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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
INSCRIPTION OF THE SANGAMASIMHA Vishnushēna according to the order conveyed by the Mahāpratīhāra Gōpādhyaka. The dūtaka, was the Sāndhivigrahika Rēvadhyaka. . The inscription is dated, in the last line, on the fifteenth tithi of the bright fortnight of Kārttika of the year 292 of an unspecified era. The tithi and the year are expressed in numerical symbols only. As the characters of the present record resemble those of Traikūtaka grants, its date must likewise be referred to the Kalachuri era. According to the epoch of 248-49 A.C., the date would correspond, for the expired year1 292, to the 20th October 541 A.C. It does not admit of verification. Sangamasimha calls himself Mahāsāmanta, which indicates his feudatory rank. Prof. Sten Konow called attention to the fact that ‘the wording of our grant sometimes recalls the phraseology of the Sarsavnī plates; compare 11. 18-19 with 11. 26-27 of the latter, and, especially, the end of the two grants, where we have, in both cases, first an instrumental (-prāpit-ājñayā and -vijñā panayā, respectively), then a bahuvrīhi ending in-dūtakam, and followed by likhitam and finally the date expressed in the same way in numerical figures.2’ From this he conjectured that Sangamasimha was a feudatory of the Kalachuris, who, down to the time of Buddharāja (609 or 610 A.C.), retained the command of the country round Broach. He thought that either Krishnarāja, the grandfather of Buddharāja, or his predecessor, must have been the overlord of Sangamasimha. A comparison of the wording of the present record with the phraseology of the Surat plates of Vyāghrasēna would, however, show that the former inscription bears a closer resemblance to the latter than to any record of the Kalachuris; for, besides the peculiarities noticed by Prof. Sten Konow, all of which are also found in the Surat plates of Vyāghrasēna, our inscription has copied lines 16-19 verbatim from earlier records of the Traikūtakas (see, e.g., lines 12-15 of the Surat plates of Vyāghrasēna), the only difference being the omission (evidently inadvertent) of apadānam after avadātam. Sangamasimha’s present inscription was, therefore, drafted by a clerk, who had before him the earlier records of the Traikūtakas. And this is not at all surprising, for Śōnavvā, the village granted by the present charter, is only two miles to the north of the Kīm which probably formed the northern boundary of the Traikūtaka kingdom. It is not, therefore, unlikely that Sangamasimha had under his sway some territory which was previously ruled over by the Traikūtakas. The similarity in the wording of the grants of Sangamasimha and Buddharāja is, therefore, due to the draftsmen of both having drawn upon earlier Traikūtaka records.
The successors of Sangamasimha do not seem to have retained their hold over the Broach District for a long time; for within fifty years from the date of the present plates we find that the neighbouring country came under the rule of another feudatory, Nirihullaka, of the Kalachuri Emperor, Śankaragana and soon after, we find Śankaragana’s son Buddharāja himself, donating a village in the Bharukachchha vishaya. As for the localities named in the present grant Bharukachchha, which was probably the capital of Sangamasimha, is modern Broach. The donees also were residents of this
place. Śōnavvā, the village granted, is probably Sunao Kalā, 18 m. west by south of Broach,
where the plates were found. The Antar-Narmadā vishaya, in which it was situated, was,
as its name indicates,3 a district comprising territory on both the sides of the Narmadā. 1 1 If the year is taken to be current, the date would correspond to the 31st October 540 A.C. |
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