South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

63 hik-Ājita-sutēn=ēti || yad=atr=ōn-āksharam=adhik-āksharaṁ vā tat=sarvvaṁ pramāṇam=iti || Grāmaḥ Kāṇāḍuk-ā-
64 khyō vara-dharaṇi-dhur-ārddhaṁ cha Dēvīhar-ākhyē dattaṁ yēn=ēha sa śrī-Sugatipa-nṛi- patiḥ sūrya-tējaḥ(jāḥ) praśasti^[1] | Annaiyaḥ kīrttanēna
65 tribhuvana-jayinā Rēvaṇaḥ Kautukaś=cha sārddhaṁ Dēvyāḥ prasādād=Amaragiri-vara- sthāyukāḥ saṁnta(tu) sarvvē || [35*] Yāvad=vīchī-taraṁga-pracha-
66 lita-makara-grāha-nakr-ākul-ōrmmi-vyāviddh-ōddhūta-tōya-kshubhita-kalakal-ārāva-raudraḥ samudraḥ | yāvan=nakshatra-chandra-graha-ga-
67 ṇa-kiraṇ-ālaṁkṛit-āṁgaś=cha Mērus=tāvad=Dēvyāḥ prasādād=avihatam=amalaṁ śāsanaṁ sthāsnu bhūyāt || [36*] maṁgalaṁ mahatī cha śrīḥ ||

2. Grant of the time of Kṛishṇa III

This is a single plate measuring about 17·5″ in length, 8·8″ in breadth and ·1″ in thickness. It weighs about 130 tolas. There is no seal fixed with the plate which is engraved only on one side. There are 50 lines of writing. The engraving is as neatly done as in the other epigraph from the same place, edited above. The preservation of the writing is satisfactory.

The characters belong to the North Indian alphabet of the tenth century A.D. and closely resemble those of the inscription of the time of Indra III, edited above. The initial vowels a (lines 21, 22, 27 and 39), ā (lines 18, 40, 43 and 48) and i (lines 17 and 20) occur in the inscription. Final t, n and m are found respectively in lines 50, 10 and 22, while the avagraha occurs in lines 37 and 38. The numerical figures 4 and 0 have been used in line 39. The sign for v has been employed in indicating b.

The language is Sanskrit and the document is written in prose and verse. In point of orthography also the record resembles the record edited above. In a few cases, the rules of Sandhi have been ignored even in verses (lines 10, 26). Although final m has been used (line 22), it has often been changed wrongly to anusvāra. Certain consonants have been reduplicated in conjunction with r

The inscription bears no date. Since, however, it refers itself to the reign of the Rāshṭrakūṭa king Kṛishṇa III ) 939-67 A.D.), it may be assigned roughly to the middle of the tenth century A.D.

The inscription begins with the Praṇava which is followed in lines 1-35 by 19 verses. Verse 1 is in adoration of the Mother-goddess. The next stanza (verses 2) introduces the Yadu or Yādava dynasty, to which the Rāshṭrakūṭa kings are stated to have belonged. Verse 3 speaks of the following rulers of the family : (1) Dantidurga (742-56 A.D.) ; (2) his successor Kṛishṇarāja (Kṛishṇa I, 756-75 A.D.) ; (3) Gōvindarāja (Gōvinda II, 775-80 A.D.), successor of Kṛishṇarāja ; (4) Nirupama (Dhruva, 780-94 A.D.) ; (5) Jagattuṅga (Gōvinda III, 794-814 A.D.) ; (6) Amōghavarsha (i.e. Amōghavarsha I, 814-80 A.D.), and (7) Amōghavarsha’s son Akālavarsha (Kṛishṇa II, 878-915 A.D.). The next stanza (verse 4) refers to Indrarāja (Indra III, 915-28 A.D.), while verse 5 speaks of Amōghavarsha (i.e. Amōghavarsha II, 928-29 A.D.) who succeeded Indrarāja. Verse 6 mentions Gōvindarāja (Gōvinda IV, 929-34 A.D.) surnamed Suvarṇavarsha and verse 7 Amōghavarsha (i.e. Amōghavarsha III, 934-39 A.D.). The following four stanzas (verses 8-11) describe the reigning king Kṛishṇarāja (Kṛishṇa III, 939-67 A.D.), son of Amōghavarsha. It will be seen that all the rulers of the Imperial Rāshṭrakūṭa dynasty from Dantidurga to Kṛishṇa III are mentioned in correct order, although the relationship between the successor and his predecessor has not been indicated

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^[1] Read praśāstu.