North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PARAMARAS OF MALWA

examination of the writing, however, has enabled me to prepare the sub-joined transcript, which forms the basis of editing this important inscription.

...The characters of the inscription are Nāgarī. They are not so beautiful as of the two preceding inscriptions, the plates of which are now in the British Museum, along with the present one, as we have seen above. Letters like a, j, v, s and h have almost assumed their modern forms, see respectively ashṭamyāṁ, 1.7, jayō-, vibhartti and sarggāya, all in 1.1, and hiraṇya in 1.9. Letters ch, dh and v, though slightly distinguished in form, are often con founding in reading, as in samadhigata-paṁcha-mahāśavad, 1.4, where all these letters occur. Occasionally ś cannot be distinguished from s, as in samasta-praśast-ōpēta, 1.4, where the third and the fifth letters are almost alike, and in kēśō, 1. 1, where the second letter has the loop of the palatal and also the horizontal stroke joining the two limbs of the dental sibilant. The rare ṛi and gh occur respectively in ṛishi in 1.8 and arghyam, in 1.9.

...The language is Sanskrit ; and, excepting for two stanzas at the beginning, one in 11. 10-11 and three (the last one being incomplete) at the end, which are all customary, the record is in prose. The orthography does not call for any notice except that b is throughout denoted by the sign for v, the consonant following r is generally reduplicated, the medial dipthongs are shown by pṛishṭha-mātrās (with a few exceptions) and m at the end of a hemistich is sometimes changed to anusvāra, as at the end of verse 1 but not in vv. 4 and 5. The scribe has occasionally put double daṇḍas at the end of a line, e.g. at the end of 11. 3, 6 and 10, which appear to fill up the gap, and a mark at the end of the last line, apparently to attract attention to the continuity of the inscription on the second plate.

...The inscription is a royal charter issued by the Mahākumāra, the illustrious Lakshmīvarman, who had attained the privilege of the five great sounds (samadhigata-pañcha-mahāśabda) and who was a successor of the Mahārājādhirāja, Paramabhaṭṭāraka and Paramēśvara, the illustrious Yaśōvarman of Dhārā (11. 4-6). The object of it is to repeat (rather confirm) the grant already made by his predecessor Yaśōvarman, at the annual funeral ceremonies in honour of the Mahārāja Naravarman, on the bright half of Kārttika of the (Vikrama) year 1191 (expressed in words only in 11. 7-8). We have nothing to verify the date but the year, if taken expired, would correspond to 1135 A.C., by the kārttikādi reckoning.

... The inscription, which is preserved only in its former part, opens with the customary expressions Svasti and Śrīr=jjay-ōbhyudayaś=cha and two verses in praise of Śiva (Vyōmakēśa and Smarārāti), as in the case of several Paramāra charters. It then introduces the house to which Lakshmīvarman belonged, mentioning the names of the Paramabhaṭṭāraka, Mahārājādhirāja and Paramēśvara, the illustrious Udayādityadēva, his successor the P.M.P. Naravarmadēva, his successor the P.M.P. Yaśōvarmadēva and thereafter we read in it the name of Lakshmīvarman (11. 2-4). His relationship with his predecessor is nowhere stated in the inscription but it can be inferred from his own statement, viz., śrīmat-pitṛi-śrēy-’ ōrthaṁ in 1. 15 of it. Here it has to be remarked, however, that the word pitṛi may also refer to three of the pitṛis, i.e., father, grandfather and great-grandfather (pitṛi-patāmaha-prapitāmaha), following the age-hallowed custom.

... The record then states that Lakshmīvarman confirmed or again donated (punar = api dattau) the grant already made by his predecessor Yaśōvarman (apparently his father) in (Vikrama) Saṁvat 1191, of the villages of Vaḍaüda, belonging to Suvāsaṇī and that of Uthavaṇaka, belongins to Suvarṇaprāsādikā, both situated in the Rājaśayana bhōga, in the Mahādvādaśakamaṇḍala. At this time, Lakshmīvarman also announces that the gift was originally made on the occasion of the annual funeral ceremony in honour of the Mahārājādhirāja Naravarman.

... The date on which Lakshmīvarman made his announcement is, as given in words only, the fifteenth day of Śrāvaṇa, of the (Vikrama) Saṁvat 1200, when there was a lunar eclipse (1.15). The true corresponding date cannot be ascertained with absolute certainty, since, as Kielhorn observed, the particular day mentioned in the inscription when there was a lunar eclipse falls in all the three years i,e. in the northern Vikrama current, the northern Vikrama expired and also in the southern Vikrama current 1200. But since the only lunar eclipse which fell on 16th July, 1144 A.C., was visible in India, it (appears to) correspond to the date of the inscription if we take the year according to the southern Vikrama expired ; and it is the proper equivalent day of the renewal of the granr. [1]
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... [1] Op. cit., p. 352. Also see Ind. Ant. Vol. XIX, p. 40, No, 80.

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