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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA No. 2] BADAMI INSCRIPTION OF CHALIKYA VALLABHESVARA : SAKA 465 For, the Bīrūr plates of Kadamba Vishṇuvarman[1] (A.D. 495-520) inform us that the Sindhuthayarāshṭra (perhaps modern Sindagi taluk in the Bijāpur District) and the Karṇṇēsaka river (probably the Kṛishṇā) were included in the Kadamba territory. The Sangoḷḷi plates of Harivarman (A.D. 538-570) which, according to the calculation of Rao Bahadur K. N. Dikshit, are dated in A.D. 545, September 21, Thursday, were issued by the king from his capital Vaijayantī,[2] whereas the Beṇṇūr plates of Kṛishṇavarman II (A.D. 545-570)[3] of the collateral branch which ruled from Triparvata, record a gift when the king had started on an expedition against Vaijayantī.[4] This would clearly show that, at this period, the Kadamba power was undermined by internecine wars. This apparently afforded an excellent opportunity for a strong person to spring on the scene and establish an independent kingdom. It is possible to surmise that Pulikēśin I availed himself of this opportunity and established himself at Vātāpi prior to A.D. 543, the date of the present inscription, and, in token of his unchallenged position, performed a horse-sacrifice.[5] There is, however, no definite evidence forthcoming to postulate that Pulikēśin I or his father was subordinate to the Kadambas. The Uṇḍikavāṭikā grant of Abhimanyu,[6] on the other hand, mentions a certain Jayasiṁgha as the commander of Harivatsakōṭṭa and if Avidhēya, son of Dēvarāja and grandson of Mānāṅka, who was the donor of the Pāṇḍaraṅgapalli grant, could be connected with Abhimanyu, son of Bhavishya, who was one of the three sons of Dēvarāja, son of Mānāṅka, it may plausibly be suggested that Jayasiṁha, the grandfather of Pulikēśin I, was identical with his namesake mentioned above and that in the course of time, Pulikēśin I seized the territory round about Bādāmi from a successor of Avidhēya. But this surmise is based on the assumption that the latter wielded political administration south of the Bhīma up to the confines of the Kadamba territory including Bādāmi, which is not likely, in view of the statements contained in the Bīrūr plates mentioned above. Further, Jayasiṅgha of Harivatsakōṭṭa belonged to the Rewa State in Central India, whereas the grandfather of Pulikēśin I is not known to have any political connection with that part of the country.[7] It is therefore reasonable to suppose that Pulikēśin seized the northern part of the Kadamba kingdom from Harivarman or his successor, sometime before A. D. 543.
Harivatsakōṭṭa has not been identified yet. Since the grant recorded in the plates refers to a temple of Dakshiṇa-Śiva at Pēṭha-Paṅgaraka, identified with Pagara about 4 miles north of Pachmarhi[8] and the village granted, namely, Uṇḍikavāṭikā is surmised to be one of the two _____________________________________
[1]Ep. Carn., Vol. VI, Kadur No. 162, with plate. The plates are considered to be spurious on account of
the orthographical errors and a slightly irregular alphabet. But the geographical details and the events attributed to Vishṇuvarman may be relied upon. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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