North Indian Inscriptions

RANGANATHA INSCRIPTION OF SUNDARA-PANDYA.

to his (the god’s) broad breast, bears resemblance to the tender arms of the Earth, who has sportively approached from behind to embrace (him).

......(V. 5.) The powerful Sun among kings gave to the god who is the lord of Raṅga, a crown of jewels, whose splendour extinguishes the light of the jewels on the hoods of the serpent (that forms the god’s) couch, just as (the splendour) of the sun (dispels the light) of the stars.

......(V. 6.) The Sun among kings made (an image of ) the king of serpents (Śêsha), (who serves as) couch to Śârṅgin, the lord of Raṅga, which was covered with a golden skin (and) which glittered as though it had been smeared with the saffron dye of the body of Lakshmî, who was sporting with her husband.

......(V. 7.) The king who was the Chief of the world, made at Śrîraṅga a golden tower (gôpura), which was the residence of Narasiṁha (and) which surpassed the splendour of the peaks of (the golden mountain) Sumêru. When at night the full-moon is standing for a moment over this (gôpura), which emits a mass of bright lustre, it looks as if she had joined the sun.¹

......(V. 8.) When the king who propagated the race of the Moon (and) who was the Chief of the world, had carried away the wealth of the capital of the Kâṭhaka (king), who was distressed by terrible single-combats,— he built a shrine (vimâna) of Vishvaksêna, covered with plentiful gold, which, by the mass of light that it emitted, made the sun waver in (his) course on the sky, which had been (hitherto) unobstructed.

......(V. 9.) Reclining under the arch (Makara-tôraṇa), which the Sun among kings had made with masses of gold, (taken) from the crowns of (his) enemies, (and) which was adorned with numerous jewels,— Hari, who dwells in the temple of Raṅga, surpasses a monsoon cloud which is surrounded by a rainbow.

......(V. 10.) The Sun among kings built a shrine (vêśman) of Vishṇu, who gracefully raises his arms, with masses of gold from crowns which (he) had taken from the treasuries of kings. The intense light which rises from it, makes the ground in his (the god’s) vicinity even now appear covered with blood of the lacerated demon² on (his) lap.

......(V. 11.) The glorious Sun among kings gave to the lord of Raṅga a pendent garland (sraj) of pearls, which appeared to be the celestial tree, offered by Śakra (Indra), who was afraid that (his) crown might be broken (by the king).

......(V. 12.) Sundara-Pâṇḍyadêva made for the lord of Raṅga a canopy (vitâna) of pearls, which appeared to be his (the king’s) fame, reduced to a solid state, (and) through the splendour of which his (the god’s) crown resembles the diadem of Purâri (Śiva), which is surrounded by the Bhâgîrathî (Gaṅgâ).

......(V. 13.) Like the creeper (of paradise) that grows on the emerald mountain (i.e. Meru ?), the devotion that filled Marakata-pṛithivîbhṛit (i.e. the emerald-king),³ though of one kind only, gave delight to Murâri (Vishṇu) at Raṅga by (presents of) masses of different fruits, which were manufactured out of heaps of gold, such as areca-nuts, jack-fruits, plantains, cocoa-nuts, and mangoes.

......(V. 14.) The noble Sun among king made at Raṅga a golden car (śatâṅga), which, on account of its height, resembled a movable (Mount) Mêru, (and) through the splendour of which the clouds on the sky appear to be accompanied4 by lightning even in the season of autumn.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

......¹ The wonder to which the poet wants to draw the attention of his readers, is that the apparent combination of the sun and the moon over the horizon takes place on the full-moon day, and not, as we are accustomed to see it, on the new-moon day.
......² Hiraṇyakaśipu, who was torn to pieces by Vishṇu in his Narasiṁha incarnation.
......³ See p. 14 above, note 12, and compare the similar surname Hêmâchchhâdanarâja in verse 30.
......⁴ The word of the text is abhisaraṇa, ‘going to meat a lover,’ by which the poet hints that both the lightning (taḍit) and the autumn (śarad) were in love with the clouds (vârivâha).