South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

time, uses the biruda Prabhûtavarsha and Śrîvallabha,─ the latter with the simpler ending narêndra, Śrîvallabhanarêndra, “ the king Śrîvallabha ;” and it further establishes for him the biruda of Jagattuṅga,^[1] which is mentioned again in the Nîlgund inscription of A.D. 866,^[2] and was used alone, to denote him, in the Kaṇheri inscription, of A.D. 851, of the time of his successor Amôghavarsha I., who is there described as meditating on the feet of Jagattuṅgadêva.^[3] A verse in the Nau]sârî grant of A.D. 817, issued shortly after his time, can hardly be construed except as putting forward for him the biruda of Janavallabha.^[4] But the next verse, which says that “ his other name, known or renowned in the world, was Pṛithvîvallabha,” seems clearly to seek to attach some particular importance to that biruda, and, in fact, to single it out as his special vallabha-appellation. The other authentic records do not add anything. The Kaḍaba grant, however, which purports to have been issued in his time in A.D. 813, while introducing him as Prabhûtavarsha, denotes him further on by the appellation Vallabhêndra, instead of by that biruda or by his proper neme.^[5]

Gôvinda III. was succeeded by a son, whose proper name has not yet come to light,^[6] and who is known best, by his principal biruda, as Amôghavarsha I. The earliest known record of his time is the Nausârî grant, issued in A.D. 817 by the feudatory prince Suvarṇavarsha-Karkarâja of Gujarât, which introduces him by the biruda of Mahârâjaśarva, “ a very Śarva (Śiva) among Mahârâjas or great kings,”^[7] and then, in the next verse, brings forward his more familiar biruda of Amôghavarsha ; and the former of these two birudas, Mahârâjaśarva, is used to denote him in the inscription at the Daśâvatâra cave at Ellôrâ,^[8] a subsequent verse of which may perhaps be interpreted as putting forward for him the biruda of Râjasiṁha.^[9] The possessions ravaged from them by Śrîvallabha, obtained protection from him (Indrarâja) by shewing respect to him. There is no reason to explain this, as the Pandit did (loc. cit.) as meaning that, “ in attempting to establish “ himself in independent power, Indra aided certain of the Râshṭrakûṭa feudatories in an effort to shake off the “ overlordship of Amôghavarsha,” or, as I myself have done (Dyn. Kan. Distrs. p. 400), as meaning that “ apparently in opposition to his brother and sovereign, he gave protection to some chieftains of the south, whose “ possessions were taken away from them by Gôvinda III.” The passage is evidently to be taken in connection with the combination that was formed against Gôvinda III. by Stambha and eleven other princes. It is to be understood as meaning that Indrarâja helped Gôvinda III. in the north, and made the rebellious feudatories there submit to himself. And it is plainly in return for this service that Gôvinda III. gave Indrarâja the province of Lâṭa.

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^[1] Above, Vol. III. p. 54, text lines 5, 6 ; as regards the Śrîvallabha, see note 2 on page 173 above.─ This record puts forward the Jagattuṅga in the form of Jagatuṅga, by a metrical license in adapting the verse which was used in the Paiṭhaṇ grant to put forward the biruda Śubhatuṅga for Kṛishṇa I.
^[2] Page 102 above, text line 6.
^[3] Ind. Ant. Vol. XIII. p. 134, No. 15, text line 2.
^[4] Jour. Bo. Br. R. As. Soc. Vol. XX. p. 138, text line 36, verse 23.
^[5] Above, Vol. IV. p. 343 f., text lines 63, 82.
^[6] Regarding some indications that we may expect to find that it either was Nârâyaṇa or Vishṇu, or else was a name beginning with Vishṇu, see page 100 above.
^[7] Jour. Bo. Br. R. As. Soc. Vol. XX. p. 139, text lines 43, 44.─ Monier-Williams’ Sanskṛit Dictionary gives Śarva as a name of also Vishṇu : but I do not trace the authority for that ; and the word is certainly best known as a name of Śiva, apparently in one of his Rudra-manifestations (see, for instance, the Vishṇupurâṇa, Willson’s translation, Vol. I. p. 116, Vol. II. p. 24).─ With this biruda Mahârâjaśarva, compare Nṛipatitriṇêtra, “ a very Triṇêtra (Śiva) among kings,” in the case of Gôvinda IV., and Râjatriṇêtra, meaning the same thing, in the case of Kakka II.─ If the intention of the composer of the verse had been to describe the king by a proper name as “ the great king Śarva,”─ according to the translation of this verse that has been put forward in the place referred to (p. 146, verse 29), and on previous occasions when the verse has been handled by others dealing with other records in which it occurs,─ he ought, in conformity with epigraphic as well as grammatical usage, to have framed his verse so as to speak of him, not as Mahârâjaśarva, but as Śarvamahârâja or Śarvarâja.
^[8] Archӕol. Surv. West. Ind. Vol. V. p. 89, text line 12.
^[9] Loc. cit. text line 13. This, however, is somewhat doubtful, as also in the case of Dantidurga (page 168 above), as this biruda has not as yet been explicitly found anywhere in connection with Amôghavarsha I.