South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

always liable to be carried to a considerable distance from the places to which they properly belong, and can only be applied territorially when the places mentioned in them can be identified.”

One knotty problem however remains yet to be solved. What were the eighteen forest kingdoms included in the Parivrâjaka Mahârâjas’ dominions ? These must have been contiguous to Ḍabhâlâ, and as such the choice seems to lie between the ancient Gaur country, latterly known as Gôndwânâ, on the one hand and the Baghêlkhaṇḍ and Chutiâ Nâgpur country together with Chhattîsgaṛh in the other. All this country formed part of the Gupta empire. “ The dominion under the direct government of Samudragupta in the middle of the fourth century comprised all the most populous and fertile countries of Northern India. It extended from the Hooghly on the east to the Jumna and Chambal on the west, and from the foot of the Himâlayas on the north to the Narmadâ on the south. Beyond these wide limits, the frontier kingdoms of Assam and the Gangetic delta, as well as those on the southern slopes of the Himâlayas, and the free tribes of Râjputâna and Mâlwâ, were attached to the empire by bonds of subordinate alliance ; while almost all the kingdoms of the south had been overrun by the emperor’s armies and compelled to acknowledge his irresistible might.”^[1] With regard to the conquest of South Kôsala or Chhattîsgaṛh and the forest tribes Mr. Smith (op cit. p. 248) narrates the details thus : “ The invader (Smudragupta), marching due south through Chutiâ Nâgpur, directed his first attack against the kingdom of South Kôsala in the valley of the Mahânadî, and overthrew its king, Mahêndra. Passing on, he subdued all the chiefs of the forest countries, which still retain their ancient wildness, and constitute the tributary states of Orissa and the more backward parts of the Central Provinces.” Now these backward parts originally constituted what were known as Aṭhârâgaṛh, i.e. the eighteen forts or forest kingdoms, to wit, Sakti, Sârangarh, Raigarh, Bâmrâ, Rairâkhol, Sonpur, Patnâ, Bargarh, Phuljhar, Borâ Sâmbhar, Khariâr, Bindrâ Nawâgarh, Sambalpur, Chandrapur, Baud, Athmalik Gângpur and Bonai. Of these the first eight are still feudatory states, the next four zamîndârîs, and the neat two Government khâlsâ, all attached to the Central Provinces.^[2]

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On the abolition of the south frontier agency in 1837 Baud and Athmalik were transferred to the control of the Superintendent of the Tributary Mahals of Orissa. Gângpur and Bonai were attached to Chutiâ Nâgpur. Bargarh, being confiscated for rebellion, was given over to the Raja of Raigarh. Again, among the Orissa tributary states there are eighteen gaṛhmâls, though they are somewhat too far away from the Ḍâhal country. Chhattîsgaṛh, i.e the thirty-six forts, included twice eighteen forts, viz. eighteen gaṛhs in one group subordinate to the senior branch of the Haihayas ruling at Ratanpur, and the same number in the second group held by the junior branch living at Raipur. So the grouping of states or estates into eighteen would appear to be customary and traditional towards Chhattîsgaṛh. As regards the western Gaur country, which included the present districts of Betul, Chhindwârâ, Seoni and Mandlâ,^[3] there is no record or tradition of its ever having been divided into eighteen forest kingdoms. It therefore seems very probable that the eighteen forest kingdoms of the inscription lay somewhere in the direction of Chhattîsgaṛh, which was subdued by Samudragupta as mentioned before. As the Parivrâjaka Mahârâjas owed allegiance to the Gupta kings, it seems within the range of probability that those kingdoms were handed over to them, unless they formed part of the Parivrâjakas’ dominions before Samudragupta’s conquest. It is with the greatest diffidence that I hazard this conjecture, and I am not at present prepared to localise exactly the eighteen forest kingdoms. I however hope that the information, which I have partly acquired from my personal acquaintance with the country, may perhaps prove of some use to an
antiquarian willing to solve the question. _______________________________________________________________

^[1] Mr. V.A. Smith’s Early History of India, p. 250 f.
^[2] Since I wrote the above, Bâmrâ, Bairâkhol, Sonpur, Patnâ, Borâ Sâmbhar and Sambalpur have been transferred to Bengal.
^[3] General Cunningham’s Reports, Vol. IX. p. 150.