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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA the former, for whom the dates known so far are 1090 and 1098 A.D. The Chandēlla king defeated and uprooted by Karṇa may be, as suggested by R.D. Banerji,[1] identified with Dēvavarman. In that case the date of this event has perhaps to be placed sometime after 1051 A.D. It may be that Dēvavarman was crushed at the time of the battle fought at Pītādri in 1060-61 A.D., referred to in the Rewah inscription of Vappulaka.[2] Trilōchana defeated by Vappulaka was evidently a Chandēlla general and not Trilōchanapāla of Lāṭa as suggested by R. D. Banerji.[3] The defeat of Karṇa at the hands of Chandēlla Kīrttivarman referred to in several inscriptions[4] and the Prabōdhachandrōdaya[5] has to be placed after the battle in the valley of the Pīta-parvvata described in the Rewah inscription of Vappulaka in 1060-61 A.D. and before 1071-72 A.D. when Karṇa abdicated his throne.[6] It seems that the decisive battle against Karṇa was also fought at the Pīta-śaila as indicated by the present inscription and the Ajayagarh inscription of Bhōjavarman, which speak of the distressed condition of Kīrttivarman and the help rendered by his loyal officer Jājūka. In the light of the above discussion it may be suggested that Kīrttivarman ascended the throne sometime after 1061-62 A.D. and before 1071-72 A.D.
The Vāstavya family of the Kāyasthas mentioned in this inscription also figures in a number of Chandēlla inscriptions. The genealogical details of the family occur in fuller detail in the Ajayagarh inscription of Bhōjavarman, which states that these Kātasthas, who were engaged in karaṇa-karmma, resided in thirty-six towns, of which Ṭakkārikā was most excellent. At Ṭakkārikā lived a person called Vāstu and his descendants were known as Vāstavyas. As regards the ‘ thirty-six ’ towns, Kielhorn observed that it “ would lead one to look for some territorial name such as Chhattīspur, but I find only Chhattīsgaḍh”. There is, however, no difficulty in identifying the ‘ thirty-six ’ towns, of which Ṭakkārikā was one, with Chhattisgaḍh in Madhya Pradesh.[7] Ṭakkārikā was the name of a city and a district now forming part of Chhattīsgaḍh, which is so called because of the thirty-six forts situated within its area. Of these thirty-six forts, 18 were situated on the one and the other 18 on the other bank of the river Śivanātha, which flows through Chhattīsgaḍh. A number of Kāyastha families are mentioned in the inscriptions of the Kalachuris of Tummāṇa.[8] Four place-names are mentioned in the record, viz., Kālañjara, Dugauḍa, Pītādri and Pipalāhika. Of these the first is well-known. Dugauḍa is the modern Digaura (Dogora of the map). It is situated some 15 miles from Ṭīkamagarh on the Orccha-Ṭīkamgarh road, in 24º 58′ N. and 78º 55 E. The ruling family of Orccha hailed from the village Diguara, old Dugauḍa, and was therefore known as the Digaura family (Eastern States Gazetteer, Vol. VI-A, p. 74.). Pītādri, Pīta-śaila or Pūta-parvvata may be identified with the Pīta hill (Pet hill of the map of Orccha State between pages 91-93 of the Eastern States Gazetteer, Vol. VI-A), which is about 4½ miles south-east of the village of Digaura in the Baldeobagh tahsil of the former Orccha State, now included in Vindhya Pradesh. Pipalāhika cannot be identified. _________________________________________________
[1] MASI, No. 23, p. 19.
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