North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE KALACHURIS OF RATANPUR

KONI STONE INSCRIPTION OF PRITHVIDEVA II : YEAR 900

extremely disagreeable, the mind of that illustrious Purushōttama which had become purified by the constant study of the various Śāstras, Purāṇas and Vēdas, become solely intent on the acquisition of religious merit.

(V. 30) Having been adorned all round by various kinds of groves and meritor- ious works of monasteries and temples erected by him,^¹ the earth has attained marvellous splendour.

(V. 31) He made a lake at Ratnapura which is deep, contains many creatures, is clear, extremely beautiful and fit to be used by all people, (and thus) resembles his heart (Which is serene, very courageous, pure, very fine and fit to be resorted to by all people).

(V. 32) This faultless and beautiful five-shrined temple of Śambhu has been erected by him with a view to dispel the mass of darkness (i.e., ignorance) of the three worlds. Having made his abode here, even (Śiva) , the sole lord of the whole universe, dose not, I fancy, think at all of Kailāsa on account of the excellent offerings of worship (here).

(V. 33) This five-shrined temple^²also of him (i.e., Śambhu) has been raised by him from water—(the temple ) which, by its forms, makes itself identical with Dvārakā on the earth.^³

(V. 34) He himself, shining with valour, has raised this pleasure-garden of the conqueror of Muru (Śiva), in which beautiful bees disport themselves, which has hundreds of beautiful blossoming creepers, which contains various flowers and fruits, which resounds with the warbling of innumerable joyful birds and which has covered the space in the sky with rows of strange trees and creepers.

(V. 35) While the sun was in the mouth of Rāhu,^⁴ Pṛithvīdēva (II) gave as a grant this village Salōnī to the wise Purushōttama.

( V. 36) As long as the moon with its stain washed away by the river flowing from the head of Śiva is wakeful, as long as the resplendent sun sanctifies the world with its rays, as long as the lord of serpents supports very firmly the orb of the earth on the top of this hoods—even so long may this glorious temple, honoured in the three worlds, last on this circle of the earth !

(V. 37) The illustrious, clever and compassionate Kasala, who is skilled in the sciences of arms, who has attained proficiency in numerous and varied arts, who is conversant with the science of elephants and that of medicine, who is a swan (sporting) among lotus-plants which are the entire poetic arts, who knows the three ratnas⁵ and whose intellect is well-known in (expounding) the multitude of the agamas of Srighana (the Buddha) and others, has composed this prasasti.

(V. 38) He (Purushōttama) gave four plough-measures of land to gods and two plough-measures (of land) to the learned Brāhmaṇa Vāsudēva. The year 900, during the reign of Pṛithvīdēva (II).
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¹This and the following verse are relative clauses.
² The temple is called pāñchāyatana, because the main structure was surrounded by four small shrines dedicated to Durgā, Gaṇapati, Sarasvatī, etc. For another such temple of a slightly earlier period see the Rewa stone inscription of Karṇa (No. 53, above).
³ This verse is rather obscure. Perhaps the temple was surrounded by water on all sides and therefore resembled the city of Dvārakā.
⁴ I. e., at the time of a solar eclipse.
⁵ As the author speaks in this verse of his knowledge of the Buddhist āgamas, the three ratnas may be Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha.