[1][2][3] Discovered near a Mathura well in north India, the damaged inscription is one of the earliest evidences of murti (statue) consecration in a temple made to celebrate gurus (preceptors, gurvayatane).

[4][note 1] The inscription was found in 1928 on the central section of a pillar attached to a well in Chandul Mandul Bagichi, Mathura, not far from a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva.

All the remaining surfaces are rough, which led Bhandarkar to propose that this pillar was probably a part of a temple shrine pilaster that was demolished and cut out for some other use.

Of the five smooth faces, the middle zone is damaged, which likely contained the most important part of the inscription with significant historical details.

[10][3][4] The inscription without any reconstruction and interpolation reads:[6] siddham bhattarakamaharaja...raja srisamudraguptasa...trasya bhattarakama...j....rajasricandraguptasya vijarajyasamvatsa ... kalanuvarttamanasamvatsare ekasasthe ....thame sukladivase pamcamyam asyam purvva.....ga....sikad dasamena bhagavatparasarac caturthena .......p....vimalasisyasisyena bhagavad....vimalasisyena aryyodi....caryye.....pu....pyayananimittam gurunam ca kirtya......rakapilesvarau gurvvayatane guru .... pratisthapito naitat khyatyarttham abhili....ya..... m...hesvaranam vijnaptix kriyate sambodhanam ca yathaka...nacaryyanam parigraham iti matva visanka....pujapuraskara.... parigrahaparipalyam kuryyad iti vijnaptir iti yas ca kirtyabhidroham kuryy...d yas cabhilikhitam uparyy adho va sa pamcabhir maha...patakair upapatakais ca samyuktas syat jayati ca bhagava....... rudradando gra....yako nitya.... – Mathura Lakulisa Pilaster Inscription, 380 CE Bhandarkar proposed the following reconstructed inscription:[13] siddham bhattarakamaharaja(rajadhi)raja srisamudraguptasa(tpu)trasya bhattarakama[ha](r)[aja-ra]j[adhi]rajasricandraguptasya vijarajyasamvatsa[re pam](came) [.....] kalanuvarttamanasamvatsare ekasasthe 60 1[....][pra]thame sukladivase pamcamyam asyam purvva(yam bha)ga(vat-ku)sikad dasamena bhagavatparasarac caturthena (bhagavat-ka)p(ila)vimalasisyasisyena bhagavad(upamita)vimalasisyena aryyodi(ta)caryye(na sva)pu(nya)pyayananimittam gurunam ca kirtya(rttham upamitesva)rakapilesvarau gurvvayatane guru [....] pratisthapito naitat khyatyarttham abhili(kh)ya(te atha) m(a)hesvaranam vijnaptix kriyate sambodhanam ca yathaka(le)nacaryyanam parigraham iti matva visanka(m)pujapuraskara(m) parigrahaparipalyam kuryyad iti vijnaptir iti yas ca kirtyabhidroham kuryy(a)d yas cabhilikhitam uparyy adho va sa pamcabhir maha(a)patakair upapatakais ca samyuktas syat jayati ca bhagava(n dandah) rudradando gra(na)yako nitya(m) – Reconstructed Mathura Lakulisa Pilaster Inscription, 380 CE Bhandarkar translates it as:[13] Accomplished!

[16] The Lakulisha inscription is also notable for its mention of puja of teachers, because their "souls approximated Shiva after death", states Willis.

[4] The first epigraphic evidence of Shaiva adherents who use guru initiation for spiritual guidance and practice is found, states Sanderson, between 350 and 400 CE, in the form of Lakulisa inscription of Mathura along with the copper plate grants of Maharaja Bhulunda in what is now Bagh (Dhar district) of Madhya Pradesh.

[4] The inscription does not use the word Pashupata, nor does it mention Lakulisha, but states Sanderson it "conveys as much by declaring that Uditacarya is the tenth in the teacher-disciple transmission from Bhagavat Kusika, presumably venerated as the source of the lineage".

[4] The Mathura Lakulisa Inscription attests to the existence of a Shaiva temple with an installed linga and an overall Puja tradition in the Gupta era.