Inscriptions on the Pillar of Heliodoros
Vigasin Alexei A.
The article is devoted to the analysis of the Prakrit inscriptions on the Garuda pillar in Besnagar (ancient Vidisha). The author attempts to identify king Bhagabhadra from Shunga dynasty, to whom the Greek Heliodoros was sent as an ambassador by Antialkidas, the ruler of Taxila. The information contained in the Puranas enables us to establish the chronology of the reign of Bhagabhadra and Antialkidas. It is also possible to make assumptions on the political purposes of this diplomatic mission. The inscriptions on the Garuda pillar are one of the first pieces of evidence for the cult of Krishna-Vasudeva as the Supreme Lord (Bhagavan). The verse on the pillar sheds light on the early history of such didactic portions of the Mahabharata, as the Bhagavad-gita and the Sanatsujata-parvan.
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