The Bodh GayÃÂ inscription of MahÃÂnÃÂman is an epigraphic record documenting the construction of a temple by the Sri Lankan monk MahÃÂnÃÂman at Bodh Gaya in the late sixth century.
Bodh GayÃÂ is located south of Patna in Bihar, India. The shrine built by MahÃÂnÃÂman stood to the north of the Mahabodhi Temple. The inscription, recovered by Alexander Cunningham in the course of his excavations, is reported to be in the Indian Museum; the inked impression used by John Faithfull Fleet is in the collection of the British Museum.
The Bodh Gaya inscription was published by John Faithfull Fleet in 1888. It has subsequently drawn the attention of a number of scholars. Sylvain Lévi reinterpreted the inscription in 1929 in a study that showed the author of the text was familiar with Vasubandhu and the Abhidharmakoá¹£a. In a complex analysis, Senarath Paranavitana attempted to link the MahÃÂnaman of the inscription with MahÃÂnÃÂman, author of the Mahavamsa, but this interpretation has been rejected by Oskar von Hinüber.
The inscription records the building of a temple by a monk named MahÃÂnÃÂman. It is dated year 267, in the month of caitra on the 8th day of the à Âudi fortnight. This date is generally accepted as belonging to the Gupta era and thus refers to 586-87 CE.
The full text is given in The South Asia Inscriptions Database. The purport of the inscription is given in lines 9-11.
9-11) laá¹ kÃÂdvëpaprasà «taḥ ... san mahÃÂnÃÂmanÃÂmàtenoccair bbodhimaá¹Âá¸Âe à Âaà Âikaradhavalaḥ sarvvato maá¹Âá¸Âapena kÃÂntaḥ prÃÂsÃÂda eá¹£a smarabalajayinaḥ kÃÂrito lokaà ÂÃÂstuḥ
The purport of the inscription can be translated as follows: This beautiful mansion of the Teacher of mankind, dazzling white as the rays of the moon ... has been caused to be made by him ... whose excellent name was MahÃÂnÃÂman, born in the island of Laá¹ kÃÂ.