South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

Like his illustrious father Goṅkarāja II, Kulōttuṅga-Goṅka-Rājēndra-Chōḍa II was also a staunch worshipper of Śiva. He made liberal grants to temples of Śiva all over his vast kingdom. He made even richer gifts than his father to the god Bhīmanāthēśvara at Drākshārāma. He presented golden utensils for the daily worship of the god in commemoration of his victories over his enemies.^[1] He gave away on one occasion a prabhā (aureola) made of solid gold to god Bhīmanātha and covered the huge liṅga with a splendid armour of massive gold. On another occasion he presented a makara-tōraṇa of gold, studded with priceless gems.^[2] He built a temple for Śiva under the name of Rāmēśvara-Mahādēva at Siripuram in Śaka 1093, i.e., 1171 A. C., and granted the village of Siripuram together with its twelve hamlets and some more land as dēvabhōga for the worship of the deity.^[3] On the banks of the Tuṅgabhadrā, a small stream flowing by the side of Appikaṭla, a village in Tenali taluk, Guntur District, he built another temple for Śiva under the name Viśvēśvara-Mahādēva and made large grants of land in Appikaṭla, Marripūṇḍi and other villages in the sub-division known as Ōṁgērumārga, for the worship of the god.^[4]

Rājēndra-Chōḍa II would seem to have reigned till a very ripe old age and died about the beginning of 1182 A. C. The last known inscription which mentions the king as still living on that date but indicating his impending death is a record of his Brāhmaṇa officer Mādhava-mantrin of the Śrīvatsa gōtra at Drākshārāma.^[5] It is slightly damaged ; it registers the gift of a perpetual light to god Bhīmanātha on the occasion of an eclipse of the moon on the fullmoon day of Pushya in Śaka 1003, which corresponds to Monday, the 22nd December, 1181 A. C., when there occurred an eclipse of the moon. Rājēndra-Chōḍa’s death may, therefore, be placed sometime in January or February, 1182 A. C.

Rājēndra-Chōḍa II was also called Vīra-Rājēndra-Chōḍa.^[6] According to the family records found at Drākshārāma and Palacole (Pālakolanu) Rājēndra-Chōḍa had at least four queens, Guṇḍāmbikā, Kuppamā, Paṇḍamā (daughter of the chief of Kōna-Kaṇḍravāḍi) and Akkamahādēvī or Aṅkamahādēvī ; the first would appear to have been the consort during the early part of Vīra-Rājēndra-Chōḍa’s life.^[7] Akkamahādēvī was the daughter of Mahāmaṇḍalēśvara Koṇḍapaḍumaṭi Manma-Maṇḍa or Maṇḍarāja II^[8] who took a heroic part^[9] in the war against Kaliṅga as a follower of Velanāṇṭi Rājēndra-Chōḍa I, and the younger sister of Mahāmaṇḍalēśvara Koṇḍapaḍumaṭi Buddharāja III.^[10] To King Vīra-Rājēndra-Chōḍa and Akkāmbikā was born Goṅkarāja III. His son was Pṛithvīśvara of the Piṭhāpuram inscription.

TEXT^[11]

Second Plate ; First Side^[12]

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^[1] Above, Vol. IV, p. 37, verses 47-48.
^[2] Ibid.
^[3] No. 49 of 1909, (same as SII, Vol. X, No. 177).
^[4] SII, Vol. VI Nos. 124 and 125. Ōṁgēru-mārga appears to be the ancient name for the region lying
between Tenali, Guntur and Bapatla taluks extending towards south as far as Ongole, Guntur District.
^[5] SII, Vol. IV, No. 1366, Ibid., No. 1037. The last digit in the date of the record is lost but may be read
as 3 The details of the date then would yield the equivalent, viz., 25th December, 1181 A. C.
^[6] No. 181 of 1897.
^[7] SII, Vol. V. No. 161, Vol. IV, No. 1137.
^[8] Above, Vol. VI, p. 268 (274).
^[9] SII Vol. IV. No. 662, Vv. 7-8.
^[10] Above, Vol. VI, p. 274.
^[11] From the ink-impressions supplied by the Government Epigraphist for India, the late Dr. Hirananda Sastri.
^[12] The first plate of this set is lost.
^[13] Metre : Upajāti. The first pāda is lost on the first plate.