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The Indian Analyst
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North Indian Inscriptions |
INSCRIPTIONS OF THE KALACHURIS OF SARAYUPARA KAHLA PLATES OF SODHADEVA : (VIKRAMA) YEAR 1135 tion of the writing. In the middle of the top of each plate there is a round hole, about .9” in diameter, for the ring which holds the plates together. This ring has a round seal, about 3” in diameter, containing in relief on a counter-sunk surface the figure of a couchant bull facing to the proper right. Below this is the legend Śrīmat-Sōḍhadēvasya in Nāgarī letters, about .4” high ; and below this again, an arrow pointing to the proper right. It may be noted that an arrow pointing in the same direction is also engraved at the end of the record on the second plate to the left of the donor's sign-manual. The first plate weighs 420, and the second, 452 tolas, while the ring with the circular seal weighs 157 tolas. The record contains fifty-nines lines, of which thirty-one are inscribed on the first, and the remaining twenty-eight on the second plate. The inscription is well preserved, only a few aksharas in the first six lines being slightly damaged by verdigris. The letters are, on the whole, carefully engraved. Their size is about .5” . The characters are Nāgarī. The letters kh, dh, bh and ś present transitional forms; see, e. g., the forms of kh in mēkhalā-, 1. 11 and sākh= ēva 11. 18-19; of dh in =dharā- in 1. 3 and =bhū-dharaḥ 1. 17; of bh in -ākūta-bhṛit-,1. 2 and -kshmābhṛitō, 1.12 ; of ś in =āśīj=; 1. 3 and -śira-1.5. H shows a fully developed tail in graha-, 1. 1 and ṭh a vertical stroke at the top in -haṭha-, 1. 13. In the form of the initial i the horizontal stroke at the top is joined to one of the dots below. In all these respects the characters of the present inscription will be seen to have later and more developed forms than the Kasiā stone inscription.¹ The sign of avagraha occurs only once in 1. 47, and those for the fractions ½ and ¾ in 11 . 48-50. The language is Sanskrit. The first thirty-two lines, which contain the genealogical and eulogistic portions, are in verse. The total number of verses in this portion is 30, but none of them, except the last, is numbered. Then comes the formal part of the grant in prose in 11. 32-51, which is followed by ten benedictive and imprecatory verses, all of which are numbered. Lastly come the date, the name of the writer and the king's sign-manual.
In respect of orthography, it may be noted that the v is throughout used for b; the dental and palatal sibilants are confounded in many places, see, e.g. -visada-, 1.1 and =ajaśram-, 1. 16; j is used for y in Kṛitavīrjja-, 1. 3; -Kārtavīrjjō, 1. 4 and jātō (for yātō), 1. 23; gh takes the place of h in Naghushaḥ, 1. 2 and si[ṁ]ghāsana-sthō, 1. 13; m is wrongly used for anusvāra in kim=vā 1. 27, samvat, 1. 57 etc., and n for the same in -vansē-, 1. 6, -vinsati-, 1.37, -trinsat-, 1. 39 etc. After the customary svasti, the record, without any invocatory stanza, begins at once
an account of the pedigree of the Kalachuri king Sōḍhadēva who issued the present
plates from his residence at Dhuliāghaṭṭa. The royal genealogy is traced back to the moon.
After describing his mythical and legendary descendants Budha, Purūravas, Nahusha,
Haīhaya and Kārtavīrya Arjuna, the record states that in the family of the last named
prince was born a personage who established himself in Kālañjara, from where he
gradually overran Ayōmukha.² We are next told that this prince, who was an ornament
of the Kalachuris, conquered his enemies and gave the kingdom to his younger brother
Lakshmaṇarāja, who in turn conquered Śvētapada. In the family of this prince was
born the king Rājaputra who captured Vāhali (or, Bāhali), the lord of horses, defeated the kings of the east and lowered the fame of Kirīṭin and other kings. His son 1 Above, No. 73.
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