| Bajaur casket | |
| Created: | 1st century CE |
| Discovered: | Bajaur |
The Bajaur casket, also called the Indravarma reliquary, year 63,[1] or sometimes referred to as the Avaca inscription, is an ancient reliquary from the area of Bajaur in ancient Gandhara, in the present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is dated to around 5–6 CE.[2] It proves the involvement of the Scythian kings of the Apraca, in particular King Indravarman, in Buddhism. The casket is made of schist.
The inscription which is written in Kharoshthi:
| Inscription | Original (Kharosthi script) | Transliteration | English translation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line 1 | In the year sixty-third - 63 - of the great king Azes I, during the month of Kārttika, on the sixteenth day, at this moment, the Caitrika prince Indravarma, son of the king of Apraca | |||
| Line 2 | established this relic of the Holy Śākya sage in a secure, deep, and previously unestablished, place. He produces Brahman merit together with his mother Rukhuṇaka, who has a living son, wife of the king of Apraca; | |||
| Line 3 | together with his maternal uncle Ramaka, together with his maternal uncle's wife Daṣaka, together with his sisters and wife, Vasavadata, Mahaveda, and Ṇika, and the lady of the house, Utara, | |||
| Line 4 | and in honour of his father Viṣṇuvarma, king of the Apraca. | |||
| Line 5 | His brother, Vaga, the general, is honoured, and Vijayamitra, king of the Apraca. His mother's sister Bhaïdata is honoured. | |||
| Line 6 | And these relics from a Maurya period stupa, on which a miracle has been performed, are established in a safe, secure, and central establishment | |||
| Line 7 | vasia fifty |
The inscription was highly useful in clarifying the little-known Apraca dynasty.[5]