|
The Indian Analyst
|
|
South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA the text of ll. 1-24 containing information about the four rulers as well as the king’s encampment and the date is similar to that of the Gadvāl plates. The object of the record is the grant, by Vikramāditya at the request of the Aṁgipōḍi, of the village Kuddhanapāyu (?) which was situated at a distance of two gavyūtis (16 miles) to the east of Parukandaru, to Kauthiya,[1] the son of Mādiśarman, the grandson of Vishṇuśarman, and of the Kāmakāyana gōtra. Of these the first two were well-versed in the Ṛigvēda only and the third in the four Vēdas. Then follow the usual appeal to continue the grant and the benedictory-imprecatory verses, The record was drafted by the MahāsāndhivigrahikaJayasēna who also drafted the Gadvāl plates.[2] The record ends with a salutation to god Nārāyaṇa. The details of the date are mentioned thus : Śaka 597, regnal year 20, Vaiśākha-parurṇimā. The date of the Gadvāl plates is also the regnal year 20, Vaiśākha-paurṇimā ; but Śaka 596. Both the grants were issued when Vikramāditya was encamping at Uragapura on the southern bank of the river Kāvērī, after entering the territory of the Chōḷas. It is possible that he might have encamped at Uragapura on a similar date in two successive years. But it is not possible to cite the same regnal year for a similar date in two successive years. It is therefore obvious that the Śaka year 597 of the present grant should be taken as current and corresponding to Śaka year 596 expired, the year of the Gadvāl plates. Besides, the Talamanchi and other plates[3] of Vikramāditya show that Śaka 577 expired was the initial year of his reign and Śaka 597 expired will be naturally his 21st regnal year. Hence Śaka 597 of this cannot but be regarded as a current year. The corresponding English date is 25th April 674 A.D.
Of the localities mentioned in this grant Vanavāsī and Kāñchī do not require any identification.Uragapura was situated on the southern bank of the Kāvērī and hence it had been identified by the late Rai Bahadur V. Venkayya with Uraiyūr, which is near Trichinopoly and on the southern bank of the Kāvērī. But the late Dr. Hultzsch would not accept this identification. He preferred to identify Uragapura with Negapatam which is a coastal town about 40 miles to the south of the mouth of the Kāvērī.[4] I agree with the former view. The remaining two villages remain unidentified for the present.[5] TEXT6 First Plate
________________________________________
[1] [See notes 4-6 on p. 118 and postscript─Ed.] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| > |
|
>
|
