North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE KALACHURIS OF RATANPUR

a few cases, see -tamiśra-, 1.9, -śitaṁ, 1.19, -śarasah, 1.26; the rules of sandhi are neglected in samabhavat śrī-, 1.3, mitravat śriyā, 1.20, etc;, on the other hand, the sandhis made in two places (vv. 3 and 20) do not suit the metre. The consonant following r is occasionally doubled, see, e.g., svarnnadi.-, 1.1, -varddhayāmāsa, 1.8, prasarppita-, 1.16; mvra is used for mra in 1.10 and b is denoted by the sign for v except in abdhi-, 1.18.

The inscription refers itself to the reign of Jājalladēva (I) of the Kalachuri Dynasty of Ratanpur. His genealogy is traced from the moon, the mythical ancestor of the family. The first historical personage named after the legendary Kārtavīrya and his sons, the Haihayas, is Kōkalla, the lord of Chēdi. He had eighteen sons, of whom the eldest became the lord of Tripurī. He made his brothers lords of maṇdalas. The family of one of these younger brothers produced in course of time Kaliṅgarāja, who leaving the ancestral country,^¹. Con quered Dakshiṇa Kōsala by his arms. He resided at Tummāṇa as the place was previously the capital of his ancestors. From him was born Kamalarāja who had a son named Ratnarāja (I). The latter adorned Tummāṇa with several temples such as those of the gods Vaṅkēśvara and Ratnēśvara, orchards and palatial buildings. He also founded Ratnapura and adorned it with many temples. The inscription then mentions the Śrēshṭhin Yaśa^², the Mayor of Ratnapura, who, as already seen, has also been named in the Amōdā plates of Pṛithvīdēva I. Ratnadēva (I) married Nōnallā the daughter of Vajjūka, the lord of the Kōmō-maṇḍala. She bore to him a son name Pṛithvīdēva (I) who succeeded him. He constructed several temples such as that of Pṛithvīśvara at Tummāṇa and excavated a large tank at Ratnapura. He married Rājallā from whom he had a son named Jājalladēva (I). The latter's friendship was sought by the lord of Chēdi. He was also honoured with presents of wealth by the kings of Kānyakubja and Jējābhukti. He defeated Sōmēśvara and imprisoned him together with his ministers and wives, but afterwards released them as desired by his mother. The kings of Kōsala, Andhra, Khimiḍī, Vairāgara, Lañjikā, Bhāṇāra, Talahāri, Daṇḍakapura, Nandāvalī and Kukkuṭa paid annual tributes or presents to him.

Jājalladēva I seems to have founded a town named Jājallapura, where he con structed a monastery for ascetics, raised a garden, planted a grove of mango trees and excavated a tank. The Object of the inscription is evidently to record the king's donation of the villages Sirulī, Arjunakōṇasaraṇa and some others, whose names are lost, to the deity installed in a temple, apparently at Jājallapura, and of a group of Pāṭala trees to the monastery.

The inscription mentions Rudraśiva, a Śaiva ascetic who was Jājalladēva's spiritual preceptor. He was conversant with the logical systems of Diṅnāga and others as well as with Śaiva and other siddhāntas. Vigraharāja, the king's minister for peace and war, is next mentioned, but in what connection it is not clear³. The name of the poet who composed
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¹ Kielhorn, who in his text separated yēn=āyaṁ from trita-saurya in 1.7, thought that Tritasaurya was the ancestral country, from which Kaliṅgāraja proceeded to conquer Dakshiṇa Kōsala. Hiralal, following Kielhorn's reading, suggested that Tritasaurya was derived from Tṛitsu, the wellknown Vedic tribe and that Tritasauryas were the enemies of the Kalachuris. (Ind. Ant., Vol. LXIII, pp. 269 ff.) Both these interpretations appear to be wrong. While it is possible to take Tritasaurya as the name of a country in 1.7, such a construction is impossible in 1.4 where also a similar expression seems to have originally occurred, but is now damaged. Besides, no such country is known from any other Kalachuri record. I, therefore, prefer to make the pada-chchhēda as yēna a -yaṁtrita-sau(śau)rya-kōśa in both the passages. See my article in the Kane Festschrift, pp. 290 ff.
² Kielhorn took yaśah, in v.12 in the sense of 'fame'. But the word occurs also in v.16 of the Amōdā plates of Pṛithvīdēva I (No. 76, above), and is there clearly the name of a śrēshṭhin (banker).
³ His name occurs also in the Raipur and Amōdā plates of Pṛithvīdēva I (Nos. 75 and 76, above).