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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA our inscription also has rājāṅkara in line 4. Similarly it employs both the forms kapālē (line 7) and kapālaï (line 8) as the locative of kapāla. Interesting is also the word vījaē (Sanskrit vijaya) in line 2 and nṛivansa (Sanskrit nirvaṁśa) in line 8. The old dative form in ºdēvaṅkaï in line 5 is of grammatical interest. It is found in the form of ṅkai in such medieval record as the Puri inscriptions of the time of Anaṅgabhīma III (c. 1211-38 A.D.).[1] Tripathi reads the year of the date at the beginning of line 2 as 16 or a 6 supposed to stand for the aṅka year 6. The year no doubt refers to the aṅka reckoning since the ordinary regnal reckoning was not popular with the Gaṅga kings during the period in question. It is, however, well known that 6 and numbers ending with 6 were omitted in the aṅka reckoning and therefore either of the readings 16 and 6 is impossible. At the beginning of line 2, we propose to read [sr]ā 7[[2] srāhi. It seems that srā of srāhi was redundantly engraved before the numerical figure through oversight. After srāhi, Tripathi reads Mīna-kṛishṇa 2. But the figure read as 2 here is different from 2 in line 6. We are inclined to read the passage as Mīna-kṛishṇa 3since, as indicated above, 3 of this type is sometimes found in the medieval records of Orissa. The date quoted in lines 1-2 of our record thus appears to be Saturday (Sauri-vāra), the 3rd of the dark half of the solar month of Mīna in the 7th aṅka or 5th regnal year of Bhānudēva. The 5th regnal year of Bhānu I, II and III appears to have corresponded to 1268-69, 1309-10 and 1356-57 A.D. respectively. Among these years, the details suit only March 3, 1268 A.D., and therefore the king referred to may be Bhānu I although it is difficult to be definite on the point.
The inscription begins with the auspicious word svasti and the passage śrī-vira-Bhāṇudēvasya pravadhyamāna-vijaē-rājē samvata [sr]ā 7 Mīna-kṛishṇa 3 Saūri-vārē (Sanskrit śrī-Vīra-Bhānudē-vasya pravardhamāna-vijaya-rājyē saṁvatsarē 7 śaradi Mīna-kṛishṇa 3 Sauri-vārē) in lines 1-2. The above is followed in lines 2-4 by Sūnapūra-kaṭaka-Pachhima-dēsa-adhīkāri sāmanta paḍīrā-Visa-paḍirāṅkara adhikārē (Sanskrit Suvarṇapura-kaṭaka-Paśchima-dēś-ādhikāri-sāmanta-pratirāja-Viśva-pratirājasya adhikārē). In the name Visa-paḍirā, Paḍirā is the family name ; but Visa’s official designation was also Sāmanta-paḍīrā. Tripathi reads sāmanta-pāḍīrāy-Isra-paḍisaṅkara and takes the name of the officer as Isra (Sanskrit Īśvara) and his family name as Paḍisa. The last akshara of what we have read as Visa-paḍirā may possibly be also read as sa considering the form of the same akshara in Saüri-vārē in line 2 while the second akshara may also be sra or su. But the first akshara of the name is clearly vi. In any case, the passage quoted above from lines 2-4 refers to the tract under the government of a viceroy of the Gaṅga king, who enjoyed the designation Sāmanta-paḍīrā and ruled over the western province of the Gaṅga empire with his headquarters at Sūnapūra, i.e. modern Sonepur where the inscription has been found. v The following passage in lines 4-6 records the purpose of the document and reads ; śrī-vira-Bhāṇūdēvarājāṅkara āiusva-kām-ārthē śrī-Vaïdyanāthadēvaṅkaï Naēḍa-visaya-grāma vāraha data 12 (Sanskrit śrī-Vīra-Bhānudēva-rājasya āyushya-kām-ārthē śrī-Vaidyanāthadēvāya Naēḍa-vishaya-grāmaḥ dvādaśa dattāḥ 12). It is stated that twelve villages situated in the vishaya or district of Naēḍa were granted to the god Vaidyanātha for the longevity and the fulfilment of the desire of king Vīra-Bhānudēva. The names of the Villages are not enumerated nor is the name of the donor specified. It seems that the king or his viceroy was the donor. The god Vaidyanātha _______________________________________________________
[ [1] Above, Vol. XXX, pp. 197 ff. Cf. imānaṅkai in lines 5-6 of No. 1 ; ºdēvaṅkai in line 5 of 4. See also
ºdēvaṅkayi in line 4 of No. 3 This apparently exhibits the same case-ending under another spelling, though I
offered a different suggestion while editing the inscription in question.
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