North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PARAMARAS OF VAGADA

now missing;[1] but as the earliest and the latest years of the king’s reign are now known to be respectively V.S. 1136 (1080 A.C.) and 1159 (1102 A.C.), the temple may be taken to have been constructed either in the closing of the eleventh or in the opening years of the twelfth century A.C.

...Commencing with the customary sentence paying obedience to Śiva, the record pays homage to the same deity in its first verse. The second verse describes Mt. Ābū, and it is followed by two verses narrating the well-known tale of the creation of the hero named Paramāra, by the sage Vasishṭha from his fire-altar. Verse 5 introduces king Maṇḍanadēva who was born in the clan, and verse 6, his son Chāmuṇḍarāja. Both these kings with the relationship existing between them are known from the other records of the house. The next eleven verses are devoted to introducing a goldsmith named Dōhaḍa, who lived in the fort of Chitrakūṭa in Mēdapāṭa, his son whose name is not completely preserved, and the latter’s six sons, whose names were Gōvinda, Dāmōdara. Nārāyaṇa, Hari, Chāhaḍa and Mahaṇa, respectively from the eldest to the youngest. They were all well-versed in testing precious stones such as diamonds, rubies, corals, sapphires and pearls. A portion of the last of these verses is lost; it appears to have been intended to say that they were all honoured by Chāmuṇḍarāja.

... The following portion of the record (vv. 16 ff.) is devoted to bestow fulsome praise on the fourth of the brothers and states that he constructed a temple dedicated to Harīśvara[2] at this place, i.e., Arthūṇā, where the inscription was found. He is also said to have planted a garden of flowers for the worship of the deity, established a water-place, excavated a tank and a stepped well there and also made other benefactions which cannot be definitely known as the portion mentioning them all is lost (vv. 21-26). And lastly, ity is said that for maintaining the worship of the deity, the king Chāmuṇḍarāja also donated a plot of land with well-marked boundaries. Enumerating some other benefactions of the king and with a request to the future kings to continue the gifts, the inscription in its preserved portion comes to an end (v. 32), mentioning Sthali-janapada in verse 33, which is found only in its first foot. The nature of this donation is not known, but it is somewhat similar to that which is found in the same king’s inscription which was discovered at the same at the place and was dated V.S. 1136.[3]

...The portion that follows is altogether lost. It was probably intended to say something more about the temple and to record the name of the writer and the engraver, along with the date.
_________________

[1] In his List of Inscriptions D.R. Bhandarkar includes one (No. 165), as found at Arthūṇā and existing in the Ajmer Museum. According to him, the record is of the time of the Paramāra Chāmuṇḍarāja and dated V.S. 1157, on Monday, the 2nd of the dark half of Chaitra. Since Chāmuṇḍarāja’s latest known date V.S. 1159, and as the present inscription has lost its lower portion. I am tempted to guess that it is the same inscription as noted by Bhandarkar in his List. The date, which may have been given towards the end, was lost with the lower portion of the stone. The Christian equivalents of the date are as follows:-

1. Chaitrādi V. Current :
(a) pūrṇimānta.............................. =..... Wednesday, 9th February, 1099.
.......................................................................(with pratipada combined).
(a) amanta ....................................= .....Friday, 11th March, 1099 A.C.

1. Chaitrādi V. expired :
(a) pūrṇimānta.............................. =...... Wednesday, 29th February, 1100 A.C.
........................................................................(with tṛitīyā combined).
(b) amānta ....................................= ......Thursday, 29th March, 1100 A.C.

2. Kārttikādi V. expired :
(a) pūrṇimānta ..............................= .......Sunday, 17th February, 1101 A.C.
(b) amānta ....................................=....... Monday. 18th March, 1101. The second tithi
commenced on that day at 3.15 hours after mean sunrise and was current for the whole day.

...Taking the reading Sōmē to be correct, the last of these alternatives appears to be the intended day. Or, considering the reading to be Saumyē, for Wednesday, the intended date was as noted under 1(a), or 2(a). The portion containing the date is now lost and it cannot be verified.
[2] This name may also be interpreted to mean the combination of Hari (Vishṇu) and Īśvara. (Śiva), denoting that the temple was dedicated to the deity known as Harihara. But from the initial verse of the record which pays homage only to the latter of these deities. It is evident that only one and the latter of these gods was enshrined in it and was evidently names after the builder, as in many other cases,
[3] See No. 85, vv. 86 ff.

Home Page