South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

really identical with the Śaśâṅkarâja of this inscription, it follows that he must have continued to reign at least 13 years after the murder of Râjyavardhana and the accession of Harsha.

As, at the beginning of the inscription, Śaśâṅkarâja is mentioned as the Mahârâjâdhirâja ruling the earth, he must be understood to have been the sovereign of the prince who issued the grant. This was the Mahârâja Mahâsâmanta Mâdhavarâja II. (l. 17 f.) of the Śilôdbhava family (l. 10), the son of Yaśôbhîta (l. 9) and grandson of Mâdhavarâja I. (l. 8). He was a worshipper of Śiva (ll. 14-17) and, to judge from the legend on the seal of his grant, bore the surname Sainyabhîta. The only other inscription of the same dynasty, which has been published, are the Buguḍa plates of Mâdhavavarman, surnamed Sainyabhîta,^[1] of the family of Śailôdbhava.^[2] As the alphabet of these plates is considerably more modern than that of the subjoined inscription, it follows that Yaśôbhîta’s son Sainyabhîta Mâdhavavarman of the Buguḍa plates was a remote descendant of Yaśôbhîta’s son Sainyabhîta Mâdhavarâja II., the contemporary and subordinate of Śaśâṅkarâja.

At an eclipse of the sun (l. 23) Mâdhavarâja II. granted to a Brâhmaṇa the village of Chhavalakkhaya (l. 18 f.) in the Kṛishṇagiri-vishaya. He issued his order ‘ from the victorious Kôṅgêda ’ (l. 8) on the bank of the Śâlimâ river (l. 7). None of these local names can be traced on the map at present. Kṛishṇagiri, the head-quarters of the vishaya, might be identical with its synonym Nîlagiri, which is a name of Jagannâtha (Purî) in Orissa.^[3] Kôṅgêda is mentioned in the form Kaiṅgôda as the residence of Mâdhavavarman in the Buguḍa plates (l. 29), and the Kôṅgôda-maṇḍala occurs in the two grants of Daṇḍîmahâdêvî. Professor Kielhorn identifies Kôṅgôda with the Kong-u-t’o of Hiuen Tsiang.^[4]

TEXT.^[5]
First Plate.

Second Plate ; First Side.

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^[1] In taking Sainyabhîta (verse 9 of the Buguḍa plates) as a surname of Mâdhavavarman (v. 12 of the same plates) I differ from Professor Kielhorn, who understands Mâdhavavarman to have been the son of Sainyabhîta.
^[2] Above, Vol. III. p. 41 ff.
^[3] See my Reports on Sanskrit Manuscripts in Southern India, No. I. p. 59, note 3, and p. 69, No 291.
^[4] See page 136 above.
^[5] From the original copper-plates.
^[6] Expressed by a symbol.
^[7]Read .
^[8] Read .
^[9] Read º.
^[10] Read º:(?).
^[11] Read º.
^[12] Read ºº.
^[13] Read .