South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

This inscription The date is Śaka-Saṁvat 1037 (l. 14 f.) and the 45th year of the reign (l. 13 f.) of a Châlukya king who bore the surname Parântaka^[1] (l. 1), Sarvalôkâśraya and Vishṇuvardhana-mahârâja (l. 11 f.). If the regnal year is deducted from the Śaka year, the result is Śaka-Saṁvat 992= A.D. 1070 as the date of the king’s accession to the throne. Consequently he must be identical with the Châlukya-Chôḷa king Râjêndra-Chôḷa II. alias Kulôttuṅga-Chôḷa I. whose reign is known to have commenced in A.D. 1070.^[2]

The purpose of the inscription is to record the gift of a lamp to Nârâyaṇa^[3] (l. 18), the deity of the temple in which it is still found, and which is stated to have been built by a Vaiśya named Maṇḍaya^[4] (ll. 7 and 18). Bhîmavaram bore the name of Châlukyabhîmâpura^[5] or ºvura (ll. 6 f. and 17) and belonged to the district of Sakaṭamantani-nâṇḍu (l. 16 f.). The date of the grant was the vernal equinox (l. 15 f.). The donor of the lamp was a minister of the king, named Mâdhava (l. 3) and surnamed Râjavallabha (l. 2). He was a native of the Chôḷa country (l. 19), and his full Tamil name was Vêḷân Mâdhavan, alias Râjavallabha-Pallavaraiyan (l. 21 f.). The small Leyden grant (ll. 11 f. and 49), which was issued in the 20th year of the reign of Kulôttuṅga I., contains the name of a minister (saṁdhivigrahin) Râjavallabha-Pallavaraiyan, who is perhaps identical with the donor of the subjoined inscription.

The following is a list of other inscriptions of Kulôttuṅga I. which contain both a Śaka date and a regnal year. All are in the Bhîmêśvara temple at Drâkshârâma,^[6] with the exception of No. 1 which is near the Nâgêśvara temple at Chêbrôlu.^[7]

A.─ Inscriptions in which the king is designated only by this titles Sarvalôkâśraya-śrî-Vishṇuvardhana-mahârâja.^[8]

1.- No. 151 of 1897.

1 Svasti 9Śakha-varshaṁblu ^[9]98 n=êṁṭi Nala-śaṁvatsa-^[10]
2 ra śrâhi svasti Sarvvalôkâśraya-śrî-
3 11Vishṇuvarddhana-mahârâjula pravarddhamâ-
4 na-vijaya-râjya-śaṁvatsara[ṁblu]^[12] 7 n=êṇḍu …
6 ….. Mâgha-mâsamuna
7 punnamayu ^[13]Sukravâramuna sômagrahaṇa-
8 nimittamunan= …..

2.- No. 190 of 1893.

1 14Saka-var[sha]mulu 1006 svasti [Sa]rvvalôkâśraya-śrî-Vishṇuvarddhana-mahârâjula pravara[ddha]mâ-
2 na-vijaya-râjya-saṁvatsaramu ^[15] gu [śrâ*]hi dina 307 ṇḍuṁ …..

3.- No. 374 of 1893.

1 [Sva]sti Śaka-va[r*]shaṁbulu 1036 svasti Sarvvalôkâśraya-śrî-Vishṇuvarddhana- mâhârâjula^[15]

_______________________________
^[1] This had been the name of two Chôḷa kings ; see South-Ind. Inscr. Vol. I. p. 112.
^[2] See above, Vol. IV. p. 266.
^[3] According to other inscriptions the name of the temple was Râjanârâyaṇa-Vinnagara ; see above, Vol. IV. p. 230 and note 3.
^[4] In the Donepûṇḍi grant the temple is referred to as Maṇḍe-Nârâyaṇa ; above, Vol. IV. p. 358.
^[5] This name is derived from that of Châlukya-Bhîma I. ; see above, Vol. IV. p. 227.
^[6] See above, Vol. IV. p. 37, note 3.
^[7] See above, Vol. V. p. 142, and Vol. VI. p. 38.
^[8] Prof. Kielhorn’s calculations of the dates 1 and 3 will be published shortly.
^[9] Read Śaka-.
^[10] Read –saṁvatsaº.
^[11] Read Vishṇuº.
^[12] The syllable tsa is engraved below the line ; read -saṁvatsaº.
^[13] Read Śukraº.
^[14] Read Śaka-.
^[15] Read -mahârâjula.