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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
reign of one year. It is also believed that Lakhimā, accompanied by the poet Vidyāpati, took
shelter at Purāditya’s court at Rājabanauli where Vidyāpati wrote his Likhanāvalī in 1418 A.D.
and copied the Bhāgavata in La. Saṁ. 309 (1428 A.D.).[1] The next king was Harasiṁha, younger
son of Dēvasiṁha, and his son and successor was Narasiṁha Darpanārāyaṇa whose Kandaha
inscription is dated Śaka 1375 (1453 A.D.).[2] Narasiṁha was succeeded by his son Dhīrasiṁha
Hṛidayanārāyaṇa during whose rule a manuscript of Śrīnivāsa’s Sētudarpaṇī (a commentary on
the Sētubandha) and another of the Karṇaparvan of the Mahābhārata were copied respectively on
Saturday, Kārttika-vadi 15, La. Saṁ. 321 (1440 A.D.), and in La. Saṁ. 327 (1446 A.D.).[3] For
some years Dhīrasiṁha appears to have been ruling jointly with his father or at least over an area
of the country. He was succeeded by his younger brother Bhairavasiṁha Rūpanārāyaṇa-Harinārāyaṇa who ruled from Baruāra in the Bachchhaurā Pargana of the Darbhanga District.
According to some, he ascended the throne in 1496 A.D. when Vardhamāna composed his Gaṅgākṛityavivēka and Vāchaspati-miśra wrote his Mahādānanirṇaya (earliest copy dated in La. Saṁ.
392 or 1511 A.D.) during his rule, while it is also suggested that he died about 1515 A.D.[4] Bhairavasiṁha’s successor was his son Rāmabhadra Rūpanārāyaṇa whose rule is placed by some
before 1490 A.D. but by others in 1520-27 A.D.[5], although both the theories appear to be wrong.
The Tantrapradīpa was composed by Gadādhara (a grandson of Dhīrasiṁha) during his reign,
while certain manuscripts are known to have been copied at Gadādhara’s instance on Friday,
Śrāvaṇa-vadi 1, La. Saṁ. 372 (1491 A.D.) and on Wednesday, Kārttika-sudi 5, La. Saṁ. 374 and
Śaka 1426 (1504 A.D.).[6] The known dates of Rāmabhadra’s son and successor Lakṣhmīnātha
Kaṁsanārāyaṇa offer some difficulty unless it is believed that he was ruling jointly with his
father or at least over a part of the country. A manuscript of the Dēvīmāhātmya was copied during
Lakshmīnātha’s rule on Wednesday, Pausha-vadi 3, La. Saṁ. 393 (1512 A.D.).[7] Lakshmīnātha’s
Bhagirathpur inscription is dated in La. Saṁ. 394 (1513 A.D.).[8] About this time, Tirhut became
a bone of contention between Sultān Sikandar Lodī (1489-1517 A.D.) of Delhi and Husain Shāh
(1493-1519 A.D.) of Bengal ; ultimately the latter’s son Nusrat Shāh (1519-32 A.D.) invaded
Tirhut, put the king (probably Lakshmīnātha) to death and appointed his brothers-in-law, ‘Alā-uddīn and Makhdum-i-‘Alam, governors of the country.[9] This account of the Muslim historians
is corroborated by a stanza giving the date of Lakshmīnātha’s death as Tuesday, Bhādra-sudi 1,
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[1] Cf. loc. cit. Traditions, referred to by Eggeling (loc. cit.), assign the accession of Lakhimādēvī to 1449 A.D.
and of Viśvāsadēvī to 1458 A.D., but omit Padmasiṁha. According to Vidyāpati’s Likhanāvalī, the work was
composed (in La. Saṁ. 299=1418 A.D.) at the request of king Purāditya Girināyaṇa of the Drōṇavāra family,
who had killed a king named Arjuna and was ruling at Rājabanauli in Nepal. This Arjuna is identified with the
son of Bhavasiṁha’s son Tripurasiṁha and is believed to have contributed to the murder of Gaṇēśvara (JBRS,
Vol. XL, pp. 117-19).
[2] JBORS, Vol. XX, pp. 15-19. Jayaswal wrongly interpreted the chronogram śar-āśva-madana as 1357.
Traditional referred to by Eggeling (loc. cit.) omit Harasiṁha and assign Narasiṁha’s accession to 1470 A.D.
[3] JASB, op. cit., pp. 425-26 ; JBORS, Vol. X, p. 47. According to M. M. Chakravarti, La. Saṁ. 321, Kārttika-vadi 15, Saturday, corresponds to October 18, 1438 A.D. Traditions referred to by Eggeling (loc. cit.) assign
Dhīrasiṁha’s accession to 1471 A.D.
[4] Cf. Thakur, op. cit., pp. 333-34. Traditions assign Bhairavasiṁha’s accession to 1506 A.D. and his successor’s to 1520 A.D. (cf. Eggeling, loc. cit.).
[5] See JASB, op. cit., pp. 320-30.
[6] I.. . cit.
[7] Ibid., p. 430.
[8] JBRS, Vol. XLI, Part 3, pp. 271 ff. The date is given in the chronogram vēda-randhra-Haranētra.
[9] Badāunī, Muntakhūbut Tawārikh, trans., Vol. I, pp. 415-17 ; Hist. Beng., Dacca University, Vol. II, pp.
145 ff ; Camb. Hist. Ind., Vol. III, p. 272 ; Thakur, op. cit., pp. 338-39.
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