North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PARAMARAS OF MALWA

No. 36 ; PLATE XXXVIII
VIDISHĀ STONE INSCRIPTION OF THE TIME OF NARAVARMAN
(Undated)

... THIS inscription was first noticed by D.R. Bhandarkar, then the Superintendent of the Western Circle of the Archaeological Survey of India, in his Annual Report, for 1913-14, p. 59, and subsequently, by M. B. Garde, in the Annual Report, of the Archaeology Department of the (former) Gwālior State, for V.S. 1974 (1916-17 A.C.). [11] But the inscription, though referred to a number of times, has neither been systematically edited nor the transcript thereof has so far been published. It is edited here from fresh and excellent impressions prepared and supplied to me at my request, by the Deputy Superintending Archeologist, Central Circle, Bhopāl, and one estampage supplied by the Chief Epigraphist.

...The inscription is incised on a pillar in the Bījā Mandir, originally a Hindu temple and converted into a mosque some time later, at Vidishā, the head-quarters of a District in Madhya Pradesh and a station near Bhopāl on the Central Railway. [12]

...The record consists of twenty-six lines of writing, which is well preserved, excepting a few letters in the initial five lines which are mutilated. It measures 63cms. high by 16cms. broad. The characters are Nāgarī of the twelfth century and the size of letters varies from 2 to 2.5 cms. The initial i and the consonant bh, each of which occurs only once in iti, 1. 9 and lēbhē, 1.18, show their antique forms ; the fore-limb of ch is triangular, cf., e.g., vichitraiḥ, 1. 7 ; dh has not developed a horn on its left limb, see ārādhitā, 1. 5, where the letter r also shows its
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[1] These four aksharas are altogether lost in the facsimile and have been adopted from Sircar’s reading of them.
[2] This akshara is lost but the preceding Śā shows that it was as taken here, as also adopted by Dr. Sircar.
[3] What would metrically be more appropriate is पुत्रा नवाग्राश्च ये.
[4] This refers to the three images which were consructed and installed there.
[5] The vowel of this akshara is made long for the metre. It is not known if it may be a mistake for kō(?). reading ēkōnanavat-; and if so, we have to take the last two figures of the year as 89. But nothing can be definitely said in this respect.
[6] As already remarked by Sircar, the intended reading is नेमिभरतादयः.
[7] Sircar read this letter as कु and corrected it to कुं. But a faint sign as of the anusvāra is visible on the plate.
[8] The latter half verse is metrically defective. The violation of the rules of sandhi, i.e. of not chang- ing kaḥ to kō in two places in this verse, may also be noted.
[9] This letter again is lost and has been restored from the reading of Dr. Sircar. Also see the note in the corresponding portion in the edition above.
[10] Read कारिता.
[11] Some of Garde’s Reports, including this were never printed.
[12] For the antiquities of this place, see Cunningham. Arch. Surv. of Ind., Annual Report, X. pp.34-36; Gwalior State Gazetteer, Vol. I, pp. 203-07.

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