Eran Group of Monuments – Inscriptions

Eran Group of Monuments – Inscriptions

Inscription of Sridharavarman (circa 350 CE):

The Saka (Indo-Scythian) King Sridharavarman (339 – 368 CE), who ruled in Central India, made an inscription of a small pillar at Eran, together with his Naga military commander. Bhanugupta later also wrote his inscription on the same pillar dated to 510 CE. It seems that the inscription of Sridharavarman is succeeded chronologically by a monument and an inscription by Gupta Emperor Samudragupta (336 – 380 CE), established for the sake of augmenting his fame, who may therefore have ousted Sridharavarman in his campaigns to the West.

Inscription of Samudragupta:

The Eran Inscription of Samudragupta (336-380 CE) is presently stored in Kolkata Indian Museum. The inscription, in red sandstone, was found not far to the west of the ruined temple of the boar. Though damaged and much of the inscription is missing, this was a significant find, because of the presence of numeral scripts, with at least "2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7" preserved.

Inscription of Budhagupta (484 – 485 CE):

The Budhagupta inscription is dated to 484 – 485 CE. It records the extent of the Gupta kingdom stretched from Kalindi River to Narmada River and also mentions the raising of a column in honour of Janardana, another name of Lord Vishnu. It further records that the pillar was installed by a feudatory king Matri Vishnu and his younger brother Dhanya Vishnu.

Inscription of Toramana (circa 500 CE):

The Eran boar inscription of Toramana, is a stone inscription found in Eran in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is 8 lines of Sanskrit, the first three of which are in meter and the rest in prose, written in the Brahmi script. It is carved on the neck of a freestanding 11 feet (3.4 m) high red sandstone Varaha statue, a zoomorphic iconography of Vishnu avatar, and dated to the 6^th century CE. The inscription on Varaha in Eran dates to the reign of Huna King Toramana. It records the construction of a Vishnu temple by Dhanya Vishnu.

The inscription was found in 1838 by T.S. Burt, who brought it to the attention of James Prinsep. It was published in 1838 by Prinsep with a translation. In 1861, Fitz Edward Hall disagreed with Prinsep's report and published a revised edition of the inscription and a new translation. Fleet published his own translation and interpretation of the inscription in 1888. The translations for the inscription vary significantly, though the central theme is similar.

Inscription of Bhanugupta (510 CE):

The fourth inscription is badly damaged, but important. The inscription mentions Bhanugupta and is inscribed on the reverse of the Sridharavarman pillar. It also mentions the death of chieftain Goparaja in a battle in 510 CE. It also mentions the cremation of Goparaja and his wife committing Sati on the funeral pyre of her husband.

Nrivaraha Inscription:

An image of Nrivaraha was found by Cunningham in possession of a local brahmin priest in Eran during his visit. The brahmin priest told Cunningham that the image was brought from the location of the Budhagupta pillar. It is currently housed in Hari Singh Gour Archaeological Museum. It has a short inscription near pedestal reads two names Mahesvara Datta and Varaha Datta, probably the brothers who installed this idol. The inscription can be dated to 5^th century based on paleographic studies.