North Indian Inscriptions

MISCELLANEOUS INSCRIPTIONS

one Rāmābhyudaya which, judging from the introductory remarks of Sāgaranandin, seems to be a play. It is not known if it is identical with the aforementioned work of Yaśōvarman. Aufrecht mentions a Kāvya named Rāmābhyudaya in 30 cantos, the authorship of which is ascribed to one Vēṅkaṭēśa whose date is unknown. The third work of this name is a play by Vyāśrī-Rāmadēva, who flourished in the 15th cen. A. C.^¹ The work mentioned in the present record seems to be different from all these ; for its authorship is definitely ascribed to Nārāyaṇa. It is doubtful if it could be identified with the Rāmābhyudaya cited in the Nāṭakalakshaṇaratnakōśa;^² for, as shown above, the latter was probably a nāṭaka, while the work mentioned here was a kāvya. As shown above, its author Nārāyaṇa seems to have flourished in the 12th cen. A.C

As for the geographical names mentioned in the present inscription, Kēdāra is a wellknown ṭīrtha on the Himālayas. Prayāga is, of course modern Allahabad. Pushkara is a holy tīrtha still known by its name in Rajputana. Purushōttama may be the well-known Purī in Orissa. Bhīmēśvara is a well-known tīrtha, also called Drākshārāma, in the Godavari District of the Madras State. The river Narmadā and the holy place Vārāṇasī are too famous to need identification. R. B. Hiralal identified Prabhāsa with Pabhōsā near Allahabad; but in the period to which the present inscription belongs, the latter does not seem to have been so famous. Prabhāsa is more likely to be the tīrtha of that name in Saurashtra. Śauripura (the city of kṛishṇa) may be Dvārakā in Saurashtra. R. B. Hiralal's conjecture that Gōpālapura mentioned here was founded by Gōpāladēva himself is plausible, but his identification of it with the village Gōpālapur near Tewar cannot be upheld ; for Gōpāladēva's sway could not have extended so far in the north. It must have been situated not very far from Pujāripāli. I would identify it with the Gōpālpur which lies on the right bank of the Mānd river, about 10 miles north-west of Pujāripāli. Pēḍarāgrāma is likely to be Peṇḍri, 8 miles north by east of Sāraṅgarh. The other place cannot be identified

¹ G. i. L, Vol. III, p. 245, n, 1
² This work of our author may not have been of sufficient merit to attract attention outside Chhattisgarh, judging by his performance in this inscription ! See below, 594, n. 2.
³ From the original stone and ink impressions.
⁴ Metre of verses 2- 36; Anushtubh.
⁵ Restore-वृषभवाहना.
⁶ Restore मयूरवरवाहना as in M.P.,ch. 88, v. 16.
⁷ This epithet occurs in M.P.,. ch. 91, v.15.
⁸ Compare नारसिंही नृसिंहस्य विन्नती सदृशं वपु: । प्राप्ता तत्र सटाक्षेपक्षिप्तनक्षत्रसंहति:॥ ibid , ch. 88 V. 19. The description of the deities and their vehicles in vv. 6-10 closely follows that in M.P., ch.88 vv. 14 ff. Varahi, Vaishnavi and others described here were the saktis of the respective gods who assisted the goddess Ambika in her fight with demons.