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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA In regard to orthography the consonant following r is doubled as in Pūgavarmmaṇā (line 6) and bahudhir=vvaº (line 10). An exception may be noted in ºgarbha (lines 3-4). Anusvāra is changed to class nasal in sandhi in the expression uktañ=cha (line 10). The language is Sanskrit and the composition excepting one verse each at the beginning and at the end is in prose. The inscription commences with the expression svasti. This is followed by a verse in praise of the lotus-feet of Brahmā, i.e., the Creator, which are described as worthy of being worshipped by the pious persons, brilliant like the shinning gold and capable of causing the good as well as bad things of the three worlds. This verse is new and not found in other records. Next is introduced the victorious prince Pūgavarman, the first son of Śrī-Pṛithivīvallabha-mahārāja who performed the Hiraṇyagarbha-mahādāna and the Agnishṭōma, Agnichayana, Vājapēya and Aśvamēdha sacrifices. Pūgavarman is said also to have borne the appellation Raṇashṭātura. This expression is defective and its correct form may be suggested as Raṇasthātṛi[1] which means ‘ firm in battle ’. It is comparable with the name Yudhishṭhira. The object of the epigraph is to register a second[2] gift, apparently of land, in the village of [Maḷa]kēṭaka to the deity Vārāhīdēva by Pūgavarman for securing good results in this world as well as in the next. The gift land was divided into thirty-three shares, to be enjoyed, apparently by different beneficiaries whose names, however, are not specified. The charter concludes with the usual verse extolling the merit of a pious gift.
Not many inscriptions are available for reconstructing the early history of the Chālukya house of Bādāmi. For the reign of Pulakēśin I, we have the Bādāmi inscription,[3] dated 543 A.D., which has placed the history of this family on a firm chronological footing. His successor Kīrtivarman is represented through only two charters of his reign bearing identical dates.[4] The present inscription which may be assigned to this dim period of Chālukya history makes a welcome addition to our knowledge. It must be admitted at the outset that there are some difficulties in ascertaining the family to which the issuer of the present charter belonged. But a critical examination of it shows that the difficulties are only superficial. A prominent feature that impresses upon our mind on a perusal of the document is its unconventional nature. The invocation is unusual. The following praśasti does not contain the name of the family to which Pūgavarman belonged, as one naturally expects. The other familiar expressions in the Chālukya praśasti referring to the Mānavya gōtra, the Seven Months, etc., are also conspicuous by their absence. All these objections, however, are set at rest if we critically examine the description of the king whose son issued the present grant. _________________________________________________
[1] Shri Panchamukhi’s restoration of this epithet as Raṇāshṭōttara, i.e. ‘one who fought 108 battles’, seems to be
farfetched. Further, his suggestion on the basis of this restoration that Pūgavarman may be identical with Kīrtivarman is unconvincing. See op. cit., pp. 12 and 70.
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