| Vasu Doorjamb Inscription | |
|---|---|
 1st century CE Vasu Doorjamb Inscription, in Sanskrit | |
| Material | Red Sandstone |
| Writing | Sanskrit, Brahmi script |
| Created | Circa 15 CE (reign of Sodasa) |
| Place | Mathura, Uttar Pradesh |
| Present location | Government Museum, Mathura |
| Identification | GMM 13.367 |
  Mathura Mathura (India) | |
The Vasu Doorjamb Inscription is an early 1st-century CE Sanskrit inscription in Brahmi script dedicated to the deity Vāsudeva, related to the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism.[1][2] It is also one of the several dedicatory inscriptions from Mathura bearing the name of the Indo-Scythian Northern Satrap ruler Sodasa, which are useful as historic markers for the first half of the 1st century CE.[3]
The inscription was found on a red sandstone temple doorjamb dumped in an old well in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.[4][5] The doorjamb is about 8 feet (2.4 m) long, 1.24 feet (0.38 m) wide and 8 inches (200 mm) thick. It is intricately carved on one side while the other side is flat. On the flat side, British India era archaeologists discovered that there is a 12-line inscription, which has been named the Vasu Doorjamb Inscription. The artifact is now at the Mathura Museum and a much studied item. It mentions a 1st-century Vishnu temple, a torana (temple gateway) and a vedika (railing).[6][7]
The Vasu Doorjamb Inscription is another archaeological evidence about ancient Vaishnavism, providing another link about the continuity between ancient religious traditions and contemporary Hinduism.[8][9][6]
- ^ Richard Salomon 1998, pp. 87–88.
- ^ Ramaprasad Chanda 1920, pp. 169–173.
- ^ Sonya Rhie Quintanilla 2007, pp. 168–179.
- ^ Sonya Rhie Quintanilla 2007, pp. 262–263.
- ^ Sahni 1917, p. 10.
- ^ a b Sonya Rhie Quintanilla 2007, pp. 205–206, 262–263.
- ^ Michael Willis 2000, p. 62.
- ^ Ramaprasad Chanda 1920, pp. 151–173.
- ^ NP Chakravarti 1942, pp. 208–210.