|
The Indian Analyst
|
|
South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA The name of the issuer of the charter under discussion, viz. Mahanmadāhavabhañja, is rather peculiar. It cannot be ignored that merely the king’s name, shorn of epithets excepting Śrī or Śrīmat, is expected in this context and that the charaṇa of the verse containing the lengthy name has actually several syllables in excess. It has also to be noticed that the legend on the seal offers apparently the same name in the shorter form as Māhadābhañja. The expression Mahanmadāhava is impossible according to Sanskrit grammar. If, as Mr. P. B. Desai suggests to me, the intended reading of the passage in question is śrīman-Mahadāhavabhañja, we may have a good name, viz., Mahadāhavabhañja. But, even in that case, the name of the same ruler as found on the seal remains inexplicable unless it is conjectured that Māhadā was a colloquial abbreviation or mistake for Mahadāhava.[1] The Ādi-Bhañjas of Khiching claimed. Descent from Gaṇadaṇḍa Vīrabhadra, born of a pea-hen’s egg. The pea-fowl was probably the totem of this family of rulers. This fact seems to be connected with the name of the old State of Mayurbhanj (Mayūra-bhañja) which, however, may have also been the name of a person. Whether Vīrabhadra, probably also called Ādi-Bhañja, was further known by the name Mayūrabhañja because of his birth from a pea-hen’s egg cannot of course be determined in the present state of our knowledge. The epithet Gaṇadaṇḍa, applied to him, cannot be satisfactorily explained. Possibly Vīrabhadra was identified with Śiva’s creation of that name who was the leader of the god’s Gaṇa or host of attendants. Kōṭṭāśrama, birth-place of Vīrabhadra, seems to be given the Sanskritic name Kauts-āśrama in the Khandadeuli plate. But it may actually represent Khijjiñga-kōṭṭa or a locality in its suburbs.
Of the geographical names mentioned in the inscription, the location of Khichiṅga-kōṭṭa (Khijjiṅga-kōṭṭa of other records) and Kōṭṭāśrama has already been determined.[2] Mr. P. Acharya suggests to me the identification of the village of Mōkuga with the present Mokuna about four mites from Khiching. If this identification is accepted, the Phaṁsarā(?) vishaya must also have been situated in the Khiching region. TEXT[3] [Metres : verses 1, 7 Āryā ; verses 2-5 Upagīti ; verse 6 Vasantatilaka ;verses 8-10 Anushṭubh ; verse 11 Drutavilambita ; verse 12 Pushpitāgrā.] Obverse
1 Siddham[4] Svast[i] [||*] Sakala[5]-bhū(bhu)van-aika-ma(nā)-
________________________________________________
[1] For mistakes in the legend on the seals attached to royal charters, see above, Vol. XXIII, p. 88 ; Vol. XXIX,
p. 189, etc.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
