South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

son Abhinavāditya issued the charter under study. Abhinavāditya who was also called Satyāśraya-pṛithivīvallabha, evidently after his grandfather Pulakēśin II, is known for the first time through our record. It is noteworthy that like his father Ādityavarman, Abhinavāditya also claimed the imperial titles, Mahārājādhirāja and Paramēśvara, which imply his right over the Chālukya empire. As it is reasonable to assume that no other price of the Chālukya house claiming sovereign status was permitted to rule in any part of the kingdom after the accession of Vikramāditya I in 655 A.D., we may assign the rules both of Ādityavarman and his son Abhinavāditya within the span of 13 years, 642 to 655 A.D. With the ascendancy of Vikramāditya I, Abhinavāditya, a rival as he was, might have been dislodged from his position and reduced to a state of nonentity.

Only two geographical names are mentioned in the record. Uchchaśṛiṅga-vishaya wherein the gift village was situated, must evidently have taken the name after its chief town Uchchaśṛiṅga. This place is identical with the present village of Uchchaṅgidurga in the Harapanhalli Taluk, Bellary District. On account of its well-fortified and strategic situation, it played a conspicuous role in the history of the region during the early and medieval period. A copperplate cheater of the Early Kadamba king Harivarman was issued in the fourth year of his reign from Uchchaśṛiṅgī.^[1] This place appears to have been made their headquarters by a few more members of the Early Kadamba line.^[2] It was one of the capitals of the Noḷamba-Pallava rulers.^[3] A later line of the Kadamba feudatories^[4] and chiefs of Pāṇḍya extraction also ruled here.^[5] It was one of the strongholds subjugated by Hoysaḷa Vishṇuvardhana in the course of his northern expedition.^[6]

An inscription at Uchchaṅgidurga itself,^[7] dated 1064 A.D., describes the place as having been situated in the district of Kadambavāḍi. Indulging in a legendary account of its different names, it further states that it was known as Mēghanāda, Vīra-Kanakagiri, Uttuṅga-parvata and Uchchaṅgi-parvata, respectively in the Kṛita, Trētā, Dvāpara and Kali ages. The gift village Nelkunda has to identified with the modern village of Nalkunda situated in the Dāvaṇagere Taluk, Chitradurg District. It thus appears that Uchchaśṛiṅga-vishaya embraced areas in the adjacent Districts of Bellary and Chitradurg.

TEXT^[8]

First Plate

1 Svasti || ^[9]Jayaty=abhinav-ādi^[10]tya-ruchi pāda-tala[ṁ] Harēḥ [|*]
2 uditam=mātum=avanī[ṁ*] sur-ārāti-tamō-paha[m*] ||^[11] [1*] Śrīma-
3 tā[ṁ]^[12] sakala-bhuvana-saṁstūyamāna-Mānayya-sagō-
4 trāṇāṁ Hāritī-putrāṇāṁ sapta-lōka-
5 mātṛibhiḥ Sapta-mātṛibhir=abhivarddhitānāṁ Kārttikē-
6 ya-parirakshaṇa-prāpta-kalyāṇa-paramparā-

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^[1] Ind. Ant., Vol. VI, p. 30.
^[2] Cf. Kadamba Kula, p. 36.
^[3] Historical Inscriptions of Southern India, p. 371.
^[4] Cf. Kadamba Kula, pp. 232 ff.
^[5] Hist. Ins., S. Ind. op. cit., p. 373.
^[6] Bomb. Gaz., Vol. I, Part ii, p. 496.
^[7] SII, Vol. IX, Part i, Ins. No. 126.
^[8] From impressions.
^[9] Metre : Anushṭubh.
^[10] On account of defect in the engraving, the medial i sign on the top of this letter is detached.
^[11] This punctuation mark is shown by two curves, one above the other, the upper one looking like the top mātrā.
^[12] This anusvāra is shifted to the top of the following sa.