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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA plates both of them receive the same title Mahārāja, while in the Indian Museum plates, Rājēndravarman alone has the title of Mahārāja, Dēvēndravarman’s name being mentioned with the simple honorific prefix śrī. The scribe Sarvachandra and the engraver Khaṇḍimalla are both known from several other grants of Dēvēndravarman III. At the time of the present grant Sarvachandra hold the high office of Mahāsāndhivigrahika or the Chief Minister for peace and war. In the Chicacole plates he is called merely Sāmanta, while in the later Tekkali and Indian Museum plates he is called Rahasya or Private Secretary. Akshaśālin Khaṇḍimalla, who is mentioned as the engraver, is sometimes called Sāmanta. As for the localities mentioned in the present grant, Kaliṅganagara from where the plates were issued has already been identified with Mukhaliṅgam in the Srikakulam District.[1] Nagara where the donee was residing is probably the same as Kaliṅganagara. As Mr. G. V. Ramamurti has shown, the Gaṅga capital Kaliṅganagara is mentioned in the Telugu inscriptions at Mukhaliṅgam as Nagara. There is still a place called Nagarakaṭakam, about two miles to the south of Mukhaliṅgam, which probably marks the site of the ancient capital. The territorial division of Varāhavartanī in which the donated village was situated is known from as many as five other grants, viz., the Achyutapuram plates[2] of Gn. 87, the Chicacole plates[3] of Gn. 128, the Siddhāntam plates[4] of Gn. 195, the Chicacole plates[5] of Gn. [2]51 and the Bangalore plates.[6] In three of these, viz., the two sets of Chicacole plates dated Gn. 128 and [2]51 and the Bangalore plates, it is called a vishaya, which shows that it was roughly of the same size as a modern district. It has not yet been definitely identified ; but most of the grants mentioning this division were found either at Chicacole or not very far from it. Again, Siddhārthaka, which is mentioned in the Achyutapuram and Siddhāntam plates as situated in Varāhavartanī,[7] is probably identical with modern Siddhāntam, which lies about three miles south of Nagarakaṭakam near the right bank of the Vaṁśadharā. The vishaya of Varāhavartanī seems, therefore, to have comprised the territory round modern Chicacole. Northward it extended beyond Siddhāntam and probably contained the royal capital Kaliṅganagara also. Musunika, the village donated by the present charter, has been identified with Musunūru.[8] Sidhathā, which was in its vicinity, is probably identical with the village Sidhatā mentioned in the Bangalore plates. The close similarly in their names together with the description that both of them were situated in the same territorial division of Varāhavartanī leaves no doubt about their identification. Perhaps they are not different from Siddhārthaka, which also was situated in the same vishaya. In that case they may be identified with modern Siddhāntam, which, as stated above, lies only about three miles south of Nagarakaṭakam. I am unable to identify the other villages mentioned in the present grant.
TEXT[9] First Plate
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[1] Above, Vol. IV, pp. 187 ff.
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