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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA After the obeisance to god Śambhu in the words namaḥ Śaṁbhavē, there follow four maṅgala-ślōkas, the first of which is in praise of Dēvī, the divine mother, who pervades the animate and the inanimate. The second, parts of which are not quite clear, seems to contain a prayer for the destruction of sins by Śiva who is described as the bee around the lotus face of Gaurī. The third stanza is also an invocation of Śiva whose glance, though cool and refreshing for Gaurī, acted as the very blazing fire for cupid. The fourth verse invokes the aid of Śiva’s consort. Pārvatī, for the destruction of all evils through her eyebrows which were knit in anger at the sight of Jāhnavī (i.e., Gaṅgā). The begins the historical portion of the record. It is stated that a certain hero, adorned by the granthi-trika, Bhāradvāja by name, emanating from a drop of water that fell out of the hand of Dhātā (Brahmā) adorned the Śulkīvaṁśa and was a veritable death to hostile kings. IN the family of Śulka of the lunar race there arose king Narasiṁha. He was the lord of Viḍa-dvādaśa1 and had his permanent abode at his Kulagrāma, called Gōlahaṭṭī-Chāṇakī in the vicinity of ēlāpura. At the command of Kṛishṇarāja he defeated the enemies in battle, and as if entering a sacrificial maṇḍapa2 he entered the arena of battle and performed a sacrifice in the form of a great war ; and in the sacrificial fire of his range he offered as ghee the blood of the elephants, slain by him, out of the ladle of his sword ; and in such a sacrifice he initiated into widowhood the (women of his enemy). Then his prowess and generosity are described in the succeeding verses. Then a certain Guṇāḍhya described as Kēsarin is introduced as son (of Narasiṁha). At the command of Kṛishṇarāja he conquered the king of Lāṭa (Lāṭēśa) and a Kach[chha]vāha.
Verse 15 seems to refer to the founding of a city called Arkavana which was purified by Lakshmī and which was, as it were, the birth-place of piety and noble conduct. Verses 16 to 18 contain important allusions to a number of kings with reference to whom some facts are stated, the nature of which it is impossible to make out. Thus Vākpati is stated to have done some act and the same verse refers to a Tantrādhipa in the nominative case. Muñja and Chachcha are mentioned further on in the genitive case. The hero (Kēsarin ?) is then stated to have met the Hūṇas, sent by Lōlikya, in battle at Paṭṭaṇaka and to have destroyed a large army consisting of horses, elephants, and infantry. Then follows a description of the plight of enemy women who resolved to put themselves to death. In the battles fought by the hero (Kēsarin ?) even the skulls of the fallen enemies were not traceable. There is some allusion to Kṛishṇa who destroyed the pride of Duśśāsana and Śalya (v. 21). The facts stated further on are important. The hero (Kēsarin ?) is eulogised as one who kept women’s company only for the sake of progeny and as one spending his life for the sake of his master (v. 22). There is again a reference to a Hūṇa ruler in verse 24, and in the next verse, which is the last extant the hero is described as a lion to the elephants on the form of hostile kings and as the foremost of the servants of Hara. Thus the record embodies the eulogy of a family of Śulkī (i.e., Chāḷukya ?) chiefs starting from Bhāradvāja and mentioning Narasiṁha and his son Kēsarin. While editing the Bargaon temple inscription of Śabara in this journal3 some years ago, Professor Mirashi assigned to king Kṛishṇarāja of the present record the date c. 950 A.C. and thought that he might be identical with a certain Kṛishṇa-nṛipa whose minister Vāchaspati of _________________________________________________
[1] This may also be read as Viḷa-drādaśa. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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