South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

I have elsewhere^[1] discussed the history of the various dynasties that ruled in Kaliṅga during the fifth and sixth centuries A.D. There were several ruling families flourishing in different parts of the country. The three kings, named Umavarman, Chaṇḍvarman and Nanda-Prabhañjanavarman, who are called Pitṛibhakta in the legend of their seals and are endowed with the title ‘lord of Kaliṅga’ or ‘lord of the entire Kaliṅga’, issued their charters from Siṁhapura as well as from Sunagara, Vardhamānapura and Sārapallikā. Of these Siṁhapura has been identified with modern Singupuram near Srikakulam. Of the Māṭharas, who were contemporaries of the Pitṛibhaktas, only two kings, viz. Śaktivarman and Anantaśakrivarma, both called ‘lord of Kaliṅga’, were so long known to scholars from their own records. Their earlier records were issued from Pishṭapura, modern Pithapuram in the East Godavari District, while Siṁhapura was the place of issue of their later charters. The Māṭharas thus appear to have originally had their capital at Pishṭapura in South Kaliṅga but removed their headquarters to Siṁhapura in Central Kaliṅga after having subdued the Pitṛibhaktas. It was known from the evidence of the records of the Māṭhara kings Śaktivarman and Anantaśaktivarman that the former was a near predecessor of the latter ; but the relationship between the two was unknown. Anantaśaktivarman was usually regarded as the son or grandson of Śaktivarman, while there was also a view identifying Śaktivarman and Anantaśaktivarman. But the inscription under review shows that the above Śaktivarman was preceded on the Māṭhara throne by his father Śaṅkaravarman and was himself succeeded by his son Prabhañjanavarman. It now seems therefore that Anantaśaktivarman, who was a near successor of Śaktivarman according to the evidence referred to above, was the son of Prabhañjanavarman and grandson of Śaktivarman.

^[2] Closely associated with the Pitṛibhaktas and Māṭharas were the Vāsishṭhas who originally ruled in Central Kaliṅga but later extended their power over the southern part of the country. The Vāsishṭha king Guṇavarman was the lord of Dēvarāshṭra which has been identified with the modern Yellamanchili Tāluk of the Visakhapatnam District. Guṇavarman’s son and successor was Prabhañjanavarman who was himself succeeded by his son Anantavarman. The Vāsishṭha king Anantavarman, called ‘the lord of Kaliṅga’, issued on of his charters from Dēvapura (apparently in the Yellamanchili area) and another from Pishṭapura. Thus the Vāsishṭhas of Central Kaliṅga appear to have conquered South Kaliṅga from the Māṭharas. Another ruler associated with the Pitṛibhaktas, Māṭharas and Vāsishṭhas, was king Viśākhavarman who issued his charter from Śrīpura (modern Siripuram in the old Vāvilavalasa Zamindari of the Visakhapatnam District), although his exact relation with the rulers of the above dynasties cannot be determined in the present state of our knowledge. It will be seen from the above analysis that the history of Kaliṅga in the fifth and sixth centuries A.D. was marked by the struggle between the royal houses of Central and Sothern Kaliṅga for the supreme authority over the country. When these kings were thus struggling for supremacy, the Gaṅgas established themselves about the close of the fifth century at Kaliṅganagara, usually identified with modern Mukhalingam near Srikakulam, and gradually became the strongest power in Central Kaliṅga. In South Kaliṅga, we find at a slightly later date the throne of Pishṭapura under king Pṛithivīmahārāja who was the son of Vikramēndra and grandson of king Raṇadurjaya. This king or one of his immediate successors was overthrown by the Chālukya king Pulakēśin II of Bādāmi sometime before 634 A.D. But the relation of Pṛithivīmahārāja’s line with the kings of a Māṭhara and Vāsishṭha families, who earlier ruled from the same city, cannot be determined.

Of the geographical names mentioned in the inscription, the identification of Kaliṅga and Siṁhapura has been indicated above while the Kṛishṇavēnnā (Kṛishṇā) and Mahānadī are well-known rivers. I have not succeeded in locating Astihōṇa-Rāmagrāma and Niṅgōṇḍi. Astihōṇa-

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^[1] See A New History of the Indian People, Vol. VI, pp. 76 ff.
^[2] That Anantaśaktivarman was a grandson of Śaktivarman is also suggested by the evidence of former’s Andhavaram plates, recently analysed by Mr. M. Venkataramayva. See above, Vol. XXVIII, pp. 230-31.