North Indian Inscriptions

PARLA-KIMEDI PLATES OF VAJRAHASTA.

appears in at least two forms, and that for some we have no less than four (or even more) different forms. To give a few examples, we have two forms for the initial a, e.g. in an[ê*]ka, l. 13, and asya, l. 16 ; for k, in Kaliṅgâ, l. 2, and tilakô, l. 8 ; for kh, in sukha, l. 1, and likhitaṁ, l. 28 ; for g, in grâmô, l. 15, and grâmasya, l. 16 ; for ch, in achala, l. 2, and âchâryya, l. 28 ; for ḍ, in chûḍâmaṇêr, l. 3, and chûḍâmaṇi, l. 6 ;— three forms for dh, in dharmasya, l. 27, sûtradhârasya, l. 3, and adhirâja, l. 8 ; for m, in amara, l. 1, mahârâja, l. 8, and parama, l. 9 ; for v, in dêvaḥ, l. 9, bhuvana, l. 3, and vara, l. 6 ; for s, in svasty, l. 1, sarva, l. 1, and sakala, l. 10 ;— four or even more forms for j, in râja, l. 13, janita, l. 5, râja, l. 8, râjô, l. 11, and mañjari, l. 6 ; for ṇ, in anukâriṇaḥ, l. 1, ramaṇîya, l. 1, guṇa, l. 10, dakshiṇataḥ, l. 17, and gaṇa, l. 11 ; for t, in vijayavataḥ, l. 1, pratishṭhitasya, l. 2, tasya, l. 9, adhipatiḥ, l. 10, and ittham, l. 12 ; for h, in Mahêndra, l. 2, âhava, l. 5, mahârâja, l. 8, and parihâraṁ, l. 15. And equally great is the variety of the signs for the medial vowels, especially in the case of u, û, ê, and ô, which are written in four, five, or even six different ways.— The language of the inscription is Sanskṛit, and, excepting two benedictive and imprecatory verses in lines 24-26, and another verse giving the name of the dûtaka (here called âjñapti) in lines 27-28, the whole is in prose.— In respect of orthography I have only to state that the consonant b is four times denoted by the sign for v (by the Nâgarî sign for this letter in lavdha, l. 13, Kadamva, l. 22, and vahudhir, l. 25, and by a southern sign in śavdaḥ, l. 5), and twice by its own proper sign (in kuṭiṁbinaḥ, l. 11, and bahubhiś, ll. 25-26, where both times the same southern sign has been employed).

......The inscription is of the reign of a Gaṅga king Vajrahasta, and it begins, similarly to the grants of the Gaṅga Mahârâjas Indravarman, Dêvêndravarman, and Satyavarman,¹ just as if it were meant to record a grant by that king himself, thus :—

......“Om ! Hail ! From his victorious residence of Kaliṅgânagara which, charming with the delights of all seasons, resembles the town of the immortals,— the devout worshipper of Mahêśvara (Śiva), who meditates on the feet of his parents, the ornament of the spotless family of the Gaṅgas, the Mahârâjâdhirâja Paramêśvara, the illustrious Vajrahastadêva, who is freed from the stains of the Kali age by his obeisance to the two lotus-feet of the holy Gôkarṇasvâmin, the parent of the movable and immovable, the unique architect who has constructed the whole world, (the god) with the moon for his crest-jewel who is installed on the spotless summit of mount Mahêndra ; who by his onslaught in many battles has roused the shouts of victory ; whose blessed feet are tinged with thick clusters of the lustre of the crest-jewels of the circle of all chieftains, bowed down by his prowess ; and whose fame is pure like the white water-lily, the jasmine, and the moon, and diffused in all quarters” . . . . Then, instead of recording some command of the king so described, the inscription in lines 9-15 tells us that “in the reign of this (Vajrahastadêva), the devout worshipper of Mahêśvara, the ornament of the spotless family of the Gaṅgas, the regent of five districts (pañcha-vishaya), the illustrious Dâraparâja, a dear son of the illustrious Chôḷa-Kâmadirâja and a home of all excellent qualities, issued the following command to all cultivators or householders (kuṭumbin) inhabiting Laṅkâkôṇa :— Be it known to you that, on the occasion of giving (our ?) daughter (to him) in marriage, we have given the village named Hossaṇḍi, exempting it from all taxes, to the ornament of the Naggari-Saluki² family, the son of the illustrious Eṛayamarâja, the Râjaputra marked with the name of (i.e., probably, named after) the illustrious Kâmadi, who has illumined the quarters of the compass with the banner of the renown which he has gained by his victories in many battles.”

......Lines 16-21 then give an account of the boundaries of the village of Hossaṇḍi, which clearly contains the names of a fairly large number of other villages, but which,— owing partly to
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......¹ See Ind. Ant. Vol. XIII. pp. 120, 123, 275 ; Vol. XIV. p. 11 ; Vol. XVI. p. 134 ; and Vol. XVIII. p. 144.
......² [This appears to be corruption of the word Chalukya.— E. H.]