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The Indian Analyst
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North Indian Inscriptions |
INSCRIPTIONS OF THE SILAHARAS OF NORTH KONKAN
palli, on the south by the road leading to Vakhōlā and some salty land, on the west by a ditch, and on the north by the junction of two streams. The grant was made on the occasion of a lunar eclipse. The donee was the Brāhmaṇa Chāḍādēva of the Kāśyapa gōtra, who was a student of the Ṛigveda and was residing at Janhupura. The grant was intended for the performance of the vaiśvadēva, bali, charu, agnihōttra and other sacrifices. ..The inscription is not dated and, in the absence of the necessary details, the lunar eclipse mentioned in it cannot be verified; but, as shown above, Chhadvaidēva was a feudatory of the Rāshṭrakūṭa Emperor Kṛishṇa III. As the latter is known to have reigned from A.D. 939 to A.D. 967, the record under discussion can be assigned to the middle of the tenth century A.D. It may, again, be noted that the two sets of the Janjirā plates[1] and the Bhādāna grant[2] of Chhadvaidēva’s nephew Aparājita, who succeeded him, are dated respectively in Saka 915 and 919 (A.D. 993-94 and 997-98). Again, as stated above, the characters of the present grant resemble those of the Sinda Ādityavarman’s grant which is dated in Saka 887 (A.D. 965), which shows that both the grants belong to the same period.
.. The inscription opens with two maṅgala ślokas in praise of Vishṇu and Śiva, the second of which usually occurs in the beginning of Rāshṭrakūṭa records. The inscription then proceeds to give the genealogy of the Rāshṭrakūṭas, to whom the Northern Śilāhāras owed allegiance. After mentioning such mythological and legendary ancestors as the Moon, Budha, Purūravas, Āyu, Yayāti and Yadu, the inscription introduces the Rāshṭrakūṭa family in verse 6. The next verse mentions the following rulers:−Dantidurga; his uncle Kṛishṇarāja (I) ; Gōvinda II; Nirupama (Dhruva); his son Jagattuṅga (Gōvinda III) ; his son Amōghavarsha (I) ; his son Akālavarsha (Kṛishṅa II) ; and his grandson Indra III. Verse 8 states that Indra III’s brother Amōghavarsha (III) completely eradicated the former’s son Gōjjiga (Gōvinda IV), who had acted unjustly, and ruled the earth so as to please Śiva. It will be noticed that the present record omits the name of Amōghavarsha II, the elder son of Indra III, who preceded Gōvinda IV. Again, it does not state what injustice Gōvinda IV had committed. It has been suggested that the injustice was in respect of Gōvinda’s elder brother Amōghavarsha II, but there is no sufficient evidence for such a supposition.[3]
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To the glorification of Amōghavarsha III the present inscription devotes two more
verses. Verse 9 states that with the water of his coronation Amōghavarsha washed away his
taints as well as his wealth, and greatly purified his self. Verse 10 states that he surpassed
the god of love in handsome form, and that, as he had three royal umbrellas, he was as it were
waited upon by the moon in three forms, mistaking him for Mahēśa (Śiva). Amōghavarsha’s
handsome form has been described in the Bhādāna grant (No. 7) of Aparājita also, but that he
had three royal umbrellas indicative of his suzerainty over three countries is stated nowhere
else. The record under discussion does not specifically mention these countries, but the Dēoli
plates[4] of Amōghavarsha’s son Kṛishṇa III, which were issued soon after his accession, mention some victories which he had gained while he was a crown-prince. We learn that Kṛishṇa
killed Rāchhyamalla (Rāchamalla), the ruler of Gaṅgapāṭī or Gaṅgavāḍī, and gave his
kingdom to Bhūtārya (or Būtuga), and that he defeated and reduced to a sad condition the
Pallava Aṇṇiga. Bhūtārya and Anṇiga are known from other records also[5] as the rulers of
Gaṅgavāḍī and Nolambavāḍī respectively. They were contemporaries of Amōghavarsha III.
[1] Nos. 5 and 6 below.
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