North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PARAMARAS OF MALWA

Thus all the different grants are registered in the present charter which was issued by Naravarman from his stay at Dhārā (1. 7), and the land is stated to lay in possession of the Mahāmaṇḍalīka Rājya(ja)dēva and was situated in the pratijāgaraṇa (parganā) of Mandārikā in the Upēndrapura-maṇḍala. Lines 19-21 state the terms of the grant and sound a note of warning usually to be found in those of the Paramāra dynasty, and this account is followed by five imprecatory verses. Then the date is repeated in numerical figures, and stating the name of the dūtaka to be Ṭhakkura Kēśava, and with the sign-manual of Naravarman in the end, the record is closed.

...The grants donated previously in 1097 A.C. are referred to in this charter probably because they were to be confirmed by the supreme ruler ; but that this confirmation is made after as many as thirteen years appears to be rather strange, violating the usual course. Besides this, we have also to consider what might have been the reason for the reference to the gift made by Naravarman himself some eight years before in the year 1159 V.S. And to solve these problems satisfactorily, it is necessary to take into account the political situation of the time. As we shall presently see, the localities showing the situation of the gift land were all lying in the western Bētwā valley, just apposite to that region which included in it places like Jhānsī, Lalitpur and Dēogaḍh on the east of the river which was a part of the Chandēlla kingdom, since 1193 A.C., as we know that Kīrtivarman’s general Vatsarāja had built a ghaṭṭa on this river and he had also established himself in this region. [1] Similarly, the evidence of the Ajayagaḍh rock inscription of Vīravarman, V.S. 1317, which states that ‘Sallakshaṇavarman took away the fortunes of the Mālavas along with those of the Chēdis’, goes to indicate the success of the Chāndēlla king against the Mālavas, who, under Naravarman, had to lose a part of their kingdom in this region. It is possible that Naravarman’s constant preoccupation with the Chaulukyas on the western boundary of his kingdom may have facilitated Sallaksaṇavarman’s task. But that the Bētwā region was a bone of contest between the two rivals, viz., the Paramāras and the Chandēllas is certain. That Sallakshaṇavarman’s grandson Madanavarman had once again to acquire this region is shown by his own Augasī plate record of V.S. 1190 (1133 A.D.), stating his gift of land from his residence at Bhillasvāmipura (modern Bhilsā), when he was probably leading a campaign against Mālwā. This incidence may have happened some time before the present grant was issued, and all this shows that Naravarman was constantly busy struggling with his enemies, not only on the other side of the Bētwā but also on the west with the Chaulukyas, as we have just seen, and probably also with the Chāhamāna Abhayadēva who had conquered Ujjain and took prisoner the Paramāra general Sulhaṇa. And viewing all these circumstances, it appears reasonable that this probably necessitated a reference of all the grants made during this period of unrest.

... As for the localities occurring in the present grant, Banerji called attention to a town named Upēndrapura mentioned in the Rānōd inscription of the Mattamayūra ascetics and observed that it seems to have given its name to the maṇḍala appearing here. [2] But the place cannot be located. This part of the maṇḍala seems to have been in the south-eastern portion of the Shivpurī District of Madhya Pradesh, just to the west of the Bētwā and around Rānōd. Prof. V. V. Mirashi suggested that Mandāraka which is mentioned here as a pratijāgaraṇaka (1.5) may be identical with Mundair, about 15 miles (24 kms.) north-east of Ujjain, and Kadambapadraka with the modern Kāmlīkhēḍā, lying about a mile (2 kms.) to the east of Mandāraka. [3] This suggestion, though based more on similarity in the names, may be accepted till we get a confirmatory evidence. And if so, I may also suggest that Upēndrapura may be the modern village of Upāḍī, situated in the same locality. Madhyadēśa (1. 11) is evidently the region of the Sarasvatī and the Ganges, and Dhārā (1. 7) is, of course the well known Paramāra capital. Śṛiṅgapura, from where the donee had hailed (1. 11) cannot be identified in absence of the details.
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[1] See No. 111, v. 7, below.
[2] For the Rānōd inscription, see Ep. Ind., Vol. I, pp. 354 ff.
[3] C.I.I., Vol. IV, p. clii. As regards the name Kadambapadraka, it may also be suggested here that in the same locality as of Rānōd lies a village known as Kadvāhā, which has been identified with Kadambaguhā, mentioned in another inscription of the Mattamayūra clan. Padra or padraka, which is the latter part of the name, is the same in both the instances, for which compare Araṇipadra which is situated at a distance of about 9 kms.

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