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Udaypur  उदयपुर (Madhya Pradesh). Courtesy Wikimapia.

Udayeśvara temple, east side, mukhamaṇḍapa. Courtesy Zenodo.

Inscription in the southern forehall (mukhamaṇḍapa) of the Udayeśvara temple at Udaypur, district Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh. It is engraved on the side of a sculptured balustrade (vedikā) visible to the right of the entrance passage. The record is badly weathered on the sides but contains six lines written in devanāgarī script. It refers to a jātrā, i.e. yātrā festival and pilgrimage by one Harirāja (?) on Thursday, second day of the dark lunar fortnight of Māgha in the expired Vikrama year 1394, which gives the date 8 January 1338 CE. 

Udaypur (Madhya Pradesh). Stepwell inscription in Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit.

On a stone slab affixed into the right side wall of a stepwell known as Qanungo Baoli, located on the eastern outskirts of Udaypur, Vidisha District, Madhya Pradesh. A tri-lingual inscription of 13 lines carved in relief with the first three lines written in Arabic and Persian in nastaʿlīq script, and the next ten lines written in Sanskrit in nāgarī script. It records the construction of the stepwell by Gokuladāsa and Dāmodaradāsa, sons of Qānungo Haridāsa of Māthura kāyastha family, during the reign of Mughal emperor Shāhjahān (r. 1628-58). The date is given in three different eras—vikrama saṃvat 1701, śaka 1566 and hijri 1054—equivalent to Friday, 13 January, 1645 CE.

Dhār Inscription of Dilāwar Khān dated AH 795.

Dhār (Madhya Pradesh). Inscription slabs in the precinct of the tomb of Kamāl Maula Chishti.

Singhpur (Ashoknagar अशोकनगर). Rājmatī stepwell (Wikimapia).

Singhpur stepwell inscription of VS 1535 (© Saarthak Singh).

Singhpur stepwell, damaged companion inscription (© Saarthak Singh).

Singhpur (Ashoknagar). Stepwell with inscriptions in mixed Sanskrit recording the construction of the stepwell by Rājamatī in VS 1535.

Singhpur (Ashoknagar). Stepwell inscription dated VS 1535 (© Saarthak Singh)

Singhpur (Ashoknagar). Inscription in the Rājmatī stepwell recording the construction of the stepwell by Rājamatī, the daughter of Bhairavadāsa who was the son of Uvāra, the son of Chajjala of Sirohanagara. Gives the details of the gifts and donations made to Rājamatī by several rulers, namely Sher Khān of Chanderi, Ghiyās al-Dīn of Māḍai (i.e. Ghiyāth al-Dīn of Māndū, reg. 1469-1500), Husayn Shāh (reg. 1458-79) of Jauṇapura (i.e. Jaunpur), Barbak Shāh (reg. 1459–74) of Pandua, Sultān (name not given) of Ḍhili (i.e. Delhi), Tughluq Shāh of Thatta [presumably a reference to Jam Tughluq (d. 1442) of the Samma dynasty],  Qutb al-Din of Gujarāt [presumably Qutb al-Dīn being applied anachronistically to Maḥmūd Begada, reg. 1458-1511], the Bahmani Sultān (name not given) of Vidara (i.e. Bidar). Also mentions Rājamatī’s son named Rāmacandra who was a mahākavi and a favourite (?) of Ghiyās al-Dīn and Nāsir al-Dīn. The pradhāna was Devidāsa and the masons were Vu(Bu)rahāmatasuṣu(khu), Mūla and others. The writer was Guṇasudara.

Singhpur inscription of AH 836 (= 30 May 1433) records in Persian that during the reign of the king of this world, conqueror of Orissa and Jājnagar, Shāh Hūshang, Malik Haybat Nizām Jāshghūrī excavated this “flowing bounty” (i.e. the tank) in the name of Shaykh Burhān, son of Yaqūb. 

Cyprus. Inscription of AH 26 (© Gallica).

Working transcription 02/2021.

{1}   oṅkāra 1 snap pranāla liṅ 5
{2}   890 śakk caturthī roc bhadrapada
{3}   nu kamrateṅ ’añ vraḥ guru nu kaṃsteṅ ’a
{4}   ñ rājakulamahāmantri pandval vraḥ śāsana
{5}   ta pratyaya mrateñ śivapada dulov pi pre
{6}   dau pandval vraḥ śāsana ta vāp ’ānandana rmmāṃ pi
{7}   taṅtyaṅ ’aṃmruṅṅ sruk sre bhūmyākara ○ nu khñuṃ ○
{8}   nu dravya phoṅṅ ○ man vāp myaṅ rmmāṃ nu vāp myaṅ
{9}   caṃryyāṅṅ ○ nu vāp vall ○ nu vāp lass ○ jvan ta vraḥ
{10}   kaṃmrateṅ ’añ śivaliṅga ta gi 846 śakk ○ ti khcya
{11}   mrateñ rudrā catvarācāryya ta ’cas paṅgaṃ thpvaṅ
{12}   nivedana ta dhūli vraḥ pāda dhūli jeṅ vraḥ kaṃ
{13}   mrateṅ ’añ ta stac dau paramarudraloka ta gi ○
{14}   847 śakk ○ pi phsaṃ siddhāyata nu vraḥ kaṃmrateṅ
{15}   ’añ jagat liṅgapūra cāṃ caṃnāṃ yajña thṅāy vraḥh
{16}   liḥ 2 vraḥ vasana yau 1 mvāy chnāṃ ○ bhāja [1 ○] nu d[i]
{17}   k 1 paryyaṅ parivāra 1 lṅo parivāra 1 pratidina
{18}   velā dik vraḥ rājaśriy paṅgaṃ m□n 1 ’nak ta nāṃ
{19}   raṅko ta thvāy vraḥ bhoga tlvoṅ 1 phle jhe ○ cār ta
{20}   praśasta saṅ gol kall ○ oy caṃnāṃ nau liṅgapūra
{21}   et vakra roḥh kalpanāyajjamāna vvaṃ ’āc ti
{22}   khloñ srū khloñ vriha khloñ paryyaṅ khloñ viṣaya
{23}   dār vraḥ rājakāryya ta vraḥ nu ’nak vraḥh ○ ’nak vāp
{24}   myaṅ rmmāṃ ti khnet si kaṃvit ’aṃmraḥ [○] si vin ○ si kṛṣ ○ si
{25}   [dha]rmma ○ si kaṃprvat ○ si śrī [○] si ’a □ [○] si vrau [○] si cām lvan ○ si kaṃpāñ lvan ○ tai □
{26}   tai tīrtha ○ tai panlas ○ tai s □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □
{27}   kaṃpur ○ tai kaṃ □ n ○ kvan ○ tai □ □ □ □ □ [’nak vāp]
{28}   myaṅ rmmāṃ [ti rṇṇoc] □ □ j □ □ □ si □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □
{29}   val ○ si kaṃ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □
{30}   tai kaṃ . . . . .

