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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA latter has to be regarded as a subordinate of Sarvēśvara is not made quite clear in the inscription, although that is probable as Sarvēśvara is mentioned before Tējaḥsiṁha and as the epithet paramabhaṭṭāraka is applied only to the former. What is, however, very interesting to note is that Sarvēśvara, who was apparently the pontiff of the Śaiva establishment which is called Achalēśvara-mahāmaṭha and is still today situated within the bounds of Achalgarh on Mount Abu, has not only been called paramabhaṭṭāraka and rājan, but his vijaya-rājya is also referred to. It seems that the Śaiva saint Sarvēśvara was the spiritual guide of Tējaḥsiṁha, the latter considering himself the deputy of the former in ruling his dominions. Whatever may be the value of this suggestion, Professor Mirashi can hardly object to the Śaiva saint Vāmadēva (Vāmaśambhu), like Sarvēśvara of the Achalgarh inscription, being endowed with regal titles in the inscriptions of the Kalachuri kings. With the above record mentioning the vijaya-rājya of a Śaiva ascetic may be compared a Jaina inscription in the Gwalior Museum (originally from Bahādurpur), which was recently examined by me[1]. This epigraph, dated V.S. 1573, Āshāḍha-badi 4, records the construction of an Ādinātha-chaitya at Bahudravyapura (Bahādurpur) by the Śrīmāla-saṅgha and the installation of an image therein by Āchārya Puṇyaratna Sūri during the vijaya-rājya of Jiṇahaṁsa Sūri of the Kharataragachchha. Mr. N. Lakshminarayan Rao has kindly drawn my attention to two Nolamba-Pallava records having a greater bearing on the question under discussion. The first[2] of these inscriptions, which has been assigned to a date about 870 A.C., mentions a Śaiva pontiff named Bhramaraśivāchārya as samadhigatapañchamahāśabda-paramabhaṭṭāraka-mahārājādhirāja-paramēśvara. The other inscription,[3] dated Śaka 858 (936 A.C.), assigns the same titles to another Śaiva pontiff named Varuṇaśiva-bhaṭṭāra.
That Paramabhaṭṭāraka Mahārājādhirāja Paramēśvara Vāmadēva of the inscriptions of Karṇa and his successors was not a king but a saint was also suggested by me on the strength of a verse of the Pṛithvīrājavijaya (attributed to Jayānaka) which is only known from Jōnarāja’s commentary on that work.[4] Verse 16 of Canto VII of the above poem[5] refers to the marriage of Sōmēśvara, father of the hero, Chāhamāna Pṛithvīrāja III, while the former was at the court of Chaulukya Kumārapāla (circa 1141-73 A.C.) , with the daughter of the Tripurī-purandara, i.e., the [Kalachuri] king of Tripurī. The commentary of Jōnarāja says that Sōmēśvara married Karpūradēvī, daughter of Tējala[6]. Just to introduce the illustrious family to which the hero’s mother belonged, the poet, as do the authors of the Kalachuri epigraphs, begins with the mythical account of Chandra (the moon), his son Budha and the latter’s descendant Kārtavīrya Arjuna surnamed Kalichuri[7], after whom the family is said to have been known as Kalichuri (i.e., Kalachuri). The author then gives an account of the exploits of a very great Kalachuri king of Tripurī, named Sāhasika (verses 95-112 and possibly also the lost verses up to the end of Canto VII), who was a predecessor of the maternal grandfather of his hero. Who was this Sāhasika, predecessor of the Kalachuri king Tējala who ruled at Tripurī about the middle of the twelfth century ? ________________________________________________
[1] It is being noticed in the An. Rep. Ind. Ep. for 1952-53.
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