Fragment of Prasat Preah Ko, Ta Keo (K. 1270), 5th-6th century CE

Metadata

Current Version:  draft, 2023-11-08Z

Editors:   Arlo Griffiths, Kunthea Chhom and Dominic Goodall.

DHARMA Identifier: INSCIK01270

Hand Description:

The akṣaras have very long ornamental descenders, as in K. 1515.


Additional Metadata

No metadata were provided in the table for this inscription

Edition

Uncertain
1[1×](tatra)ś(ī)tyāyam abhūn mahākra[t](u)[ḥ]

Apparatus

1 [1×](tatra)ś(ī)tyāyam • It seems impossible to interpret the sequence ś(ī)tyāyam otherwise than as containing the words aśītyā and ayam. However, our tentative reading of the preceding akṣara as tra is not compatible with the idea that the text had the word aśīti: we would need trā, tro, tre, tya or tva before śī, but we are unable to match what we see on the photographs with any of those akṣaras.

Translation by Dominic Goodall

1... this (ayam) great sacrifice (mahākratuḥ) took place (abhūt) using eighty (aśītyā) ...

Commentary

The remaining text is compatible with three at least three verse types, namely indravaṁśā, vaṁśamālā and vaṁśastha, the latter being rather common in Cambodian Sanskrit inscriptions.

Epic Sanskrit texts are full of rājasūyas and aśvamedhas that are described as mahākratu. If we assume, despite the problem formulated in our apparatus, that the text contained the word aśīti meaning ‘eighty’, and that this word qualified officiants, or sacrificial victims, it would mean that indeed the text was dealing with a rather large-scale ritual.

Bibliography

Edited by Arlo Griffiths & Kunthea Chhom, in consultation with Dominic Goodall, from the photographs KPreah Kô - 004 - 029.