|
The Indian Analyst
|
|
South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA which is incised on the lower border. The writing in the excavated bed occupied an area about 16½ inches in length and 17 inches in height. The letters are neatly and carefully engraved and the preservation of the writing is fairly satisfactory although a few letters are damaged here and there. The characters belong to the Dēvanāgarī alphabet of about the thirteen century and resemble those in other records of the age and region in question.[1] The letter b has been indicated by the sign for v. The language of the record is Sanskrit and, with the exception of a few passages at the beginning and end, the whole of it is written in verse. It is a praśasti written in 23 stanzas in different metres. The verses are consecutively numbered. As regards orthography, it may be observed that consonants are only in some cases reduplicated after r and anusvāra is used in most cases in the place of class nasals and generally also of final m at the end of the halves of stanzas. The date quoted in line 22 is V. S. 1350, Kārttika-vadi 7, Wednesday. It corresponds to the 23rd September 1293 A.D. The saptamī tithi began on that date at ·19 of the day. The inscription begins with the Siddham symbol followed by the passage Ōṁ namaḥ Śivāya. Next follow the 23 stanzas of the praśasti in lines 1-22. Verses 1-3 contain adoration to the god Śambhu (Śiva), the goddess Mahāruṇḍā and the composition of good poets. Mahāruṇdā was apparently a form of the Mother-goddess. Another epigraphic records[2] suggests that she was the family deity of the Yajvapāla kings. The goddess was possibly also worshipped at the city of Surwāyā (old Sarasvatīpaṭṭana)[3] which lay within the dominions of the Yajvapālas and where the record under study was found. Since the word ruṇḍa means ‘a headless trunk’, it is possible to connect Mahāruṇḍā with the well-known Chhinnamastā aspect of the Mother-goddess.
Verses 4 ff. describe the family of the hero of the praśasti. The first stanza of this section (verse 4) introduces the Lubdhaka family, the members of which are stated to have been always engaged in pūrta-karman (i.e. meritorious works such as feeding Brāhmaṇas, digging wells, planting groves, building temples, etc.). According to Sanskrit lexicons, the word lubdhaka means ‘a hunter’ ; but the name Lubdhaka in our record is no doubt the same as Lōdhā as found in contemporary inscriptions found in the same area.[4] Since the stanza further states that the Lubdhaka family belonged to the Kāśyapa gōtra, it could scarcely have anything to do with the hunters who represent one of the lowest strata of the society. The Lōdhās of the neighbouring Agra region are stated to be an agriculturist community.[5] verses 5-6 introduce Gōddhala of the Lubdhaka family, who was famous for his liberality, while verses 7-9 describe Padma who was the son of Gōddhala. While the father may be taken to have served many kings (īśvaras) who cannot be identified, the son is stated to have possessed immense wealth and to have been a great devotee of the god Śambhu (Śiva). Padma is also described as a protector of the people. Verse 10 introduces the lady Siyā who was the wife of Padma. The following three stanzas (verses 11-13) describe the two sons of Padma and Siyā. The elder of the two brothers was Kākali and the younger Chāchiga who enjoyed the title Rāṇaka. Chāchiga is described as a dharma-putra (i.e. one theoretically accepted as a son) of king Gōpāla who is no doubt the Yajvapāla king of that name. Yajvapāla Gōpāla, whose known dates range between 1279 and 1289 A.D., was the father of king Gaṇapati mentioned below. Verses 14 ff. describe the activities of Chāchiga who is stated to have visited the holy places of the gods Kēdāra and _____________________________________________
[1] Cf. ibid., pp. 145 ff. and Plate ; Vol. XXXI, pp. 323 ff. and Plates.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
