Abstract
I attempted the re-interpretation of the great Bectrian inscription found out in Surkh-Kotal. The inscription, I suppose, makes clear that the acropolis (malizo), the sanctuary of the goddess Oanindo, was built by Huvishka during the Kanishka era 28-30 in order to honor Kanishka II, the king of the Kushan dynasty in that time. But the acropolis was immediately abandoned by gods because of the drying-up of the spiritualised water from the well. This water must have played a special rôle in the religious cults performed in the sanctuary. It is by this character of the water that the inscriptions should greatly emphasize the reconstruction and the importance of the well.Some of my new interpretation are as follows:3 mandaro ‘spiritualised’, to *mandara-, cf. Av. mand- ‘dem Gedächtnis einprägen’. Mandaro abo corresponds to 13-14 faro karano abo ‘wonderful (and) pure water’.4 eiro ‘flowing water’, to *ira-, Av. ira-, ‘energy’, which does not relate to OInd. ira- ‘refreshing water’.5 lrafo, the name of a town, means ‘flag’, to *drafša-, but not ‘statue of a god’.9 oispoano ‘all-winning’, to *vispa-vana.- We should recognize the Bactrian phoneme/w/between oispo- and ano, cf. xoadeo/xwadew_??_/.10 osogdomaggo ‘having a pure mind’ is one of the epithets of Nokonzoko, the overseer of a town (karalraggo). maggo<*manaka- cf. OInd. mana- ‘idea, opinion’.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
