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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
INSCRIPTIONS OF THE ABHIRAS round form also occurs sporadically; see upāsikāyā-, 1. 6 and ōdayamtrika––, 1. 10; 1 is bent towards the left; see tilapishaka––,1. II. Finally, the palatal ś has two forms, the earlier one with a vertical middle stroke occurs in viśvavarmasya, 1.5, while the later one in which the stroke is placed horizontally is noticed in other places; see e.g. Sak-Āgnivarmmanah, 1. 4. The numerical symbol for 1000 occurs in 1. 10, that for 500 in 1. 11, those for 10, 4 and 3 in 1.3 and that for 2 in 1. 10. A symbol denoting 9 seems to have occurred at the end of line 2, but it is now rather indistinct. The language is Sanskrit with some admixture of Prakrit forms. See, e.g., Gimha-pakhe and chothe in 1.3, [eta] yā purvayā in 11. 3-4; gilāna-, 1.8, etc. As for orthography, the only point which calls for notice is the reduplication of m after r in Sak-Āgnivarmmanah, 1.4. The inscription refers itself to the reign of the Ābhīra king (Rājan) Īśvarasēna, the son of the Ābhira Śivadatta and Mādharī. The object of it is to record the foundation, by an upāsikā or lay devotee named Vishnudattā, of a perpetual endowment to provide medicines for the sick among the community of Buddhist monks from the four quarters, dwelling in the monastery on the Triraśmi mountain. Vishnudattā belonged to the Śaka race. She was the daughter of the Śaka Agnivarman, wife of the Ganapaka (Accountant) Rēbhila and mother of the Ganapaka Viśvavarman. For the aforementioned perpetual endowment, the following amounts in Kārshāpanas1 were invested with the various guilds evidently of Gōvardhana, viz., a thousand kārshāpānas with the guild of kularikas (potters), two thousand with the guild of manufacturers of hydraulic machines, five hundred with another guild whose name is lost, and some more with the guild of oil-millers.
The record is dated on the thirteenth day of the fourth fortnight of the season Grīshma in the ninth (regnal) year of the Ābhīra king Īśvarasēna. As shown in the Introduction, Īśvarasēna was probably the founder of the so-called Kalachuri-Chēdi era. This date must, therefore, be referred to that era. Later dates of the era cite some lunar month, fortnight, tithi and week-day, but this first known date of the reckoning is recoded in season, fortnight and day in accordance with the prevailing custom of the time.2 According to the epoch of 248-49 A.C. with the year commencing on Kārttika śu. di. I, the thirteenth day of the fourth fortnight of Grīshma would fall in 258 A.C. if the year 9 was current, and in 259 A.C. if it was expired. The date does not admit of verification. Of the geographical names which occur in the present record, Triraśmi-parvata (or the three-rayed hill) is plainly identical with the Pāndu-lēna hill where the epigraph is
incised. Pandit Bhagvanlal has suggested that its pyramidal or triple fire-tongue shape was
the origin of its name Triraśmi3. Gōvardhana which was probably mentioned in line 8 is
identical with the modern village Gōvardhan-Gangāpur4 on the right bank of the
Gōdāvarī, about 6 miles west of Nasik. It is mentioned in four other inscriptions on
the cave-hill and was, in ancient times, the head-quarters of a territorial division (āhāra)
named after it. 1Kārshāpana was a silver coin weighing about 34 grains. The kārshāpanas mentioned here were probably
those of the Western Kshatrapas which appear to have circulated in Maharashtra during the time
of the Ābhīras. |
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