கி.பி 3 ஆம் நூற்றாண்டைச் சேர்ந்த சமஸ்கிருத கல்வெட்டு, எகிப்தின் பெரெனிகேயில் (பண்டைய துறைமுக நகரம்) தோண்டப்பட்டது, அங்கு பிரபலமான வாசுதேவ #கிருஷ்ணர், #சம்கர்சனா மற்றும் #ஏகநாம்ஷா சிலை மற்றும் ஒரு #புத்தர் சிலை கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டன. இந்தக் கல்வெட்டு, வசுலா என்ற #க்ஷத்ரியரால் அர்ப்பணிக்கப்பட்டது, அங்கு அவர் அனைவரின் நலனுக்காகவும் மகிழ்ச்சிக்காகவும் ஒரு "பிரதிமா"வை அர்ப்பணிக்கிறார் -
“அத்ர திவாசே வாசுலேன க்ஷத்ரியேன”
“சர்வ சத்வ ஹித சுகாயா”
இது கி.பி 244 -249 வரை ரோமானியப் பேரரசை ஆண்ட பேரரசர் மார்கஸ் ஜூலியஸ் பிலிப்பஸின் ஆட்சிக் காலத்தைச் சேர்ந்தது
“சித்தம்! ராஜ்னோ பிலிப்பஸ்ய வ(ர்)ஸ்(ஈ) சாஸ்..”
Siddham!
Rājño Philippasya varṣe …
Vāsulena Kṣatriyeṇa
Sarva-sattva-hita-sukhāya pratima pratiṣṭhāpitā
"
Berenike was a major Indo–Roman maritime hub linking Roman Egypt with western Indian ports like Barygaza (Bhrigu Kaksha), Muziris, Arikamedu and Tamralipti.
Indo Roman traders used monsoon navigation described in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. Goods moved from India to the Red Sea, overland to the Nile and onward to Rome.
Indian merchants often lived seasonally or semi-permanently in these ports, building shrines and preserving their religious identities abroad.
In the 3rd century CE, inside the Roman Empire, on the Red Sea coast of Egypt at the ancient port of Berenike, a Samskrit inscription was carved in Brāhmī script by an Indian Kṣatriya named Vasula – and it is still there.
It is dated to the reign of Philip the Arab (Marcus Julius Philippus, 244–249 CE).
The inscription begins with “Siddham!” - meaning "Success!"
It records that “in the year of King Philip,” Vāsula the Kṣatriya established a Pratimā “for the welfare and happiness of all beings” – sarva-sattva-hita-sukhāya.
That phrase is deeply associated with Buddhist dedicatory language, yet the archaeological context reveals something even more powerful.
Alongside evidence of a Buddha image, the site yielded references to the early Bhagavata triad – Vasudeva Krishna, Samkarshana and Ekanamsha.
This is the same Vasudeva, Samkarshana & Ekanamsha triad known from Mathura and the Heliodorus pillar tradition, now found operating inside Roman territory.
This was not a passing trader scratching graffiti. The inscription uses Roman regnal dating, proving integration into imperial administrative timekeeping, and it reflects a functioning Indian religious community in Egypt.
The donor’s self-identification as a Kṣatriya suggests a high-status merchant or guild-linked expatriate from western India during a period when Roman gold flowed into India. Long-distance oceanic trade was still active then despite political instability in Rome.
This well dated inscription is devotional instead of trade focused.
It proves Samskrit usage outside India in the 3rd century CE. It confirms Krishna–Vasudeva worship in the Mediterranean world. It also shows Buddhist and Vaishnava coexistence within the same diaspora space.
This inscription provides a direct Indo–Roman synchronism anchored to a named emperor.
This means, Indian Ocean was already a globalised civilisational network nearly 1800 years ago.
https://x.com/BishtLokinder/status/2025899866342281261/photo/2
Sanskrit inscription of about 3rd c AD excavated in Berenike (ancient port city) #Egypt where the famous Vasudeva #Krishna, #Samkarsana and #Ekanamsha statue along with a #Buddha statue were found. The inscription is a dedication by a #Kshatriya named Vasula where he dedicates a “Pratima” for the welfare and happiness of all -
“atra diwasé Vasuléna Ksattriyéna”
“Sarvva satva hita sukhaya”
It is dated to the reign of the emperor Marcus Julius Philippus, who ruled the Roman Empire from 244 -249 CE
“Siddham! Rajño Philippasya Va(r)s(é) sas..”
