South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

them to Naraharitîrtha in the Raktâkshi-saṁvatsara. Having thus acquired the images and having become the preceptor of the world,^[1] Naraharitîrtha went about touring and preaching While resting for the night in a certain town, he dreamt of an image of Nârâyaṇa (Vishṇu) merged in a tank near that town. The next day he had the image taken out, consecrated it, and called the town in consequence of that incident Nârâyaṇadêvarkere (i.e. ‘ the tank of the god Nârâyaṇa ’) This place still exists under the same name in the Hospêṭ tâluka of the Bellary district. Having made over the charge of the images to Mâdhavatîrtha, the third pupil of Ânandatîrtha, Naraharitîrtha retired to the banks of the Tuṅgabhadrâ and died there in the cyclic year Śrîmukha. To this the lists of the Maṭhas add that, at Chakratîrtha^[2] on the bank of the Tuṅgabhadrâ, Naraharitîrtha established a Maṭha, occupied the sthânâdhipatya or pontifical seat for a period of nine years, and wrote a commentary on the Bhâshya, probably that of his teacher Ânandatîrtha.^[3]

This traditional history of Naraharitîrtha’s life agrees with the statement made about him in verse 6 of the inscription and fully accounts for the existence in the Kaliṅga country of several inscriptions which record his gifts to temples.^[4] It will be seen from the sequel that Naraharitîrtha succeeded to the pontifical seat in A.D. 1324 and died in A.D 1333. His governorship in the Kaliṅga country, which took place before his becoming a Guru, must therefore be placed in the period before A.D. 1324. This conclusion is borne out by the fact that Naraharitîrtha’s inscriptions in the Kaliṅga country range between Śaka-Saṁvat 1186 and 1215 ( = A.D. 1264 and A.D. 1294).^[5]

Before discussing the dates of Ânandatîrtha and his successors, I have to draw attention to the fact that the Śaka dates, which are assigned to the pontificate of each teacher in the lists of the Maṭhas, are to be accepted with caution. Dr. Bhandarkar^[6] says that “ in the older lists the year of the cycle of sixty years in which each high-priest died was alone given, and from this was determined the Śaka year. But this method is uncertain and liable to error if in any case the pontificate of any one these extended over more than sixty years.” It will be seen from what follows that such an error has actually been committed and that the dates given in the lists for each Guru will have to be pushed forward by two full cycles, i.e. one hundred and twenty years. According to the traditional lists preserved in the three chief Maṭhas, Ânandatîrtha was born on the 4th tithi of the dark half of Âshâḍha in Śaka-Saṁvat 1040, the Vilambi-saṁvatsara ( = A.D. 1118) and died on the 9th tithi of the bright half of Mâgha in Śaka-Saṁvat 1119, the Piṅgala-saṁvatsara (= A.D. 1197).^[7] In this Bhâratatâtparyanirṇaya^[8] Ânandatîrtha is

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^[1] It may be noted that this transmission of the images from teacher to pupil is still going on in the existing Mâdhva Maṭhas. The installation of a new Guru means, among other things, the receiving over of the charge of the images to be regularly worshipped. The same custom obtains among the Smârta (Advaita) Maṭhas as well. There arises often a dispute among the Maṭhas as to whether the images worshipped therein are the same as those which were worshipped by the first teacher, the founder of the Maṭha, or are imitations acquired second or third hand.
^[2] This place is said to have been situated at Hampe between the temples of Virûpâksha and Viṭṭhala.
^[3] At Uḍipi I was told that Naraharitîrtha’s Ṭippaṇî on Ânandatîrtha’s Bhâshya is still in
^{[existence.
[4] An inscription of Śaka-Saṁvat 1214 at Siṁhâchalam (No. 305 of 1900) shows the great influence that Naraharitîrtha exercised on the people of that country ; for it records a grant to the Lakshmî-Narasiṁhasvâmin temple at Siṁhâchalam, made by the Matsya chief Jayanta of Oḍḍavâdi at the instance of Naraharitîrtha. Another inscription at Śrîkûrman (No. 367 of 1896), which records a gift of gold by Naraharitîrtha, is dated in Śaka-Saṁvat 1215 and in the 18th year of the reign of Vîra-śrî-Naranârsiṁhadêva, i.e. the Gaṅga king Narasiṁha II.
[5] The Narahariyatistôtra quoted above says that the Tîrtha rued the Kaliṅga country for 12 years, while his inscriptions in that part of the country range over 30 years.
[6] See his Report on the Search for Sanskrit Manuscripts for 1882-83, p. 16.
[7] See Dr. Bhandarkar, ibid. p. 202.
[8] Chapter xxxii, verse 131, which runs as follows :─}