South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

only measure of safety now left to him was to cross the waters of the sea. From the Rājim stone inscription noticed above, it is known that Pṛithvīdēva II conquered the country of Bhramaravadra,^[1] otherwise styled Bhramarakōṭya and identified with Chakrakōṭya or modern Bastar District.^[2] The same victory must evidently have been referred to in the above verse.^[3] The Gaṅga king who is said to have been terrified by this conquest which he apparently considered to be the precursor of the Kalachuri king’s expedition against his own kingdom, might be Jaṭēśvara, son of Anantavarman Chōḍagaṅga, mentioned in other inscriptions of the family.^[4] Another piece of historical information is contained in verse 15 which incidentally alludes in general terms to the victories of the renowned feudatory Brahmdēva. This chief is obviously indentical with his namesake figuring in the Ratanpur stone inscription of this king.^[5]

Two places are mentioned in the record. One is the region callec ēvaḍi-maṇḍala wherein the gift village was situated. I am unable to identify this tract. The other is the gift village Paṁḍaratalāl. It appears to be fairly certain that this is identical with the present-day Pandritarai in the Mahasamund Tahsil of the Raipur District.^[6]

Lastly, we may note the relationship between the writer and the engraver of this inscription with those of the two sets of Amodā plates of this ruler. The scribe of the latter, as stated therein, was Śrīvatsarāja, son of Kīrtidhara,^[7] of the Vāstavya family.^[8] It is not unlikely that the son of Kīrti of the present record, whose proper name is not mentioned, was identical with this Śrīvatsarāja. In like manner it is probably that Lakshmīdhara who engraved the first set^[9] of Amodā plates was the father of the engraver of the present inscription.

TEXT^[10]

[Metres : vv. 1, 8, 16-22 and 24 Anushṭubh ; 2 and 5 Upajāti ; 3, 9 and 12 Sārdūlavikrīḍita ; 4, 6, 7, 10, 13-15 and 23 Vasantatilakā ; 11 andākrāntā.]

First Plate

_________________________________________________

^[1] Ind. Ant., Vol. XVII, p. 137.
^[2] Above, Vol. IX, pp. 178-79 ; Vo.. XXVIII p. 151.
^[3] Chakrakōṭya, as the name of the country, ust have been derived from Chakrakōṭa, its chief town. It
may be compared with Chakrakōṭarāshṭra mentioned in the Tēmarā inscription ; above, Vol. X, p. 39.
^[4] Above, Vol. XXVIII, p. 150.
^[5] Ibid., Vol. XXVI, p. 257.
^[6] List of Villages in the Central Provinces and Berar, p. 125.
^[7] This Kīrtidhara is apparently identical with his namesake of Jaṁḍēra-grāma, who write Sarkhō plates of
Ratnadēva II, above, Vol. XXII, p. 167.
^[8] Ind. Hist. Quart., Vol. I, pp. 411 and 414.
^[9] Ibid., p. 411.
^[10] From the original plates and impressions.
^[11] Expressed by a symbol.