North Indian Inscriptions

ALAMPUNDI PLATE OF VIRUPAKSHA.

rendered possible in these alphabets, and are of frequent occurrence in Grantha and Tamiḷ inscriptions.¹ Another graphical peculiarity of the Âlampûṇḍi plate deserves to be noted. The consonant group nr of the Tamil names Palakunra (l. 15) and tânri (l. 23) is, in the absence of Grantha letters to represent it, denoted by the group ṇr, as it would be vulgarly pronounced even now. The language of the subjoined inscription is incorrect Sanskṛit, verse (ll. 1 to 22, and 26 to 33) and prose (ll. 1, 22 to 26, and 34).

......The first and second verses of the inscription contain invocations addressed to the Boar-incarnation of Vishṇu and to the goddess of the Earth, respectively. The third verse refers to Bukkarâja (I.), who belonged to the race of the Moon, and was the son of Saṁgama (I.) by Kâmâkshî. Bukka’s son was king Harihara (II.) who, as in other inscription,² is said to have performed “the sixteen great gifts” (verse 4) . Harihara (II.) married Mallâdêvi, who belonged to the family of Râmadêva ; and their son was Virûpâksha (v. 5), who conquered the kings of Tuṇḍîra,³ Chôḷa and Pâṇḍya, and the Siṁhalas, and presented the booty of his wars to his father (v. 6). On the day of the Pushya-saṁkrânti of the year Raktâkshin (v. 8), which corresponded to the Śaka year 1305,⁴ king Virûpâksha (v. 7) granted to certain unnamed Brâhmaṇas of various gôtras the village of Âlampûṇḍi (v. 9). This village had been the object of a previous grant by Harihara (II.) (v. 9) and had then received the surname Jannâmbikâbdhi (v. 10). The pronouns mama and mayâ in lines 17 and 21 show both Harihara’s previous grant and the present donation of Virûpâksha were made at the instance of a princess who was the sister of Harihara (II.) (v. 9) and, consequently, the paternal aunt of Virûpâksha, and whose name must have been Jannâmbikâ, because the village of Âlampûṇḍi received the surname Jannâmbikâbdhi (i.e. Jannâmbikâ-samudram)⁵ after her own name. The description of the boundaries of the granted village is contained in lines 22 to 26. Then follow three of the customary imprecatory verses. The inscription ends with the name Śrî-Harihara.

......The Âlampûṇḍi plate would add considerably to our genuineness of the history of the first Vijayanagara dynasty, if we could be quite sure of the genuineness of the plate. As in other inscriptions of this dynasty, the first historical person is said to have been Saṁgama (I.). The Âlampûṇḍi plate is the only inscription which informs us of the name of Saṁgama’s queen, viz. Kâmâkshî. According to the same plate the queen of Harihara II. was Mallâdêvî. The Satyamanṅgalam plates of Dêvarâya II. give the name of Harihara’s queen as Malâmbikâ.⁶ As the two names Mallâdêvî and Malâmbikâ are very similar, we may, for the present, consider them as identical. The Âlampûṇdi plate adds that Mallâdêvî belonged to the family of Râmadêva. It is not impossible that Mallâdêvî was related to the Yâdava king Râmachandra, who was also called Râmadêva, and who reigned from Śaka-Saṁvat 1193 to 1230.⁷ It is from the present inscription that we first learn that Harihara II. had a sister called Jannâmbikâ and a son called Virûpâksha, who is reported to have made extensive conquests in the south, and whom his father appears to have placed in charge of at least a portion of the South Arcot district. The date of the grant of Virûpâksha (Śaka-Saṁvat 1305 for 1307, the Raktâkshi saṁvatsara) is a few years later than the accession of Harihara II.⁸ In referring a previous grant of the village of Âlampûṇḍi by Harihara II. himself, the inscription implies that the latter was ruling over a portion of the modern South Arcot district even before Śaka-Saṁvat
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......¹ In the Tamil inscriptions contained in Volume I. of Dr. Hultzsch’s South-Indian Inscription, especially in the comparatively modern ones among them, several instances of this peculiarity occur on each page ; see, e.g., page 72, where there are no less than nine cases.
......² ante, p. 116.
......³ On this name see ante, p. 119, note 6.
......⁴ The Raktâkshin year does not correspond to Śaka-Saṁvat 1305, but to 1307 current.
......⁵ Abdhi is a more poetical synonym of samudra, a frequent ending of village names ; hence the actual surname was probably Jannâmbikâsamudram.
......⁶ ante, p. 37, verse 9.
......⁷ Dr. Fleet’s Kanarese Dynasties, p. 71.
......⁸ Harihara II. must have ascended the throne between Śaka-Saṁvat 1293 and 1301 ; ante, p. 115, note 11.