North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE KALACHURIS OF RATANPUR

work of the best temple of the son of the seven-horsed (Sun), he has now surprised even the glorious Viśvakarman together with the proud people rich in fame.

(V. 23) With (his) wealth, he caused to be excavated here near the outskirts of the town^¹ an excellent tank, the mirror of the three worlds, (which appears) beautiful with lovely lotuses and magnificent with the wonderful work of a pleasure-house (in the middle of it).

(V. 24) Like the Buddhist doctrine, shines this tank (called) Vallabhasāgara, which causes loss of time of all (people attracted by it) (as the Buddhist doctrine comprises the tenet of the continual destruction of all things), which is incomparable (as the Buddhist doctrine rejects the notion of generality) and looks charming with its appropriate dimensions (as the Buddhist doctrine does with proofs).^²

(V. 25) So long as this earth rolls on the back of the tortoise, so long as Murāri (Vishṇu) receives the goddess of wealth on his breast, so long as the moon dwells on the head of Śambhu and so long as the sun shines in the world- may this meritorious work^³ endure !

(V. 26) The intelligent Dēvapāṇi has composed this eulogy resembling a lotus-plant, -which is charming and an object of enjoyment to good persons, as the lotus-plant is to the bees; which is the sole object of pleasure to learned men, as the lotus-plant is to gods; which is excellent with letters as the lotus-plant is with colours; which increases the delight of the minds of crowds of poets and is full of sentiments as the lotus-plant is of juice. .

No. 85 ; PLATE LXIX
RAIPUR MUSEUM STONE INSCRIPTION OF PRITHVIDEVA II

THIS inscription was discovered by Sir Alexander Cunningham's Assistant, Mr. Beglar, who refers to it in the Archæological Survey of India Reports, Vol. VII (1873-74), p. 211. It has subsequently been noticed by several scholars, e.g., by Dr. Kielhorn who transcribed a few names of historical importance occurring in it in the Indian Antiquary, Vol. XX, p. 84; by Dr. D. R. Bhandarkar in the Progress Reports of the Archæological Survey, Western India for 1903-4, p. 52 and finally by Rai Bahadur Hiralal in his Inscriptions in the Central Provinces and Berar.^⁴ Though noticed several times, the inscription has not been edited anywhere. I edit it here from the original stone which I personally examined in the Raipur Museum.

The polished slab of red sand-stone, on which this inscription is incised, was found at Kōṭgaḍh^⁵from where the Malguzar removed it to his own house at Akaltarā.^⁶ It was lying there for some time and has recently been removed to the Raipur Museum. The inscription is fragmentary. The preserved portion consists of 26 lines, all of which except the last are incomplete. The writing covers a space 2' high. The length of the
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¹ For vāby-āli which I have translated as 'outskirts of the town' see Kielhorn's remarks in Ep. Ind., Vol. VI, p. 250, n. 5. I think this sense suits all the passages of the Rājataraṅgiṇī cited by him. For the pleasure-house in the tank, see above, p. 431, n. 2.
² There is a play on the words kshaṇa, sāmānya and pramāṇa in consequence of which the adjectives in the first hemistich are intended to be construed with both the tank and the Buddhist doctrine.
³ Kīrtti here refers to the tank and perhaps also to the temple of Rēvanta.
⁴ First edition p. III, second ed. p. 123.
⁵ To distinguish this from the preceding inscription of Vallabharāja which was also found at Kōṛgaḍh, I have named it after the Museum in which it is deposited.
⁶ It was lying near the Malguzar's house at Akaltarā in 1903. See P. R. A. S. W. I. (1903-4), p. 52.