North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE SILAHARAS OF KOLHAPUR

passed by the era of the Śaka king, that illustrious prince (i.e. Mārasiṁha) has granted with devotion to that brilliant ascetic, after having washed his feet and poured out water, the village, Kuṇṭavāḍa by name, together with all rights of rights of ownership, and together with its four boundaries‒(the village) which is situated in the midst of the following neighbouring villages, viz. Kannavāḍa, Hāḍalivāḍa and Gāḷikuṭṭi situated in the three directions, east, south and west, on the southern bank of the river Kṛishṇavērṇā in (the territorial division of ) Sirivōḷaḷa-twentyfour included in the Miriñjadēśa-three thousand.

.. (V. 20). On the outskirt of the city of Miriñja, King Mārasiṁha has made the temple of the Śiva pañchāyatana a royal memorial.

.. (V. 21). That village is connected with that pañchāyatana. The naishṭhika Brāhmaṇa (i.e. Chikkadēva) has become (the owner) of it in place of the former holder.

.. (V. 22) Only seasoned ascetics‒and none other‒can observe (the following practices of Chikkadēva)‒devotion to the sun, great purity, observance of prayers, vows and contemplation, brahmacharya (celibacy) characterised by tranquility, self-restraint and observance of silence, great courage, study of one’s religious texts and meditation, worship of Śiva’s feet, knowledge of philosophical principles, good yōgic practices and prayers at twilights.

.. (V. 23). The matchless pañchāyatana is to be worshipped by Chikkadēva‒(the pañchāyatana) which is the great abode of the Lady, namely, the Goddess of fortune, the dwelling place of the illustrious Rāma of blameless speech, the excellent and charming residence attended by the excellence of brilliant austerities of fierce practice, the rich splendour of continuous maintenance of a free feeding-house and charity, (and) the abode of the Lady, namely, the entire excellent Fame, which is in this manner sanctified by splendour[1].

.. (Here follow three benedictary and imprecatory verses.)

..(V. 27). This royal order has been written by the Chief Secretary Bhūpāla by the order of his king. And Chikkadēva has secured it.

No. 44 : PLATE XCI
HONNUR IMAGE INSCRIPTION OF THE REIGN OF BALLĀLA

.. THIS record is incised on the front of the abhishēka stand of the image of the standing Tīrthaṅkara Pārśvanātha inside a Jaina temple at Honnur, two miles to the southwest of Kāgal, the headquarters of the Kāgal tālukā of the Kolhāpur District. The image has seven hoods of a serpent spread over its head and a small kneeling or sitting figure in each corner. The inscription covers a space of 0’ 13/4” (4.43 cm.) high and 2’ 7” (78.74 cm. broad). The record consists of three lines, of which the first two measure 72 cm. and the third only 19 cm. in length. The record is in a good state of preservation, but a few letters appear to have become illegible at the end.

.. The inscription was first noticed with an incorrect translation in Graham’s Statistical Account of Kolhāpur (No. 22). It was later edited with a translation, but without a facsimile. by Fleet in the Indian Antiquary, Vol XII, p. 102. It is edited here from an excellent estampage supplied by the Chief Epigraphist.
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[1] The wording of this verse is obscure and its sense uncertain, but that it praised the Śiva-pañchāyatana to be regularly worshipped by Chikkadēva appears clear.