South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

me certain ; this is the only possible meaning of the double hook, contrasted with the ordinary form of u. It seems that at the end an anusvâra did exist, which got mixed up by the wearing of the stone with the upper hook of the last symbol, for which compare the beginning of No. 5.

TRANSLATION.

“(This) rock-mansion, the most excellent on in Jambudvîpa, has been completed by the Seṭṭhi Bhûtapâla from Vaijayantî.”

Vaijayantî seems to have been the ancient name of Banavâsi in the North Kanara district, Bombay.^[1] In addition to the instances quoted by Dr. Burgess, where Jayantî seems to represent Banavâsî, one might perhaps ask if in the Banavâsi inscription^[2] the letter which has been read sa or saṁ before jayaṁtakasa (l. 2) might not be a ve, in which case the sculptor Damôraka would be designated as a native of Vaijayantî.─ In spite of the general meaning of selaghara, it seems─ if we compare the occurrence of chaityagṛiha at Kuḍâ (CTI. Nos. 15 and 20), of chetiyaghara at Nâsik (Nos. 18 and 19), of gharamukha and gharasa mugha at Kârlê (Nos. 4 and 6), and of gharamukha at Ajaṇṭâ (CTI. No. 1)─ that the expression gṛiha or ghara was habitually restricted to the halls used for worship, those which are generally styled “chaitya caves.”─ The expression pariniṭhapita implies the idea of completion, which must not be lost sight of. Even if one leaves out of consideration the open screen, the decoration of which may be secondary, several inscriptions describe certain pillars as particular gifts. Hence it may be assumed that the present record attributes to Bhûtapâla the honour of having completed the chaitya cave.

No. 2, Plates iv. (K. 2).
On the lion-pillar in front of the chaitya cave.

TEXT.
Mahâraṭhisa Gotiputrasa Agimitraṇakasa sihathabho dânaṁ.

REMARK.

Though there can be no doubt, I think, regarding any important detail of the text, the inscription is much worn, and the certainty of some points, e.g. the initial a of Agimitraṇaka and the th of thabho, is in some way only a moral certainty. I do not venture to affirm that there is no anusvâra on the right of si, but incline towards the negative.

TRANSLATION.

“(This) lion-pillar (is) the gift of the Mahâraṭhi Agimitraṇaka, the son of Goti.” Mahâraṭhi is an obscure and difficult term. It would be essential to know first whether the actual orthography of the inscriptions is ºrathi or ºraṭhi. The ṭh seems probable here, and it is certain in an inscription at Bêḍsâ (CTI. No. 2) ; though on the other hand the th is probable in No. 14 of the Kârlê inscriptions and in Bhâjâ No. 2. The writing of th by error for ṭh being more probable than the reverse, the form Mahâraṭhi is the proper one to start from.^[3] If this is the case, the comparison with the epic epithet Mahâratha and with bṛihadratha must be discarded. CTI. (p. 24) declares that “Mahârathi is a Paurâṇic title of a great warrior ; it is common in the families of Râjas.” I do not know on what this statement rests ; if its first part
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^[1] Dr. Fleet’s Dyn. Kan. Distr. p. 278, note 2.
^[2] CTI. p. 100 ; compare Ind. Ant. Vol. XIV. p. 331.
^[3] Dr. Hultzsch reads Mahâraṭhi also on the coins reproduced on Plate iii.