A bell inscription recording Kālīdāsa’s donation of the bell to Sūryadharma Saṃskārita Vajrakīrti Vihāra, Ekhācheṃ (NS 1010)
ID: PCVAM_0001_0026
Edited by
Nutandhar Sharma
in collaboration with
Pabitra Bajracharya and Rajendra Shakya
Created: 2023-03-15;
Last modified: 2026-02-28
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Abstract
An inscription on a bronze bell, situated to the left of the doorway of the Kvāḥpāḥcheṃ of Vaṃ Bāhāḥ, records the donation of the bell to the Śākyamuni of the Sūryadharma Saṃskārita Vajrakīrti Vihāra at Ekhācheṃ. The gift was made by Kālīdāsa and his family during the reign of Pṛthvī Vīra Vikrama Śāha, following the celebration of his mother’s bhīmarathārohaṇa daśakarma ritual.Diplomatic edition
[1r]
1 ⟅ ॐनमःश्रीशाक्यमुनये||बुद्धःस्वयंभूविवरान्प्रकाश्यगियंत्रिलाकेषुविवग्वदेव||पापथकानंसमतेनराणांनमोस्तुतस्मेगुणसागराय||१||श्रीनेयेपालंललितापुराख्येश्रीरज:गतोद्दिशिउत्तरस्यांश्रीसूर्य्यधर्म्मकृतवजकीर्त्तीविहारमासीत्सुगतालयंच||२||तस्मि2न्विहारेसुविराजमान:श्रीशाक्यराजसुगतोमुनीन्द्र:||श्रीपृथ्विवीरनृपचक्रवर्त्तिनरेन्द्रसंपालितसछभेच||३||श्रीशाक्यराजेन्द्रासुप्रीतयेनकांशविनिर्मितघंटमर्पितश्रीशाक्यवंशकुलज:सुधिन:श्रीकालिदाशेनसुगृहयेन||४||मातुश्चेसर्व्वविधिपूर्वकेनभीमरथोनामंविधींचकृत्वा।। ।।
3प्रतिविहरञ्चससंघसर्व्वंषटसुरसेभोजनकारयित्वा||५||प्रपितामहकृष्णमुनिजगतमुनिपितामह||जनक:पर्शमुनिनाम्नोसर्व्वपितेदिवगता:||६||जननिचथकुंनाम्नीविद्यमानासुधर्मिनीमुनिथकुंसुशीलाचकालिदासस्यसुव्रती||७||तस्यभातृआसामदुमतिलानिसतीपूतः||तस्यात्मजसंघरत्नरत्न:
4थकुंस्नुषापुत्र||८||रत्नचुडामणीर्णामद्वितीयसुतसत्सुधी||८||तस्यम्नुषारत्नथकुंसुव्रतीशुभचारिणी||९||भातृपुत्रोधर्म्मरत्नसुपुत्रकुलदीपक:||चतुर्वर्ग्गहलाप्तार्थसंघभोज्यंचकारयेत||१०||श्रीमन्नेपांलिकेवर्षेव्योमेन्दुखशश्रीयुते||तारापुनवसुख्यातोएन्द्रयोगेशशीदिने||११||अथनेपालभाषा||स्वस्तिश्रीनेपालक्षत्रेललितपट्टा :
5नगराजगृहाउत्तरेएषाछेटोलेश्रीसूर्य्यधर्म्मसंस्कृतवजकिर्त्तिविहारसविराजमानजुस्यंविज्याकश्रीश्रीश्रीशाक्यमुनिभगवानसुप्रीतिनग्वल१कंशपाघंठदोहलपा||श्रीपृथ्विविरविक्रमसाहदेवराजायापर्यायस||दानपतिसएवविहारनिवाशितशाक्यवंशश्रीकालिदासनंथओमामयातभीमरथावरोहनदशकर्म्मइत्यादियानओललितपटत:
6नदेशेसंविहार२पतिकदक्वसंघपनिस्तभक्षभोजनयातकाव||दानपतियाप्रपितामहदिवंगतश्रीकृष्णमुनिदिवंगतपितामहजगतमुनिदिवंगतस्वपितापर्शमुनि||सजीवमाताथकुंभार्य्यामुनिथकुंभातृआसामदुस्नुषामतिलानिस्वपुत्रसंघरत्नस्नुषारत्नथकुंद्वितियपुत्र[?]अगमुणिस्नुषारत्नथकुंभातृपुत्रधर्म्मरत्नथ्वतेजनपरिवारसमोहनंचतुवर्ग्गहल:
7लायइछानदुन्तासम्वत्१०१०मितिपौषशुक्लपूर्ण्णिमापुनर्वसुनक्षत्रऐन्द्रयोगसोमवारथ्वषुन्हुदुन्ताजुलशुभं||||शुभंभुयात्सर्व्वजगताम्||थ्वगांठदयकुम्हकालिगरन्हबाहालयाश्रीधीजयापुत्रश्रीखवेधंनंदयकाजुलसुभं||:||
Synopsis
The inscription opens with a Sanskrit hymn in praise of the Buddha, followed by a Sanskrit prose passage whose meaning corresponds to the Newari section that follows.
May all be well. A bronze bell (kaṃ) was devotedly offered to the thrice-venerable Śākyamuni of the Sūryadharma Saṃskārita Vajrakīrti Vihāra, located in the Ekhācheṃṭola in the northern part of Lalitpur, by Kālidāsa—patron of the Vajrakīrti Vihāra—during the reign of King Pṛthvī Vīra Vikrama Śāhadeva. The donation was made after the performance of the bhīmarathārohaṇa daśakarma ritual for his mother (celebrated when she had reached 77 years, 7 months, and 7 days of age).
The offering was made together with Kṛṣṇamuni; his deceased grandfather Jagatamuni and father Parśamuni; his surviving mother Thakuṃ; his wife Munithakuṃ; Āsāmadu; his son’s wife Matilani; his son Saṃgha; and his son’s wife Rānithakuṃ. A feast was provided for all members of both vihāras.
The bell was consecrated on the full-moon day of the lunar month of Pauṣa, a Monday, in NS 1010, under the Punarvasu constellation and the Indra conjunction, with the wish that his great-grandfather, his deceased daughter-in-law Lānithakuṃ, his second son Gamaṇi, his brother’s son Dharmaratna, and all members of the donor’s family might enjoy the four rewards (caturvargaphala: dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa).
The bell was crafted by the artisan (kāligara) Khavedhana, son of Śrīdhija of Naḥbāhāḥ.
Commentary
The edition and synopsis presented here are revised from the printed version published in Basukala et al. 2022: 191–192 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.17885/heiup.1116). For documentation of this inscription and Vaṃ Bāhāḥ in the DANAM database, see https://danam.cats.uni-heidelberg.de/report/d2578f40-cfce-4450-a8c1-3092c08ef487.