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The Indian Analyst
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North Indian Inscriptions |
INSCRIPTIONS OF THE KALACHURIS OF RATANPUR RATANPUR STONE INSCRIPTION OF PRITHVIDEVA II: YEAR 915 describe his valour, handsome form, learning and charity. The only point of historical interest mentioned in the extant portion is that he obtained a victory over Jaṭēśvara who is evidently identical with the homonymous son of Anantavarman Chōḍagaṅga. We are next told that Pṛithvīdēva, the lord of Kōsala, called him from the Talahāri-maṇḍala, and entrusting the government of his country to him, obtained peace of mind. This Pṛithvīdēva is evidently the second prince of that name in the Kalachuri dynasty of Ratanpur. The next eighteen verses (22-39) describe the benefactions of Brahmadēva. He constructed a temple of Dhūrjaṭi (Śiva) at Mallāla and excavated a tank, evidently at the same place. The religious merit of the former. he assigned to his lord, Pṛithvīdēva. Besides these, he built ten shrines of Tryambaka (Śiva) and dug two lotus-ponds at some place, the name of which is lost. At Varēlāpura he constructed a grand temple of Śrīkaṇṭha and at Ratnapura he built nine shrines of Pārvatī. At the latter place he excavated also a large step-well and two tanks, one on the north and the other on the south of the city. Several other religious and charitable works of Brahmadēva are next mentioned, viȥ., a tank at the village Gōṭhālī, a temple of Dhūrjaṭi at Nārāyaṇapura, tanks at Bamhaṇī, Charauya and Tējallapura, a temple of Śiva at Kumarākōṭa and a mango-grove as well as a charitable feeding house evidently at the same place. Verse 39 records that he donated the village Lōṇākara to the god Sōmanātha who is probably identical with the deity installed in the temple at Kumarākōṭa. The next two verses (40-41) are devoted to the description of Anantapāla of the Gauḍa lineage, who was a keeper of records, and his son Tribhuvanapāla who composed the present praśasti. Then are mentioned the scribe Kumārapāla¹ and the engravers Dhanapati and Iśvara (vv. 43-44). The praśasti closes with a verse expressing the hope that the kīrti (evidently the temple of Sōmanātha at which the present praśasti was originally put up) may last for ever.
As for the localities mentioned in the present inscription, Mallāla is evidently
modern Mallār, 16 miles south-east of Bilaspur. Varēlāpura or Barēlāpura is Barēlā,
10 miles south of Ratanpur. Nārāyaṇapura and Bamhaṇī still retain their names ;
the former is situated on the Mahānadī in the Raipur District, while the latter is
4 miles north by east of Akaltarā. Rai Bahadur Hiralal identified Kumarākōṭa with
Kōṭgaḍh,² but from some other records the old name of the latter appears to have been
Vikarṇapura.³Gōṭhālī, Charauya and Tējallapura cannot now be traced, but the
last of these may have been situated not very far. from Shēorinārīyaṇ, for it seems to
have been founded by Tējalladēva, a Kalachuri prince of a collateral branch, who is
mentioned in an inscription at Shēorinārāyaṇ.⁴ Finally, Talahāri maṇḍala is probably
1 See below, p. 507, n. 14. Kumārapāla belonged to the race of Sahasrārjuna from whom the Kalachuris also traced their descent. He is mentioned as the scribe in some other records also such as the
Ratanpur stone inscription of the reign of Pṛithvīdēva II, dated V. 1207, No.93, and the Mallār stone
inscription of Jājalladēva II, dated K. 919, below, no.97. He had also considerable poetic talent; for
he composed the Shēorinārāyaṇ. stone inscription of the reign of Jājalladēva II, dated K. 919 (below,
No.99) and the Kharōd stone inscription of the Ratnadēva III, dated K. 933 (below, No 100).
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