North Indian Inscriptions

YENAMADALA INSCRIPTION OF GANAPAMBA.

......(V. 9.) Do all pure (and) excellent virtues,― (viz.) praiseworthy wisdom which springs from wealth of intelligence, loftiness of grace, delight in the worship of good men, perfect modesty, and fervent devotion to Śaṁbhu (Śiva),― highly prosper (because they are) innate in the person of this Gaṇapâmbikâ, or (because they have) met (in it) by mutual appointment?

......(V. 10.) There was a king, called Kêtarâja, the lord of Śrî-Dhânyâṅkapua, the lord of a whole province (maṇḍapa), (and) the ornament of kings.

......(V. 11.) Lord of the district (vishaya) of Konnâtavâḍî (was) the glorious Kêtarâja, who destroyed the crowd of (his) enemies, (and) whose righteousness, which was famed in the three worlds, is even now praised by all in troops.

......(V. 12) On the southern bank of the Verṇâ, this incarnation of charity conferred on Brâhmaṇas seventy great (and) excellent agrahâras.

........(V. 13.) His son was a king, called Rudrarâja, the goddess of whose fame, though pure, was,― O wonder !― fondled by the regents of the points of the horizon.

......(V. 14.) Extremely victorious is king Bêta, who arose from king Rudra, as the sun from the eastern mountain. He dispelled all the enemies by (his) splendour, (as the sun does) all the darkness ; placed his feet on the brilliant heads of great kings, (as the sun) places its rays on the brilliant tops of high mountains ; possessed great wealth that satisfied the desires (of supplicants), (as the sun) possesses straight rays that fill (all) the regions ; (and) was highly praised by crowds of learned men,¹ (as the sun) is highly praised by hosts of gods.

......(V. 15.) Having duly provided a splendid marriage festival, king Gaṇapa affectionately bestowed on Bêta, the ornament of princes, that glorious Gaṇapâmbikâ, who was an embodiment of purity, (and) who equalled both Gaurî and Lakshmî by (her) great and celebrated virtues, just as the mountain-daughter (Pârvatî) (was bestowed) on Îśa (Śiva), (and) Lakshmî on (Vishṇu) the lord of Lakshmî.

......(Vv. 16 and 17.) After the excellent king Bêta, having ruled with her the great kingdom and having acquired everlasting merit, had departed to the court of (Indra) the king of gds, she duly placed golden pinnacles on the holy shrine (vimâna) of the brilliant lord Amarêśvara at Śrî-Dhânyâṅkapura ; and, having built in this city² a temple of the lord (Śiva), (called) by the name of king Bêta, (she) procured for (her) husband the festival of an everlasting and joyful residence in the world of Śiva.

......(Vv. 18 and 19.) In order to procure for (her) husband, king Bêta, a blessing of this kind,― having built a temple of Śaṁbhu, which was adorned with a surrounding was (prâkâra), she set up in this lovely temple, which was resplendent with golden pinnacles, a Mahâdêva (i.e. liṅga), (called) Bêtêśvara.

......(V. 20.) For the requirements³ of this (temple), she granted an excellent village, called Benadêvî, which was rich in all (kinds of ) grain.

......(V. 21.) The great queen Gaṇapâmbâ, who was an incarnation of the great Lakshmî, performed still further pious works in the lovely (city of ) Śrî-Dhânyâṅkapura :―

......(V. 22.) Having provided twelve houses⁴ and rich stipends (vṛitti), she supported (by them) twelve Brâhmaṇas, who resembled the (twelve) Âdityas.

......(V. 23.) She also built a temple, called Gaṇapêśvara after the name of (her) father, king Gaṇapa.
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......¹ : is the same as
......² The pronoun “this” appears to refer to Yenamadala, the place of the inscription.
......³ Raṅgâṅgabhôga is the same as aṅgaraṅgabhôga, aṅgaraṅgavaibhôga and aṅgaraṅgavaibhava ; see ante, p. 95, line 2 from bottom, and South-Indian Inscriptions, Vol. I. No. 55, south face, line 4 a, and p. 70, note 5.
......⁴ According to the abridged translation of the Telugu portion in the Kistna Manual, p. 14, the hamlet formed by these twelve houses received the name Gaṇapavarapâḍu.