Asoka's "nimsi[dhi]ya

[L.S. Cousins]

Dominik,

Bloch p. 170f. n.13 has:
. . . Mais *nisidi ou plutôt *nissidi, sans répondant en sanskrit et 
en pali, est attesté épigraphiquement dans l'Inde orientale, 
nisidiyaa chez Khaaravela, va.sani.sidiyaaye dans l'inscription de 
Dasalatha à Nagarjuni (ou .s vaut s comme à Kalsi pour Asoka).
He translates: 'endroits de repos'.

There is a study by K.L.Janert from 1959 which I do not have:
Janert, Klaus Ludwig, Studien zu den A"soka-Inschriften I/II, 
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen, 1959.
I is entitled: Ni.msi(d)iyaa

There may be more in his:
Janert, Klaus Ludwig, Abstände und Schlussvokalverzeichnungen in 
A"soka-Inschriften: mit Editionen und Faksimiles in 107 
Lichtdrucktafeln, F. Steiner, Wiesbaden, 1972.

Hope this is of use,

Lance

>In Asoka's 7th pillar edict, Delhi-Topra, he says "... udupaanaani 
>khaanaapaapitaani ni.msi[.dha]yaa ca kaalaapitaa ...", "wells were 
>caused to be dug by me, and flights of steps (for descending into 
>the water) were caused to be built."  (Hultzsch)
>
>On the word ni.msi[.dha]yaa, Hultzsch refers to to Bühler's reading 
>of ni.msi[.dhi]yaa and his association of the word through 
>ni.sidiyaa to Skt ni.siidati, which gives rise to Bühler's Asokan 
>"rest houses", which have become a wide-spread interpretation. 
>Hultzsch prefers "steps" following a suggestion of Lüders (Ardham. 
>se.dhi = Skt *"sli.s.ti synonymous with "sre.ni). notes that 
>historical phonology would properly give a Skt *ni"sli.s.takaa, 
>which doesn't give either a rest-house or a step-well.
>
>Hultzsch doesn't refer to Skt. ni.sadyaa, "small bed," or "shopping 
>mall" :-), though others have done.
>
>Is there more recent scholarship on this word anywhere?
>
>Many thanks,
>Dominik