North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE KALACHURIS OF RATANPUR

as it is pure conduct, the illustrious Ratnadēva (III), with his mind extremely pleased, appointed him, who is foremost in all his actions, to the post of the Prime Minister.

(V. 27) Having vanquished multitudes of his foes everywhere by his (i.e., Gaṅgādhara's) policy the illustrious king Ratnadēva (III) has freed the kingdom from all troublesome persons.

(V. 28) He had two wives Rālhā and Padmā wholly devoted (to him), who purified both their families by their virtuous conduct.

(V. 29) One (of them) gave birth to two excellent sons Sūprada and Jījāka, and the other brought forth Khaḍgasiṁha who was like the lion in valour.

(V. 30) Having realized that the loveliness of youth is worthless and extremely transitory like a mass (of the flashes) of lightning, so also fortune and also the love of ladies whose eyes resemble those of a frightened deer, he, who is by nature well-intentioned, has constructed this new maṇḍapa of (Śiva) the Lord of creatures, since his knowledge, which was (previously) dormant, has been awakened by meritorious deeds . . . .

(V. 32) An extensive maṇḍapa of Śauri, (which is), as it were, a very beautiful ornament of the earth, was caused to be built by the meritorious Gaṅgādhara.

(V. 33) In the famous Ratnapura, he built a beautiful maṇḍapa of Ēkavīrā, resembling a Pushpaka,^¹ on the top of a hill in the west.

(V. 34) (He) built a maṇḍapa of Śiva at Vaḍada in the forest tract. At the same place he constructed two shining temples of Hara and Hēramba.

(V. 35) He caused to be erected a temple of the goddess Durgā at Durga and (another) of the sun at the town Pahapaka and a cloud-scraping temple of Śambhu at Poratha.

(V. 36) In the northern direction of Ratnapura he constructed a maṇḍapa of Ṭūṇṭā-Gaṇapati, who grants all the desired objects and destroys obstacles.

(V. 37) He excavated a tank with blooming lotuses in the village Tipuruga and a large lotus-pool in the village Girahuli.

(V. 38) At the village Uluvā he made a large tank, (circular) like a wheel, clean and lovely with lotuses, which is ever resorted to by the (living) world and removes (the oppression of) heat (and so) resembles Hari who shines with a discuss, is blameless and charming with a lotus (which he carries in his hand), who is adored by the world and frees it from oppression.^²

(V. 39) He excavated at the village called Sēṇāḍu a very large lotus-pool, the blooming lotuses in which are kissed by swarms of lovely humming bees.

(V. 40) At Nārāyaṇapura he established a charitable feeding house for all, furnished with savoury food and drink, and also a beautiful flower-garden

(V. 41) As long as the mind-born (god of love) abides in the corner of the lotus-like eyes of graceful women, as long as the ocean has wreaths of rolling waves (caused) by the wind (set in motion) by (the flapping of) the wings of the Maināka mountain, as long as the moon and the sun shine with their lustre in the vault of the sky-even so long may the fame of Gaṅgādhara, the treasure of excellent merits, endure!
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¹ For a description of Pushpaka, see P. K. Acharya, Indian Architecture, pp. 113-114.
² There is a play on several words here, in consequence of which the tank and Hari, i. e., (Vishṇu) are described in identical expressions.