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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA triangular base, but shows that form wherein we see two slanting lines meeting together on a horizontal base. This form of m is much later than its form in our record showing a graceful round base. Devamitra of the coin flourished at Ayodhyā probably not earlier than 200 A.D. There can be no doubt that Devamitra of our inscription ruled at least a couple of centuries earlier. Cunningham refers to 394 coins found by him at Kauśāmbī, of which about 344 were of the early period.[1] Out of these about 30 were inscribed, of which sixteen bore the name of Bahasatimitra, two of Devamitra, one of Aśvaghosha and three of Jyeshṭhamitra, Unfortunately Cunningham neither described nor illustrated the coins of Devamitra. What happened to them we do not know ; for the British Museum, which acquired the entire collection of Cunningham, does not have in its Kauśāmbī collection any coins of Devamitra. If Cunningham’s reading is correct and there was really a king named Devamitra at Kauśāmbī, it is very likely that he is identical with Devamitra of our record. The kings known from Cunningham’s coins flourished in the period 150 B. C. to 50 B. C. The palaeography of the present record places our Devamitra also about the same period. Ancient Indian history shows that there were rulers like Ikshvāku Śāntamūla I, Śālaṅkāyana Devavarman and Kadamba Kṛishṇavarman I, who performed the horse sacrifice, though they did not rule over big empires.
Before concluding this paper, I may take the opportunity to refer to the inscribed brick tablets discovered in 1953 by Mr. T. N. Ramachandran at Jagatgram in the Dehra Dun District, U. P., within two miles of Kalsi, famous for its Aśokan rock inscriptions. There tablets reveal that a hitherto unknown king named Śīlavarman, who flourished in the latter half of the 3rd century A. D., as suggested by the palaeography of the records, performed four Aśvamedha sacrifices. TEXT[2] . . . be[3]ke Aśvavātāyaniputasa Devamitasa[4] aśvamerdha(dhaḥ)[5] TRANSLATION The horse-sacrifice of Devamitra, son of Āśvavātāyanī, (performed at) . . . beka. ___________________
[1] ASI, Vol. X, p. 4.
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