in Gandharan Art". Archaeopress.
- Chakravarti, N. P (1937). Epigraphia Indica Vol.24. pp. 1–10.
- Falk, Harry (2007). "Ancient Indian Eras: An Overview". Bulletin of the Asia Institute. 21: 137. JSTOR 24049367.
