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{{Short description|1st century dedicatory inscription on stone slab}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox artifact
|name = Mirzapur stele inscription
|image = [[File:Inscription of Sodasha Reign - Circa 1st Century BCE - Mirzapur - ACCN 79-29 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 6105.JPG|250px]][[File:Inscription of Sodasha Reign - Circa 1st Century BCE - Mirzapur - ACCN 79-29 - Government Museum - Mathura B&W.jpg|250px]]
|image_caption = Mirzapur stele inscription. [[Mathura Museum]]
|material = Red sandstone
|size =
|writing =
|created =
|period = Circa 15 CE
|place = Mirzapur, [[Mathura]], [[India]].
|discovered_coords ={{coord|27.4568|N| 77.6914|E|display=inline, title}}
|location = [[Mathura Museum]], GMM 79.29
| map =
{{Location map
| South Asia
| width = 300px
| float = center
| border =
| caption =
| alt =
| relief = yes
| AlternativeMap =
| overlay_image =
| label = [[Mathura]]
| label_size =
| position =
| background =
| mark =
| marksize =
| link =
| lat_deg = 27.4568
| lon_deg = 77.6914
}}
|id =
|registration =
}}
The '''Mirzapur stele inscription''', also called the '''Mirjāpur stele inscription''', is a dedicatory inscription on a large stone slab discovered in the Mirzapur area of [[Mathura]] which mentions the erection of a water tank by Mulavasu and his consort Kausiki, during the reign of the [[Sodasa]], the [[Indo-Scythian]] [[Northern Satrap]] ruler of Mathura, assuming the title of "Svami (Lord) Mahakshatrapa (Great Satrap)".<ref name="RCS"/><ref name="SRQ">{{cite book |last1=Quintanilla |first1=Sonya Rhie |title=History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE - 100 CE |date=2007 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-15537-4 |pages=259–260 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X7Cb8IkZVSMC&pg=PA260 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="EI">{{cite book |title=Epigraphia Indica |date=1986 |publisher=Manager of Publications |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AXBDAAAAYAAJ |language=en}}</ref>

==Inscription==
The stele bears a five line epigraph mentioning the dedication. The text is as follows :

{{quote|
1.1 Svamisya Mahaksatrapasya Sodasasya gamjavarasya Brahmanasya. 
1.2 Segravasa gotrasya Mulavasusya bharyaye Vasusya matare. 
1.3 Kausikiye Paksakaye karita puskarini imasam Yamada pu 
1.4 skaraninam purva puskarani aramo sabha udapano stambho siriye pratima 
1.5 ye sila patto ca

"Kausiki Paksaka, mother of Vasu and wife of Mulavasu (who was the) treasurer of Svami Mahaksatrapa Shodasa and (who was) a Brahmana belonging to the Saigrava gotra, caused to erect the eastern (water) tank out of the twin tanks, a grove or garden, place for assembly, a well, a pillar and a stone slab of the image of [[Lakshmi|Laksmi]]."<ref name="SRQ"/><ref name="EI"/>
}}

==Reign of Sodasa==
The rule of Sodasa at the time of the erection of the stele is clearly mentioned, as are his titles "Lord Great Satrap":<ref name="RCS"/><ref name="SRQ"/>

{{multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=600|caption_align=center
| align = center
| direction =horizontal
| header="Svamisya Mahakshatrapasya Sudasasya"
| image1 = Svamisya Mahakshatrapasya Sudasasya.jpg
| image2 = Svamisya Mahakshatrapasya Sudasasya (cleaned).jpg
| footer_align = center
| footer= Regnal title of Sodasa in the Mizrapur inscription, vicinity of [[Mathura]]. (Middle [[Brahmi script]]): [[File:Gupta ashoka svaa.jpg|16px]][[File:Gupta ashoka mi.jpg|12px]][[File:Gupta ashoka sya.svg|22px]][[File:Gupta ashoka m.svg|15px]][[File:Gupta ashoka h.svg|15px]][[File:Gupta ashoka kss.jpg|15px]][[File:Gupta ashoka tr.jpg|12px]][[File:Gupta ashoka p.svg|13px]][[File:Gupta ashoka sya.svg|22px]] [[File:Gupta ashoka shu.jpg|18px]][[File:Gupta gujarat daa.jpg|12px]][[File:Gupta_ashoka_s.svg|16px]][[File:Gupta ashoka sya.svg|22px]] ''Svāmisya Mahakṣatrapasya Śudasasya'' "Of the Lord and Great Satrap Śudāsa"<ref name="RCS">{{cite book |last1=Sharma |first1=Ramesh Chandra |title=Buddhist art of Mathurā |date=1984 |publisher=Agam |page=26 |isbn=9780391031401 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5OvVAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}</ref>
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Mathura Museum}}

[[Category:Mathura art]]
[[Category:Sanskrit inscriptions in India]]

Mirzapur stele inscription - Revision history

Moin Khan: creating the data v1!