Yūpa


A Yūpa, or Yūpastambha, was a Vedic sacrificial pillar used in Ancient India. It is one of the most important elements of the Vedic ritual.
The execution of a victim, who was tied at the Yūpa, was meant to bring prosperity to everyone.

Isapur Yūpa

The Isapur Yūpa, now in the Mathura Museum, was found at Isapur in the vicinity of Mathura, and has an inscription in the name of the 3rd century CE Kushan ruler Vāsishka, and mentions the erection of the Yūpa pillar for a sacrificial session.

Yūpa in coinage

During the Gupta Empire period, the Ashvamedha scene of a horse tied to a yūpa sacrificial post appears on the coinage of Samudragupta. On the reverse, the queen is holding a chowrie for the fanning of the horse and a needle-like pointed instrument, with legend "One powerful enough to perform the Ashvamedha sacrifice".

Yūpa in Indonesia

The oldest known Sanskrit inscriptions in the Malay world are those on seven stone pillars, or yūpa, found in the eastern part of Borneo, in the area of Kutai, East Kalimantan province. They are written in the early Pallava script, in the Sanskrit language, and commemorate sacrifices held by a king called Mulavarman. Based on palaeographical grounds, they have been dated to the second half of the 4th century CE. They attest to the emergence of an Indianized state in the Indonesian archipelago prior to 400 CE.
In addition to Mulawarman, the reigning king, the inscriptions mention the names of his father Aswawarman and his grandfather Kundungga. It is generally agreed that Kundungga is not a Sanskrit name, but one of native origin. The fact that his son Aswawarman is the first of the line to bear a Sanskrit name indicates that he was probably also the first to adhere to Hinduism.