{1}   994 śaka ta rāj[y]a vraḥ pāda [vraḥ kaṃmrateṅ ’añ śrī harṣavarmmadeva]
{2}   gi nu taspasvi śivasthāna ta pvas ’a □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □
{3}   bhūmi muḥ thnal ta vraḥ jeṅ go sa[ṃ] nu □ □ □ □ [ṅa]
{4}   n jyaṅ pvan sme kuntikā pramvāy ṅan □ □ □ □ □
{5}   ṅ tap go bhay mvāy canlyak yau ta[p]
{6}   ta 1028 śaka conakṣatra ta rāj[y]avraḥ [pāda kamrateṅ ’añ]
{7}   śrī jayavarmmadeva ○ ’añ dau dval vraḥ karuṇaprasāda
{8}   sabhāpati ta pvan nu vraḥ kaṃmrateṅ ’a[ñ] □ □ □ □
{9}   rmma ta khloñ viṣaya vikrānta y[uga]pat pa[n]di[ta] ta jmaḥ vraḥ śivani □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ oy [ta ’añ]
{11}   ta śa[ka] noḥ □ □ □ □ ’añ jvan bhūmi noḥ ru [dāna]
{12}   kamrateṅ jaga[t] śrī viṣvarūpa ○ pakṣa □ □ □ □ □ □
{13}   □ □ □ teṅ śra □ □ □ □ teṅ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □

{1}   □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ dhū[li] [vraḥ pāda]
{2}   kaṃmrateṅ kaṃtvan ’añ] [śrī sūr]yyavarmma[deva] □ □
{3}   □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ [’ā]cāryya □ □ □
{4}   □ [vraḥ kaṃmra]teṅ ’añ śivaliṅga □
{5}   □ □ □ □ □ □ man ’āśrama jeṅ pramāha □
{6}   ś[v]e[tatandu]la liḥ 10 2 ta gi ’aṣṭamī caturddaśī
{7}   pañcada[śī] □ □ □ īśānapada nai mratāñ khlo
{8}   ñ □ □ □ □ sruk thpal cār caṃnāṃ saṅkrānta
{9}   śveta[tandula] □ □ ta vra[ḥ] kaṃmrateṅ ’añ śivali
{10}   ṅga śrī □ □ □ mel man ’āśrama ta dai ti ’val ta śū
{11}   nya ’ya[t] □ □ ley gi hetu pi thvāy saṃnvat svaṃ vraḥ
{12}   ’ālakṣa[ṇa] pi cār leṅ kaṃ pi ’āyatta ta kaṃlo
{13}   ñ ’nak phoṅ nu ’nak vraḥ mratāñ khloñ śrī kṣitī
{14}   ndravallabha sruk vrac paṅgaṃ thpvaṅ nivedana roḥh
{15}   pūrvvāpara vraḥ śāsana dhūli vraḥ pāda kaṃmrateṅ kaṃ
{16}   tvan ’añ śrī sūryyavarmmadeva pandval pre cār roḥ
{17}   h iṣṭi vvaṃ ’āc ti ’āyatta ta devakāryyādhipati
{18}   ’nak ta trvac vraḥ rājakāryya khloñ kāryya taṃmrvac
{19}   vala devaparicāra ta ’nau nā pandval mratāñ khloñ
{20}   vnur vinau khloñ vraḥ caturdvāra mratāñ khloñ
{21}   pūrāñ ta kanmyaṅ ○ khloñ vala spot ta kanmyaṅ ’val
{22}   ’nak sañjak ta seva ||

{1}   kamrateṅ jagat śrī tribhuvanadeva vraḥ rūpa ka
{2}   mrateṅ ’añ vraḥ jyeṣṭha . . .
{3}   staṃ kamrateṅ jagat śrī tribhuvanadeveśvarī rūpa kamrateṅ
{4}   ’añ śrī tribhuvanadevī
{5}   chvyaṅ kamrateṅ jagat . . . . . . . . . [rūpa kamrateṅ] ’añ śrī yaśodharendradevī ○