Epigraphical Profile & Archaeological Context
Location & Site:Kahum, Deoria / Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
Historical Period:Gupta Empire (5th Century CE)
Patron Sovereign:Reign of Emperor Skandagupta (Donor: Madra)
🖋️Primary Inscriptional Text
Brahmi Script • SanskritOriginal Text Transliterated in Devanagari / Regional Script:
ख्यातेऽस्मिन् गुप्तवंशे... पञ्चेन्द्रानात्मतृप्त्या जिनवरवृषभानां प्रतिष्ठापिता...
Romanized Transliteration (IAST):
Khyāte-smin Gupta-vaṃśe... pañcendrān ātma-tṛptyā jina-vara-vṛṣabhānāṃ pratiṣṭhāpitā...
Scholarly English Translation:
“During the peaceful reign of Emperor Skandagupta, the devotee Madra, full of compassion for all living beings, erected this indestructible stone pillar housing images of the five foremost Jina conquerors: Adinatha, Shantinatha, Neminatha, Parshvanatha, and Mahavira.”
🔬Historical & Epigraphical Significance
Crucial epigraphical record from the Classical Gupta era demonstrating imperial tolerance and elite patronage of Digambara Jinendra icons in northern India.
Primary Epigraphical Citations:
- Fleet, J.F., Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. III (Inscriptions of the Early Gupta Kings), No. 15, 1888
- Bhandarkar, D.R., Inscriptions of the Early Guptas, ASI, 1981
Associated Archaeological Monument:
Explore MonumentsDeogarh Temple Complex (Luachhagir Fortress)
A fortified cliff-top archaeological complex of 31 structural Digambara temples and over 2,000 intact sculptures. Monographed exhaustively by Klaus Bruhn in 1969, Deogarh is the world premier laboratory of medieval North Indian Jina iconography.