| Gopika Cave Inscription | |
|---|---|
 Gopika Shaktism-related Sanskrit inscription | |
| Material | Cave rock |
| Writing | Sanskrit, Gupta script |
| Period/culture | Maukhari dynasty (Gupta era) |
| Discovered | Gaya district, Bihar |
| Place | Nagarjuni hill, Barabar Caves |
| Present location | Gopika Cave |
  Nagarjuni-Barabar Caves Nagarjuni-Barabar Caves (India) | |
The Gopika Cave Inscription, also called the Nagarjuni Hill Cave Inscription II of Anantavarman or formerly the Gya inscription (referring to the nearby city of Gaya),[1][2] is a 5th- or 6th-century CE Sanskrit inscription in Late Brahmi found in the Nagarjuni hill cave of the Barabar Caves group in Gaya district, Bihar, India.[3][4]
The inscription is from the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. It is notable for its dedicatory verse to Durga and for including the symbol for Om in the Gupta era. The inscription states that king Anantavarman is dedicating a statue of the goddess Katyayani (Durga-Mahishasuramardini) to the cave. The statue was missing when the caves came to the attention of archaeologists in the late 18th century.[3][5]
- ^ "I have thought it necessary to send a copy of part of the Gya inscription, which has been translated, together with the modern character written beneath it, as given by Dr. Wilkins" in Prinsep, James (1834). The Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. Ed. by James Prinsep. Bapt. Miss. Press. p. 111.
- ^ Wilkins, Charles (1788). Asiatic Researches. London : Printed for J. Sewell [etc.] pp. 276-281.
- ^ a b DR Bhandarkar, BC Chhabra & GS Gai 1981, pp. 226–228.
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