North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PARAMARAS OF BHINMAL

BHINMAL STONE INSCRIPTION OF THE TIME OF JAYATSIṀHA

No. 95 ; PLATE XCI
BHINMĀL STONE INSCRIPITON OF THE TIME OF JAYATSIṀHA
[Vikrama ] Year 1239

...THIS inscription was transcribed and translated, in 1896, by A.M.T. Jackson, I.C.S., in the Bombay Gazetteer, Volume I, Part I. (1896) p. 474 (No. vi), and its date was noted by Dr. Kielhorn in his List of Inscriptions, published in the Epigraphia Indica, Volume V, appx. (No. 696). It was also referred to in P.R.A.S., W.C., 1907-08, p. 38. It is edited here from a fresh impression which I owe to the kindness of the Superintending Archaeologist of the Western Circle, Baroda.

... Jackson found the record ‘on the upper face of the eight-sided section of a fallen pillar on the south sidfe of the dome of the temple of Jagavāmī’, which is evidently a corrupt form of Jagat-svāmī (the Sun), at the town of Bhīnmāl in the Jālōr District of western Rājasthān. Some time subsequently, the pillar was set in a dharma-śālā, to the north-west of a Śiva temple now locally known as of Chandīśa-Mahādēva, where it exists to-day. The inscribed portion measures 19cms. Wide by 24.5 cms. high, and contains ten lines of writing.

... The alphabet belongs to the twelfth century, but the letters were neither carefully formed nor deeply engraved ; and now they are so highly weather-worn that a number of them have to be made out from the traces left and from the context. At three places (in 11. 3. 4 and 7) I had to restore some of them from Jackson’s reading. Their average size varies from 2 to 2.5 cms.

...The language is Sanskrit ; and the inscription is entirely in prose, showing inaccuracies concerning language and the technical execution. With reference to orthography, the only perculiarities that call for notice are :- the use of the sign of the avagraha in 1. 7 and of an anusvāra which is wrongly put for a final m in the end.
___________________________________________________________

[1] Originally ये engraved, later on changed to र्ये.
[2] The aksharas in rectangular brackets are damaged, leaving only traces. Similarly, the first akshara of the preceding name is equally damaged; it is read as कि both by Acharya and Nahar. But it may have been वि, in view of the last letter of the name being ट, which is very in the impressions.
[3] Rhythm requires the fourth letter in this verse to be long.
[4] The seconds akshara in the line is corrupt and may be read as त, न or even व.
In view of this, the reading appears to be either श्वेत or श्वेन , to be restored to श्चैतत्. But even with this, I am unable to make out any sense out of the latter half of this verse. Should we restore the expression to -खै: श्वेत-. or नखाश्वेत-?
[5] The bracketed letter which is left here may have been ग, as could be known from the verses side of the impression ; but it is not certain. The whole appears to be a name. The last letter too of this line is damaged.
[6] The reading of the bracketed letters is not certain, as they are damaged. They were so read both by Acharya and Nahar ; but grammatically the construction does not appear to be correct.
[7] Drop तु for metrical exigencies. The correct form of the name is यशोधर . The impression shows that the letters up to this name in the line are now lost or damaged. They have been adopted here from Jinavijaya’s transcript.
[8] The antiquities of Bhinmāl are described in A.S.I.R., W.C., for 1907-8, pp. 37-8.
[9] Information from the Technical Assistant of the Superintending Archeologist. Baroda.

Home Page