|
The Indian Analyst
|
|
South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA in his boar incarnation,[1] with a small figure of a woman (representing the earth) resting, as it seems, on one of the god’s arms. The god himself is represented as standing over a serpent, in front of which there is a flower. On the back the projection contains the engraving of a conchshell. The writing commences immediately beneath the projection and covers the whole of the first side and two-thirds of the second side of the plate. It is well preserved nearly throughout. The size of the letters is between 5/16 and 7/16”. The characters differ little from the ordinary Nâgarî. The language is Sanskṛit, but some of the names towards the end of the inscription appear in their vernacular forms or rather in forms based on them. Lines 2-12 contain six verses, five of which give the genealogy of the donor, and lines 21-33 contain benedictive and imprecatory verses. Of the introductory verses two (verses 2 and 6) are incorrect. Owing to carelessness on the part of the writer or engraver the text, besides numerous minor errors, contains several corrupt passages, one or two of which I am unable to correct with confidence. In respect of orthography it may suffice to state that the letter v denote both v and b, and that the dental sibilant is often used for the palatal. The inscription records a grant of land by the Paramabhaṭṭâraka Mahârâjâdhirâja Paramêśvara, the devout worshipper of Mahêśvara (Śiva), the glorious Kîrtipêladêva, who by inheritance had obtained the lordship over Uttarasamudra, and who meditated on the feet of the P.M.P., the devout worshipper of Mahêśvara (Śiva), the glorious Vikramapâladêva, who had acquired the lordship over Uttarasamudra by his own arms (ll. 18-21). The document differs from other grants in this that it does not contain an order to officials and others, but simply records the fact that the king made a certain donation.
The text, after the auspicious word śrîḥ, commences with the words “this is the own hand of the glorious Kîrtipâladêva,” words such as we ordinarily find at the end of a grant. Then follow the words ôṁ ôṁ svasti, and a verse glorifying the god Paśupati (Śiva). After that, verses 2-6 give the donor’s genealogy. There was a king (nṛipa) Bhuvanapâla, an ornament of the rulers of the earth of the family of Sâvarṇi (Manu), descended from the Sun. His son was Vikramapâla, who by his own arms acquired the sovereignty over Saumyasindhu (i.e. Uttarasamudra). And his son again was Kîrtipâla. This Kîrtipâla, having worshipped the god Nârâyaṇa (Vishṇu), in his presence, on a date which will be considered below, gave two villages to the Brâhmaṇ, the Ṭhakkura Prahasitaśarman, who was born at a bhaṭṭa-village, viz., the village of Ḍavirâmakula in the Śrâvastîyavishaya, belonged to the Gautama gôtra, and was a son of the Paṇḍita Viśvarûpa and grandson of the Paṇḍita Kêśava. Both villages were in the Daradagaṇḍakî country (dêśa) ; one was the village of D[amba]üli (or perhaps Dêvaüli), which belonged to (the) Sashô[ravi?]sâ (district), and the other the village of Vikara, belonging to (the) Shô[thâ?]visa (district ; ll. 12-17).
The names of three of the localities mentioned in the preceding paragraph unfortunately
are partly so indistinct in the original that I am unable to make them out with certainty ; and
I have not succeeded in identifying any of the places on the maps at my disposal. With the
passage describing the birth-place of the donee we may compare above, Vol. III. p. 357, l. 38, Śrâvastî-maṇḍanê(lê) Kâsîllî-bhaṭṭagrâma-vinirggatâya ;[2] the name Daradagaṇḍakî must be
connected with the river Gaṇḍakî (the Great or Little Gandak in the United Provinces) ;
and the names of the two districts remind one of similarly ending names of districts in the grants
[1] Compare Gupta Inscr. p. 159. In the Jour. Beng. As. Soc. Vol. XVII. Part I. p. 306, Captain J. D
Cunningham, describing a sculptured representation of Vishṇu as the boar, at Pathârî, says : ‘The statue is
about 4½ feet high ; it is covered with figures disposed in ranks ; it has a diminutive woman hanging by the tusk
of the god, and the remains of a serpent may be traced on the ground on which it is standing.’ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
