North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PARAMARAS OF MALWA

MANDHATA COPPER-PLATE INSCRIPTION OF THE TIME OF JAYAVARMAN

present inscription ; but in view of the consideration that in his earlier years Rāmachandra was engaged in a struggle with his own brother Āmaṇa, [1] it appears less likely for him to take the offensive in the north in those days. And considering this situation, the allusion to Jayavarman’s conflict may possibly be placed a little earlier and thus may be associated with his uncle Mahādēva’s invasion of Mālwā, referred to in his Saṅgūr (Dhārwār) inscription of 1265 A.C. and also in two other records from Dāvangērē in Mysore; [2] and if so, the Yādava-Paramāra struggle pointed out by Dr. Sircar on the basis of the Ṭhānā and the Udāri inscriptions seems to have taken place later during the reign of Jayavarman’s successor Arjunavarman II, unless they refer to the same struggle as led by Mahādēva and in which Rāmachandra may have taken part as a prince.

...Verse 55 of the inscription tells us that Jayavarman “erected temples with sky-kissing golden jars, donated cities, gold and crores of cows to Brāhmaṇas, planted gardens and excavated tanks.” The record does not mention any of the particulars in this respect, nor are the temples built by him otherwise known.

...Here the description of the members of the royal house ends and that of the donor of the present record begins. Verse 55 introduces the Sādhanika Anayasiṁhadēva, and three of his ancestors are mentioned here. He belonged to the Kshatriya community and was a son of the Chāhamāna Sallakshaṇasiṁha, grandson of Palhaṇadēvavarman and a great-grandson of the Rāütta, i.e., Rājaputra, of the name of Rāṭa. Two of his ancestors are stated to have rendered distinguished military service to the Imperial house of the Paramāras. His grandfather Palhaṇadēva, as the record informs us, firmly established the royal fortune of his master (v.58); here the name of the reigning king is not mentioned, but looking to the genealogy of the house, he appears to have been either Arjunavarman’s father Subhaṭavarman, or grandfather Vindhyavarman. Sallakshaṇasiṁha, the father of Anayasimha, is represented in the record to have taken part in the warfare of Arjunadēva, i.e., Arjunavarman (vv.59-60).An instance of his assistance to his master is explicitly stated by saying that he vanquished the great army of Siṁhaṇadēva, pulling its leader Sāgararāṇaka down from his horse, and captured the seven chauries ; and this deed of his valour is stated to have pleased both Siṁha and Arjuna. [3] The reference here is evidently to the well-kmown invasion of Lāṭa by the Yādava Siṁhaṇa of Dēvagiri ; and the former of the personages mentioned as pleased by the valour of the Chāhamāna general Sallakshaṇasiṁha appears to have been the homonymous chief of Lāṭa, and the latter, his overlord Arjunavarman, who is known to have gone there to help his vassal. This was probably the time when the Paramāra ruler executed his grant from Broach, [4] and it is probably the same invasion when Khōllēśvara, the commander-in-chief, led the Yādava army against Gujarāt. [5] That the house of the kings of Lāṭa had transferred its allegiance from the Chaulukya throne to the Paramāra house in the reign of Subhaṭavarman is well known; [6] and this may have been the reason why Arjunavarman proceeded to succour his vassal in that region.

... The next five verses (62-63) describe the benefactions Anayasiṁha at different places. He constructed a temple of Śive at Dēvapālapura, another, which was lofty and dedicated to Ambikā, at Śākapura, and still another, of Śiva (locally known as Jambūkēśvara) near that of Ōṁkārēśvara), at Māndhātā. [7] He excavated a tank at Maṇḍapa-durga, and at the same place he donated a city,
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[1] Līlācharita of the Mānbhāva Sect, Līlā No. 725. That Rāmachandra’s accession was not peaceful is also known from the statement prasahya tasmād=apahṛitya bhuṅktē said about him in his Paithaṇ grant dated in 1272 A.C. See Ind. Ant., Vol. XIV, pp. 314 ff.
[2]For the saṅgūr record, see Ep. Ind., Vol. XXIII, p. 194, 11. 22-23 : and for the other two , see Ep. Carn.,Vol. IX (Dg.), Nos. 162-63, both of 1265 A.C.
[3] The expression used in the verse is chāmarāṇi, which Dr. Sircar took in the sense of ‘plumes’and added that “they appear to have been fitted with the turban”. But it is equally possible that the seven chauris adorned the horse, three on either side of his head and one in the middle. This Sāgararāṇaka, as already suggested by Sircar, may have been the same as the cavalry officer Saṅga mentioned in a Yādava inscription of Śaka 1119, or 1197 A.C., and Sallakshaṇa may have been identical with the homonymous general mentioned above, in No. 49.
[4] No. 48, above.
[5] Mentioned in the Āmbēṁ stone inscription of Śaka 1150, or 1228 A.C., for which see S.M.H.D., I.pp. 55 ff., No. 2
[6] Vide the Navsārī grant, for which see J.B.B.R.A.S., Vol. XXVI, p. 250.
[7] This temple is not in existence now.

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