Read this short inscription and answer:
How did Dhanavati date her inscription?
Dhanavati dated her inscription by referencing the regnal year of Maharaja Huvishka, a Kushana ruler. She specifically recorded it as the year 33, in the first month of the hot season on the eighth day.
Why do you think she installed an image of the Bodhisatta?
She installed the image of the Bodhisatta as an act of religious devotion. The inscription notes she set it up together with her father and mother, indicating it was a collective family offering for spiritual merit.
Who were the relatives she mentioned?
She mentioned her father and mother. She also identified herself as the sister's daughter of the bhikkhuni Buddhamita, which means Buddhamita was her aunt.
What Buddhist text did she know?
The Buddhist text mentioned is the Tipitaka. The inscription states that both her teacher, the bhikkhu Bala, and her aunt, the bhikkhuni Buddhamita, knew this text.
From whom did she learn this text?
She learned this text from the bhikkhu Bala, who is explicitly described as her teacher in the inscription. She likely also received instruction from her aunt, the bhikkhuni Buddhamita.
Explanation
The answers are derived directly from the provided inscription text. The dating method follows the ancient Indian tradition of using regnal years of rulers. The installation of the image is inferred as an act of piety involving her parents. The relatives are explicitly named in the text. The text known is identified as the Tipitaka, and the teacher is identified as Bala, based on the relationships described in the inscription.