South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

varman, to whose eleventh year I would assign─ lâghavât as an Indian philosopher would say─ the Uruvupalli grant.

The Pîkira grant was issued from the camp at Mênmâtura (l. 1), the Mâṅgaḷûr grant from Daśanapura,^[1] and the Uruvupalli grant from the residence (sthâna) Palakkaḍa. I am unable to identify Mênmâtura. As regards the two other names, I have shown that Dr. Burnell’s identification of Palakkaḍa with the modern Pulicat is untenable.^[2] Dr. Burnell was further inclined to consider Palakkaḍa the Telugu equivalent of the Sanskṛit name Daśanapura.^[3] As stated by Dr. Fleet,^[4] this derivation is equally unsound. For the Telugu word for ‘ a tooth ’ is not pala, but pallu (genitive paṇṭi), and kaḍa does not mean ‘ a town,’ but ‘ a place, a side.’ Nor is it safe to connect Daśanapura with its synonym Dantapura which, according to the Jâtaka^[5] and the Dâṭhâvaṁsa.^[6] was the capital of Kaliṅga and may be meant for Kaliṅganagara, the modern Mukhaliṅgam in the Gañjâm district,^[7]─ far to the north of the Pallava territory. Thus the three ancient local names Mênmâtura, Daśanapura and Palakkaḍa are still awaiting identification. In his Annual Report for 1904-05, p. 47, Mr. Venkayya has shown that they may have to be looked for in the present Nellore district.

TEXT.^[8]

First Plate.

1 Ôṁ^[9] [|*] Jitam=bhagavatâ [|*] Svasti [|*] Śrî-vijaya-skandhâvârân= Mênmâtur-âvasakât=parama-brahmaṇya-
2 sya sva-bâhu-bal-ârjjit-ôrjita-kshâtra-tapô-nidh[ê*]r=vvidhi-vihita-sarvva- maryyâdasya
3 sthiti-sthitasy=âm[i]tâtmanô mahârâjasya pṛithivî-tal-aika-vîrasya śrî Vîravarmmaṇaḥ prapautrô=

Second Plate ; First Side.

4 bhyuchchita-^[10]śakti-siddhi-sampannasya pratâp-ôpanata-^[11]râja-maṇḍalasya bhagavad-bhakti-sadbhâ-
5 va-sambhâvita-sarvva-kalyâṇasy=ânêka-gô-hiraṇya-bhûmy-â d i - p r a d â n a i ḥ pravṛi-
6 ddha-dharmma-sañchayasya prajâ-pâlana-dakshasya lôkapâlânâṁ pañchamasya

Second Plate ; Second Side.

7 lôkapâlasya mahâtmanô maharaja-śr[î]-Skandavarmmaṇaḥ pautrô dêva-dvija-
8 guru-vṛiddh-âpachâyinô^[12] vivṛiddha-vinayasy-ânêka-saṁgrâma-sâhas-âva-
9 mardd-ôpalabdha-^[13]vijaya-yaśaḥ-prakâśasya satyâtmanô yuvamahârâja-
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^[1] In the Darśi fragment, Daśanapura in called a residence (adhishṭhâna) ; Ep. Ind. Vol. I. p. 398.
^[2] Loc. cit. note 4.
^[3] South-Ind. Pal. sec. ed. p. 36, note.
^[4] Dyn. Kan. Distr. p. 318, note 12.
^[5] Vol. VII. p. 66, s. v. Dantapura.
^[6] Edited by Prof. Rhys Davids (Journal of the Pâli Text Society, 1884), II 57, 98, 100 ; III. 2.
^[7] Above, Vol. IV. p. 187 ff.
^[8] From ink-impressions supplied by Mr. Venkayya.
^[9] Expressed by the same symbol as in the Mâṅgaḷûr grant.
^[10] The photo-lithograph of the Uruvupalli grant (l. 4) reads prapautrasy=âchchita-, which may be meant for = ôchchita-.
^[11] Corrected by the engraver from –ôvanata-.
^[12] Read –ôpachâyinô, as in l. 6 of the Uruvupalli grant.
^[13] A superfluous hook is attached to the right of the ma and of the rddô.