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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA fourteen Brâhmaṇas of various gôtras. This is the second copper-plate grant hitherto published of Virûpâksha, the son of Harihara II. of the first Vijayanagara dynasty. It is dated in Śaka 1308, the Kshaya-saṁvatsara,─ i.e. two years later than his Âlampûṇḍi grant.[1] Professor Kielhorn very kindly contributes the following remarks on the date (v. 8 f. and ll. 45-49) :─ “ The date, for Śaka-saṁvat 1308 expired, was the year Kshaya, regularly corresponds to Wednesday, the 20th March A.D. 1387. On this day the 15th tithi of the dark half of Phâlguna and the karaṇa Nâga ended 7 h. 35 m., the nakshatra was Rêvatî for 19 h. 3 m., and the yôga Vaidhṛiti from 6 h. 6 m., after mean sunrise. The day was the 25th day of the solar month Paṅguni (Chaitra).” Both the Âlampûṇḍi and Śoraikkâvûr grants resemble each other so far as the historical details contained in them are concerned. As in the earlier grant, the present record begins with Saṁgama, the reputed founder of the dynasty, and continues the succession down to Virûpâksha the donor of this grant. Herein again Kâmâkshî, the wife of Saṁgama, and Mallâdêvî, the wife of Harihara II., are referred to. While in the Âlampûṇḍi grant Mallâdêvî is spoken of ‘ grand-daughter ’ (son’s daughter) in the beginning (v. 5) ; but the verse at the end (17), which occurs also in the Sanskṛit drama Nârâyaṇîvilâsa by Virûpâsha,[2] makes Mallâdêvî the daughter of king Râma. In a supplementary note on the Âlampûṇḍi grant,[3] Rai Bahadur V. Venkayya expressed the opinion that Mallâdêvî may have been the daughter of the Yâdava king Râmachandra. Adverting to this Mr. R. Sewell writes as follows: [4]─
“ The plate in question asserts that Mallâdêvî belonged to ‘ the race of Râmadêva,’ while the drama (Nârâyaṇîvilâsa) explicitly declares her to have been the daughter of king Râma, calling Virûpâksha the ‘ daughter’s son king Râma ;’ and from this Mr. Venkayya deduces that the lady in question was the daughter of king Râmachandra of the family of the Yâdavas of Dêvagiri. But I think it far more likely that the plate is correct and the drama incorrect. Râmachandra reigned from A.D. 1271 to 1309, his death occurring in the latter year. The reign of Harihara II. of Vijayanagara began, probably, in 1379 A.D. and lasted till the end of 1399, when he died. It seems quite impossible that he could have married a daughter of king Râmachandra, and therefore I think we must assume that his wife Mallâdêvî, or Mallâmbikâ, though she may have been ‘ of the race of,’ was not the daughter of, king Râma,─ if Râma was identical with Râmachandra of Dêvagiri.” The present plates add a further relationship, viz. that Virupâksha was the son of the son’s daughter (pautrî) of Râmadêva. If we think with Mr. Sewell that the drama is perhaps wrong,[6] we may conclude that Virûpâksha was the great-grandson of king Râmachandra.
In the present record Virûpâkasha seems to make the grant as a provincial governor, perhaps with the consent of his father ; for the Saka year 1308 falls in the reign of Harihara
II.[6] From an inscription belonging to the Shimoga district we learn that Harihara died in the
[1] Above, Vol. III. p. 224 ff.
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