The Antiquities of Orissa v2.c16.s3.t2.43

v2.c16.s3.t2.43

The second name *Mahāmata svāsatam* was “apparently given to one of the Caityas, or perhaps to the platform of the elephant situated just above the inscription,” and it means “the place of breathing, or of quiet repose for the priests.” An open terrace on the top of a hill near a religious edifice could not have a more appropriate name. The name is now preserved in that of the rock *Asvastāma*, the more reformed Sanskrit form *Aśvatthāmā* bringing it into relation with one of the heroes of the *Mahābhārata*, being the result of Brahmanical manipulations.