South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

Siṁhavarman. The illustrious Nōhalā was born of Avanivarman and she became the beloved of the Kalachuri prince Kēyūravarsha, i.e., Yuvarājadēva I. Queen Nōhalā is stated to have endowed a temple of Śiva with the villages of Vīḍā, Pōṇḍī, Khailapāṭaka and others. It will be seen that although the story of their origin differs in some particulars from that relating to Narasiṁha given in the present record this much seems certain that both the families were of the same stock and were perhaps even lineally connected.^[1] Narasiṁha was a subordinate of a Kṛishṇarāja who fought against the Kalachuris^[2] and the only Kṛishṇarāja of this period who could answer to this description was Kṛishṇa III (939-967 A.C.) of the Rāshṭrakūṭa family.^[3] Narasiṁha of our record seems to be a later descendant or a collateral member of the same family since his area of authority was in the same region around Bilhārī over which the Chālukya family of Nōhalā exercised sway. Viḍa-dvādaśa which was the fief of Narasiṁha seems to be identical with the area around Bilhārī itself since Viḍa may be identified with Vīḍā which was one of the villages granted by Nōhalā to the temple of Śiva at Bilhārī, as stated in the Bilhārī Chēdi inscription referred to above. Though I am unable to identify Vīḍā, the donated village, with any place near Bilhārī, some of the other villages which the princess granted along with Viḍā are however identifiable. Thus Pōṇḍī and Khailapāṭaka, two of the gift-villages, are represented by the modern Pondi and Khailwara which are to the north-west and north-east of Bilhārī respectively. Vīḍā must be another village in the same locality.^[4] The exact relationship of Narasiṁha with the Chālukya family to which Nōhalā belonged can only be decided by further researches.^[5]

Now, returning to facts stated in the present Māser inscription, it has to be ascertained under what circumstances Narasiṁha had to encounter the Kalachuris under the orders of Kṛishṇarāja. It has been assumed above that Kṛishṇarāja was Kṛishṇa III who claims in his Karhāḍ plates^[6] a victory over the Kalchuri Sahasrārjuna, who was the elderly relative of his mother and his wife. Kṛishṇa III achieved this victory as Yuvarāja, i.e., sometime between c. 934 and 939 A.C. It was evidently in this campaign of Kṛishṇa III that Narasiṁha took part and obtained the victory over the Kalachuris as described in the present record. As Prof. Mirashi^[7] and Dr. H. C. Ray^[8] have shown, the Kalchuri adversary of Kṛishṇa III may be identified with Yuvarāja I (c. 914-945 A.C.) who, being a member of the family of Sahasrārjuna, i.e., Kārtavīrya, was referred to as

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^[1] I later found that Prof. Mirashi had already arrived at this conclusion ; see Ind. Hist. Quart., Vol. XXVI, pp. 8-9.
^[2] Although the text of our record at this place is mutilated, there seems to be no doubt that the Kalachuri is referred to as the adversary and not as a friend. This would be apparent from the context which refers to the vaidhavya-dīkshā given to the chatura-Kalachuri-kshamābhṛi…etc.
^[3] Rāshṭrakūṭa Kṛishṇa II was a friend and ally of the Kalachuri king Kokkala. It was Krishṇa III who fought the Kalachuris as stated in his Karhāḍ plates (above, Vol. IV, p. 279). The Chandēlla king Kṛishṇapa] with whom Krishṇarāja of our record has been sought to be identified by Prof. Mirashi (above, Vol. XXV, p. 280) is not known to have fought the Kalachuris, though his father Yaśōvarman defeated a Chēdi king.
^[4] If the alternate reading Viḷa-dvādaśa for Viḍa-dvādaśa is preferred, Viḷa may perhaps stand for Bilhārī itself.
^[5] I was at first inclined to refer Narasiṁha and his son Kēsarin of the Māser inscription to the Chālukya family of Vēmulavāḍa, the well-known Rāshṭrakūṭa feudatories, and identify these two princes with their namesakes of that family, Narasiṁha and Arikēsarin II. This does not appear likely since the latter belonged to the solar race and were rulers of a much wider territory, viz., the Sapādalaksha which they were ruling from their capital Lēmbulapāṭaka, i.e., Vēmulavāḍa in the Hyderabad State. The Śulkī Narasiṁha of our record was of the lunar race and a small potentate ruling Viḍa-dvādaśa, a region which lies in the Madhya Pradesh, a far cry from Sapādalaksha which was situated in the Hyderabad State (J.O.R., Vol. XVIII, p. 42). Further, in none of the genealogical accounts of the Vēmulavāḍa Chālukya family is there an allusion to Bhāradvāja or to the chuluku story. It seems, therefore, best to view these families as altogether unrelated.
^[6] Above, Vol. IV, p. 279.
^[7] A. B. O. R. I., Vol. XI, p. 371 ; Ind. Ant., Vol. LXII (1933), pp. 35 ff.
^[8] Dynastic History of Northern India, Vol. II (1936), p. 762.