North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PARAMARAS OF CHANDRAVATI

VASANTAGAḌH STONE INSCRIPTION OF THE TIME OF PORNAPĀLA

As noted above, vv. 12-19 form the next section, which is devoted to describing the genealogy of Vigraharāja ; it is here stated that there existed a twice-born (dvi-jāti) person named Yōta,who, by his bravery, acquired the title of king (bhūpa) and that in his lineage was born the king Bhavagupta, who repaired the Sun-temple at Vaṭa ; and again, in course of time, there was one Saṁgrāmarāja who ruled at Badarī in Vaṁśāraṭha. Saṁgrāmarāja’s son was the king Durlabharāja ; from him sprang Chachcha and the latter’s son was Vigraharāja, who is described as a valorous king, handsome in form, and who is also stated to have raised his family to eminence. This king married Lāhiṇī. In course of time, he died, and Lāhiṇī, when she became a widow, used to reside at Vaṭapura, i, e., Vasantgaḍh, under her brother’s protection.

... The next section of the inscription is devoted to describe the main object of the record, and also glorify Vaṭa-nagara or Vaṭa-pura in vv. 20-25, which state that it was founded on a river of the name of Sarasvatī, by the sage Vasishṭha, who also established at the place (the images of) the Sun and Bharga (Ṡiva or Brahmā?) and that Agastya also practised his austerities there.Verses 27-31 state that Lāhiṇī, who was then residing at the place, as seen above, restored the Sun-temple and re-built the step-well, for the use of the public. The next verse is devoted to wishing prosperity to the temple and the well.[1]

...Verses 33-34 inform us that the inscription was composed by the Brāhmaṇa Mātṛiśarman, the son of Hari ; and it was engraved by Ṡivapāla, the son of sūtradhāra Dēüka, the grandsonof Durga (Durgārka or Durgāditya) and the great-grandson of the sthapati (architect or carpenter) Nāga. Here the record ends with the date (v. 35), which we have already seen above.

...Of the geographical names mentioned in the inscription, Vaṁśāraṭha and Badarī (l.9) cannot be identified, though a suggestion appears plausible here. We find two villages with similarly sounding names in the Sagwāḍā tēhsil of the Ḍūṅgarpur District of South Rājasthān : one of them is Vamasa, which appears to be a corrupted form of Vaṁśa- (raṭha or rāshṭra), about 16 kms north by east of Sagwāḍā, and the other is Badarbēḍ, about 22 kms. south-southwest of Vamasa. Both these places lie about 125 kms. south-east of Sirōhī. Vaṭa-nagara (ll. 12 and 13), which is also mentioned as Vaṭa-pura (l. 15) or Vaṭa (l. 19), is evidently the locality lying at the foot of Vasantgaḍh where the inscribed stone was found. The place appears to have been so known on account of its situation amongst a thick jungle of Vaṭa (banian) trees.[2] Sarasvatī, mentioned in 1. 20, is undoubtedly the well in which the stone was originally fixed, and also the river Sarasvatī (l. 15), which is said to be flowing close by the city. The latter of these is the stream flowing between the fort and the neighbouring hill and by the side of the temple and the well. The well appears to have been so called as it was fed by the waters of the river.[3]

TEXT[4]

[ Metres : Verses 1, 22, 31 and 33 Anushṭubh ; vv. 2, 10 and 23 Ṡārdūlavikrīḍita ; vv. 4, 7, 12, 18-21, 26-27, 28 (irregular), 29-30 and 34 Indravajrā ; v, 15 Upēndravajrā ; vv. 13-14, Upajāti ; vv. 3, 5-6, 8 and 11 Indravajrā, Upēndravajr¬ā or Upajāti ;5 v. 9 Drutavilambita ; v. 17 Āryā (irregular) ; v. 24 Vaṁśastha ; vv. 25 and 32 Sragdharā ; v. 35 Mālinī].

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[1] In his edition Kielhorn throughout used the word ‘tank’, whereas the inscription has the word v¬apī which means a well with a flight of steps and probably an irrigation well, as formed from the root vap.
[2] Cf. the expression nyagrōdha-sakta, in v. 20 of the text.
[3] See P. R. A. S., W. C., for 1905-06, p. 53.
[4] From an impression.
[5] We cannot be definite about the metres of these verses as the initial letters of their pādas are broken away.
[6] The missing twelve aksharas here obviously included the names of some deities about whom we cannot be definite. The reading in J. A. S. B., Vol. X, p. 664, is a mere guess, as also remarked by Kielhorn. Here, as in almost all the verses below, not only the second but also the first and third pādas have two daṇḍas in the end. In the transcript I have retained them simply to lessen the number of foot-notes, etc.
[7] The correct form if ज्योतिर्विदादां, which would not have suited the metre. The meaning of सवधियां is not clear.

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