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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA NAGARJUNIKONDA IMAGE INSCRIPTION for instance, records the erection of a temple, where the term employed is maṭha.[1] The word maṭha, occurringin line 8 of the Kaman stone inscription, has been taken as referring to a temple of Śiva.[2] The Alagum inscription, dated in the sixtysecond regnal year of the Gaṅga monarch Anantavarman Chōḍagaṅga, obviously refers to a temple of Śiva, under the name of Gartēśvara, again using the word maṭha for ‘ temple.’[3] Instances of maṭhī and maṭhikā (diminutive forms of maṭha) in the sense of ‘ shrine ’ or ‘ cell ’ are also found in inscriptions.[4]
If now, in view of the foregoing discussion, we accept that the maṭha of the inscription refers to a temple, the question arises as to which particular deity it was sacred to. The answer is : to Brahman. This is indicated by the very words (Sanskrit): which may now be rendered as ‘ for the permanent residence of (the god) Brahman.’ The word brahman thus retains its primary sense. This conclusion is substantiated by the fact that the inscription begins with an invocation to the very god Brahman. And, as if to lend conviction to all this, we have a report by Mr. Cousens himself that among the sculptured stones, that lie about at the ancient site of Balsāṇē, there is an image of Brahman.[5] It may, therefore, be supposed that this image must originally have been enshrined in the maṭha spoken of in the inscription. It is called rāja-maṭha or ‘ royal temple,’ which possibly signifies that it was built originally by a king. It may be worth while to investigate as to who this king was. Considering that temples devoted to Brahman are few and far between,[6] the present specimen though now deserted, may be counted among rarities. _________________________________________________ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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