North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE SILAHARAS OF NORTH KONKAN

Viṭhṭhapaiya is bearing the burden of the cares of his government—at such a time—the Mahāmaṇḍalēśvarādhipati, the illustrious King Mummuṇidēva lays down the settlement for the learned Brāhmaṇas endowed with wisdom, who are prominent among the sixteen representatives (mahattarakas) residing at Āgara-dīpaka, in the presence of principal royal officers such as the Minister Nārāyaṇaiya, the Sāndhivigrahika, the illustrious Viṭhṭhapaiya Nāyaka, the Purōhita (family-priest), the illustrious Vāsudēva, (and) the illustrious Nārāyaṇa Paṇḍita, (and) also the astrologer, the illustrious Divākara, the Treasury Officer, the illustrious Minister Jōupaiya, the Sāndhivigrahika, the illustrious Ṭhākuraiya, and also the Junior Treasury Officer, the illustrious Minister Vāvapaiya−(the settlement) in accordance with the Charter of Settlement granted by the illustrious Padmaladēvī as follows :—

..(Line 13)—We have formed into a separate unit[1] the village of Dīpakāgara together with the three (neighbouring) villages, (viz.) Vōritalī Katila, (and) Kālaija. The settlement in regard to this unit is as follows :—This unit should not be enjoyed by the queens or the princes in our State. It should not be assigned to any Sāmanta, Nāyaka, Ṭhākura and so forth. The Brāhmaṇas should pay the revenue for it every year in accordance with the previous custom. The fines (for offences) should be levied as determined by the sixteen representatives in their Committee (Smārikā). Dīpakāgara alone is exempted from the levies such as the dēṇaka (the tax for the entertainment of touring officers) and paḍaṇaka (the cess for their accommodation). The three villages mentioned above shall, however, have to pay the dēṇaka (the cess for entertainment) and the paḍaṇaka (the cess for accommodation). The Brāhmaṇas who will conduct themselves in accordance with this settlement (and) the prevalent custom should be protected as long as the sun and the moon will endure.

..(Line 17)—This has been written by the Chief Treasury Officer and Minister, the illustrious Jōupaiya. May there be prosperity !

No. 17: PLATE XLIV (B)
AMBARNĀTH TEMPLE INSCRIPTION OF MĀṀVĀṆIRĀJA : ŚAKA YEAR 982

..THIS inscription was discovered by Mr. G. W. Terry of the Art School, Bombay, who took an excellent plaster of Paris cast of it, later deposited in the Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay. The inscription was first edited with an eye-copy by Dr. Bhau Daji in the Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. IX (1867-1870), pp. 219 f. He also added a translation to his article on it. Later, Pandit Bhagvanlal Indraji edited the record with a translation and a lithograph in Vol. XII, pp. 329 f. in the same journal. The lithograph seems to have been somewhat worked up by hand. The inscription is edited here with the help of both the facsimiles.

..The inscription is engraved on a stone girder[2] of the temple at Ambarnāth, about 4½ miles (7. 24 km.) south-east of Kalyāṇ in the Ṭhāṇā District. “The inscribed stone is rough and uneven; there is also but little light on it ; hence it is a difficult task to decipher the writing
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[1] Kōshṭhēya-kṛitaḥ in line 13 seems to convey the same sense as vishayād-uddhṛita-piṇḍaḥ in line 11 of the Madhuban plate of Harsha (Ep. Ind., Vol. VII, pp. 155 f.), which Kielhorn translated ‘as a piece taken out of the district’. The latter expression occurs also in the Pāṇḍukēśvar plate (line 21) of Lalitaśūradēva (Ind. Ant., Vol. XXV, pp. 177 f.)
[2] For another record of the age engraved on girders or beams, see the inscription in the Śēshaśāyī temple at Kolhāpur (No. 50).