Vasu Doorjamb Inscription
| 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 |
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. 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.
The inscription was found on a red sandstone temple doorjamb dumped in an old well in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. 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).
The Vasu Doorjamb Inscription is another archaeological evidence about ancient Vaishnavism, providing another link about the continuity between ancient religious traditions and contemporary Hinduism.