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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA Presidency. An abstract of its contents was given by Dr. Bhau Daji in the Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. IX. p. 321 f. The text was first published, together with a translation, by Dr. Fleet in the Indian Antiquary, Vol. II. p. 298 ff. ; and a very small photograph of it is given in P.S.O.C.I. No. 98. I now re-edit it from Dr. Fleet’s excellent impression, made over to me by Prof. Kielhorn. The inscription contains 56 lines of writing which covers a space of about 3′ broad by 4′ 6″ high, and is throughout in an extremely good state of preservation. At the top of the stone are some sculptures :─ In the centre a man worshipping a liṅga with a head lying on a yôni ;[1] to the left a figure of Gaṇapati, beyond which is a figures of Śiva’s bull Nandin ; to the right a figure of a Śakti, beyond which are a cow with a calf and a crooked knife.─ The size of the letters is about ⅝″.─ The alphabet is Old-Kanarese. In the first and third lines some of the letters are drawn out into ornamental flourishes.─ The language is Sanskṛit. In lines 6 and 32 we have the Kanarese words hoy and malaparoḷgaṇḍa. The main portion of the text is in verse ; only lines 31-33 and 41-46, speaking generally, are in prose, and besides a few words in lines 1, 36, 37 and 39, and the introductory remarks to the benedictive and imprecatory verses in lines 46, 47, 48, 49 and 53.─ As regards orthography, the groups ddh and bbh are generally spelt dhdh and bhbh, the only exceptions being Vishṇuvarddhana- in l. 8 and pâtayêd= dharttâ in l. 51 ; and b is written instead of v before a consonant in brati- in l. 5 and kâbya- in l. 37. The inscription, which records a grant of land by the Hoysaḷa king Vîra-Ballâḷa II., contains a number of historical references which have been dealt with already by Dr. Fleet in his account of the Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts. The following remarks are therefore chiefly based on Dr. Fleet’s discussions.
Opening with two verses invoking the protecting of Vishṇu and praising the king, the inscription gives in verses 3-7 the well known legendary account of the origin of the Hoysaḷas. They claimed to belong to the lineage of Yadu ; in this race there was a king called Saḷa, ‘ who, changing the name of the family, caused Yadu, the first of it, to be forgotten.’ Once there lived at Śaśakapura an ascetic who, while engaged in performing his rites, was attacked by a tiger. He called Saḷa for assistance with the words : Hoy Saḷa, ‘ Slay, O Saḷa.’ Saḷa killed the tiger, and thus acquired for himself and his descendants the name of Hoysaḷa and a tiger as emblem of their banner. Śaśakapura or Śaśapura seems to have been the seat of the first rulers of the dynasty.[2] In inscriptions incised in Śaka 1060 and 1106[3] Vinayâditya, the first historical king, is represented as ruling at Sosavûru, and there is no reason to doubt the correctness of this statement, as the passages containing it were evidently taken from older records. Mr. Rice[4] is undoubtedly right in identifying Sosavûru with Śaśapura, but his identification of Śaśapura with the modern Aṅgaḍi in the Mûḍgere tâluka of the Kaḍûr district, Mysore,[5] does nor seem to be well founded. The inscription then turns to the historical genealogy of the family. After other kings, Vinayâditya became king (v. 8). His son was Erayaṅga (v. 9), who, again had three sons, Ballâḷa, Vishṇuvardhana and Udayâditya, (v. 10). Nothing beyond the name is recorded __________________________________ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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