North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PARAMARAS OF MALWA

GYĀRASPUR PILLAR INSCRIPTION OF MAHĀKUMĀRA TRAILOKYAVARMAN

record inscribed on it in a sunken panel, the upper one of which is fragmentary and is dated (V.) year 936 : and below it is inscribed the present record, consisting of four lines of writing, covering a space measuring 42 cms. broad by 8.5 cms. high. The letters are carefully formed and deeply engraved ; their average size is between 1.2 and 1.5 cms. A portion on the proper left side of the stone has crumbled away from top to bottom, causing the entire loss of three or four aksharas at the end of each of the lines ; but with the exception of one instance in 1.2 where the figures for the year are presumed to have been put, the lacunae can be restored from the context. With these exceptions, the writing is fairly preserved.

...The characters are Nāgarī of the twelfth century A.C. The left portion of the initial a shows a curve, as in adya, 1.1, and j is in its transitional stage, with its vertical line straight, as in jaya, 1. 1, but also with the vertical curved, as in varja, 1. 4, Th in sthita, 1. 1, shows only one loop, probably by the engraver’s mistake. R also is in a transitional stage, engraved with a wedge in mahā-Kumāra, 1, 2, with a triangular loop in kārita, 1.3, and in its advanced from in virājamāna, 1. 2. The subscript from of this letter appears as a serif in urāhmaṇa, 1.4. The palatal ś almost resembles the modern I ; see śrī appearing twice in 1. 1. The language of the inscription is Sanskrit ; it is in prose ; and its date is lost in 1. 2. What is preserved is only navamyāṁ, the ninth day. As regards orthography, v is written for b in brāhmaṇa, 1. 4, and varma as varmma, in 1.2.

...The inscription refers itself to the consecration of an image of the god Chāmuṇḍasvāmidēva and records the grant of a village, the name of which is lost in 1.3, excluding the lands already in the enjoyment of gods and the Brāhmaṇas there, to provide for the worship of the deity. The grant was made, as seen above, on the ninth day of a month, the name of which is lost along with the figures showing the year, at the end of 1.2, by the Mahākumāra Trailōkyavarmadēva, who is mentioned as samasta-prakriyā-virājamāna and also bearing all the royal titles. [1] The pedigree of this prince and the name of the house to which he belonged are not specified in the record ; but from the title of Mahākumāra attached to his name in it, he is evidently to be considered a member of the subordinate branch of the Paramāra house ruling over the region around Bhōpāl and may be identified with the homonymous prince mentioned in the Bhopāl charter of the Paramāra Mahākumāra Hariśchandradēva, who is stated to have achieved his victory and kingship through this prince (-prasād-āvāpta-vijay-ādhipatyah). [2] But the parentage and exact place of this ruler are not known from any of the records. And in this respect we have to agree with N.P. Chakravarti who held that “Trailōkyavarman could only be another son or brother of Lakshmīvarman, probably the latter, and acted as the regent during his (i.e. Hariśchandra’s) minority.” Hariśchandra is known from two inscriptions that he issued in (V.) S. 1214 (1157 A.C) and (V.) S. 1235 (1178 A.C.) ; and the only known grant of his son Udayavarman bears the date (V.) S. 1256 or 1199 A.C. ; and this shows that the former of these rulers appears to have enjoyed a long reign, the exact period of which cannot be determined. In view of this consideration, it does not appear to be impossible that Hariśchandra was very young when he succeeded his father Lakshmīvarman, as also pointed out by Chakravarti. Moreover, we may also hold with the same scholar that during Hariśchandra’s minority, his uncle, Trailōkyavarman, acted as a regent, and as such, he also enjoyed the titles connected with the princes of this line and wielded the full power of a chief who could also issue a grant. [3]

...The view held above, however, seems to be probable but not consclusive for want of any evidence in its support. For, as against this, it may be pointed out that the use of the expression Harshapura-sthiēna, with iha and grām = ōyaṁ goes to indicate that Trailōkyavarman had his permanent stay at Harshapura which was, in other words to say, his capital ; and this place appears to be the same as Harsūd, the chief town of a parganā in the present East Nēmāḍ District of Madhya Pradesh ; it is about 80 miles or about 130 kilometres south-west of Gyāraspur. And from his visit to Gyāraspur, as the next record probably implies, it may be
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(Contd. from the preceding page) :

... metalled road running from Vidishā to Sāgar. The antiquities of this place are described in Cunningham’s Arch. Surv. of India Reports, Vol. VII (for 1874-75 and 1876-77), p. 90. and ibid., Vol. X, p. 31. Also see A.S.I.R., W.C., for 1913-14, p. 60, and Ind. Ant., Vol. XVII, p. 349.

[1] For the restoration of this portion, see text, n.
[2] See No. 44 below, text, 11. 5-6.
[3] Ibid. Also see Ep. Ind., Vol. XXIV, p. 228.

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