North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE KALACHURIS OF RATANPUR

Chandrachūḍa) by Vikannadēva who was an uncle of Āmaṇadēva. By way of introduction the inscription furnishes an account of the Kalachuri dynasty of Ratanpur.

Owing to the unfortunate loss of more than one-fourth portion, the record does not admit of a complete account of its contents. It falls into three parts. The first which traces the genealogy of the ruling prince jājalladēva II ends with verse 10 ; the second, which describes the members of the collateral branch, comprises verses 11-34; while the last one, which mentions the various benefactions made by the princes of that branch, comprises the remaining portion.

After two mangala-slokas invoking the blessings of Siva, the record has a verse in praise of the Moon, the mythical progenitor of the Kalachuri family. Next is mentioned a prince whose name is lost, but who was clearly Kōkalla I, as he is said to have had eighteen sons. Kaliṅgarāja is next named, bur his relation to the sons of Kōkalla is not clearly specified in the preserved portion Verse 6, which is party mutilated, mentions Ratnarāja (1) and Pṛithvīdēva (1). Then comes a reference in the next verse to the victory over Chōḍagaṅga, the lord of elephants, which was won at that very place (in= airu ), i.e, in the neighbourhood of Shēorināryaṇ, by a prince whose name is lost, but who from other records is known to be Ratnadēva II. His son Pṛthvīdēva II and the latter’s son Jājalladēva II are next mentioned, but their description in the extant portion is merely conventional.

After this introductory account of the ruling family, the inscription turns to a Collateral branch of it. We are told that Pare told that Pṛithvīdēva I had younger brother named Sarvadēva, who obtained as a share of patrimony the property at Sōṇṭhiva where he established himself. The name if his son, whose eulogy is party preserved, is lost, but as will be shown below, it was probably Āmaṇadēva (1)^¹. Then came his son Rājadēva who, again, had four sons Tējalladēva, Ulhaṇadēva, Gōpāla and Vikannadēva. One of these, whose name is unfortunately lost,^² is next glorified as very brave and handsome. His wife is then described, but her name also is lost. We are next told that this prince, who was devoted to Siva, realizing the transitoriness of life turned his mind to meritorious works. Verse 23, which follows, seems to speak of a temple where the enshrined deity (probably Siva, to whom the prince was devoted) resided joyfully on obtaining a new abode. The reference here is probably to the temple of Chandrachūḍēśvara, to which the stone bearing this inscription is affixed. We have next the description of a fierce battle with the lord of Chēdi who, to judge from his partially preserved name in 1. 16, was Jayasiṁhadēva of Tripurī. In this fight the afore-described son of Rājadēva routed the army of the lord of Chēdi. Seeing that his army was wholly exterminated, the latter advanced in person, being highly enraged like a serpent trodden under foot. From the subsequent description it appears that the son of Rājadēva lost his life in the fight. His three queens followed him as Satīs.

The third section of the inscription, which begins with verse 35, records the benefactions of the princes of this collateral branch. In the town of Sōṇṭhiva, Sarvadēva erecred a lofty temple of śambhu, excavated a large tank and raised a garden. In the village of Paṇḍaratalāī, Āmaṇadēva (1) established a charitable feeding house, planted an orchard and dung a tank. In the village of Pathariā, Rājadēva built a temple of Purabhid
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^¹D. R. Bhandarkar and following him, Hiralal make Rājadēva the son of Sarvadēva, not Noticing the loss of nearly one verse at the end of 1.9 which must have described a successor of Sarvadēva. In recording the charitable works of the family, the name of Āmaṇdēva 1 is inserted those of Sarvadēva and Rājadēva,
² His name was probably Ulhaṇdēva. See below, p.526.