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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
name used to indicate not only a city and the country around it but also East India in general.[1]
In our inscription, it is used in the sense of a territory in the western areas of Bengal. Gauḍa was
originally the name of the land between the Padmā and Burdwan. Generally speaking therefore Gauḍa and Rāḍha (Rāl of the Muslim writers) were identical although the latter was originally the name of the land on both the banks of the river Ajay in South-West Bengal. This land
as well as its chief city was often also called Rāḍhā. Avimukta was a well-known holy place in
the city of Banaras.[2] It was apparently the name of the Rājghāṭ region of Banaras and the
Avimukta-nadī was no doubt the Ganges at Rājghāṭ.
TEXT[3]
[Metres : verses 1, 3, 6 Āryā ; verse 2 Gīti ; verse 4 Śārdūlavikrīḍita ; verse 5 Vasantatilaka ; verse
7 Anushṭubh.]
1 [Siddham][4] [|*] [na]maḥ Śivāya || Gauḍa-mahībhṛin-maul-āmātya-sa[bhā]yāṁ saṁ[bhā]-
ji[t-ārir=abhūt] | dēva iva[Maṁga[5]]- [ |[6] ]
2 dēvaḥ kshitipa-mahāsāṁdhivigrahikaḥ || [1*] Śrī-Chaṁga[7]dēvam=ajana[ya]d=ayam=atha
tanayaṁ pra[si]ddha-naya-vinaya-
3 m | prāpa durāpāṁ Rā[ṇa]ka-padavīm=a[laghī]yasīṁ sa rā[jya]sya || [2*] [Tasya] tanūjaḥ
śrīmān=udapadyata Bhīmadēva i-
4 ti viditaḥ | sa cha Gauḍ-āvanijānēr=ajani mahāsā[ṁ]dhivigrahikaḥ || [3*] Bhinn-āri-dvipa-
nirjji[t=ā]nayad=ishu- |[8]
5 stōm-āti-rōmāṁcha-bhṛid-yuddh-ōrv[v]ī kathitaṁ dvir-ukti-chakitā praptā na yad-vikramam
| dānāy=āniśam=ujjhu(jjhi)t-āṁvu(bu)-
6 saritō yēna sthalē vāhitās=tat=pratyāharatā [sa]ri[t]-ku[la]-talā[d=u]llāsitā dhūlayaḥ
|| [4*] Rāyāri-vaṁśa-naranā-
7 tha-Kali[ṁ*]ga-rāja-mukhy-āri-vīra-va(ba)la-vāridhi-madhya-[guptaṁ(ptam)[9]] | [yē]n=ōda-
dhāri guru-Gauḍa-Varēn[dra][10]-rājya[ṁ] majjat-pu- ||[11]
8 rātana-vahitra-chari[tra-chā]ri || [5*] Vipula-śilāmaya[m] idam=ayam=Avimukta-[na]dī[12]-
lalāṭa-tala-tilakam | Bhava-[bha]-
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[1] Cf. IHQ, Vol. XXVIII, pp. 123 ff.
[2] Often it is identified with Banaras. For this holy place, see the Matsya Purāṇu, Chapters 181-85, Excavations at Rājghāṭ have yielded seals of the Śiva temple at Avimukta with such legends as Avimukta, Avimuktēśvara, Avimuktēśvarasya and Avimuktabhaṭṭāraka. Cf. JNSI, Vol. XIX, pp. 170 ff.
[3] From impressions.
[4] Expressed by symbol.
[5]Originally I was inclined to road this name differently. But the most probable reading of the damaged
letters now appears to me to be maṁge. The first letter does not appear to be ga.
[6] These daṇḍas, which were incised to cover up a little space at the end of the line, are unnecessary.
[7] Originally I was inclined to read the name as Vaṁga ; but the first letter looks more like ch than v.
[8] The daṇḍa is redundant (cf. note 6 above).
[9] The reading may also be luptam.
[10] The reading is possibly not narēndra.
[11] These superfluous daṇḍas have a cancellation mark (cf. note 6 above).
[12] The reading may possibly also be taṭī meaning ‘ the bank of a river’.
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