North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE SILAHARAS OF NORTH KONKAN

and interpretation are uncertain. See, for instance, how a fairly good verse in lines 9-11 is mutilated and changed out of recognition. The orthographical peculiarities of the use of j for y (as in jāchaka, line 11), n for ṇ (see jīrnōdhārō, line 12), sh for kh in Lashaṇa (for Lakshmaṇa, line 15) may be noted.

..The inscription refers itself to the reign of the Śilāhāra king Mallikārjuna, who bears the titles of Mahāsāmantādhipati and Tagarapuraparamēśvara. He is also said to have obtained all the five mahāśabdas. The record is dated in the Śaka year 1083, on Monday,[1] the fifteenth tithi of the dark fortnight of the month Pushya, the cyclic year being Vṛisha. It is further stated that there was a solar eclipse at the time. The tithi would correspond, for the amānta Pushya (Pausha), to the 17th January A.D. 1162, when there was a solar eclipse as stated and the cyclic year was also Vṛisha, but the week-day was Wednesday, not Monday as required. The date is thus irregular.[2] The inscription mentions the following royal officers‒the Mahā- sāndhivigrahika Prabhākaranāyaka, the Senior Sthapāṭi ( Treasurer) in the Secretariat, Mahāpradhāna Anantapaiprabhu and the Junior Sthapāṭi, Amuka[3].

.. The inscription next mentions the Rājaguru Vēdaśiva and one Bhōpaka Vyōmaśiva. The latter is highly eulogised in a verse. The object of the inscription seems to be (1) to record the repairs of a Śiva-temple by the aforementioned Rājaguru and Bhōpaka Vyōmaśiva. The work was executed by one Lashaṇa (Lakshmaṇa) Vaṅgaka, son of Mahadugiva Jhā; (2) the excavation of a well at their preceptor’s house; and (3) the gift of the village Lōṇavāṭaka situated in the territorial division of Paṭālasaka included in the vishaya of Kaṭashaḍī (or ) Kaṭakhaḍī), to Lāshaṇa Upādhyāya. The record ends with a benediction for him who would preserve the gift and a curse for him who would obstruct its enjoyment.

..As for the place-names mentioned in this inscription Kaṭashaḍī, the headquarters of a vishaya (district) of that name, would now assume a firm like that Kaṭakheḍī or Kaḍagaon, but no such place-name is noticed in the Bassein tālukā of the Ṭhāṇā District, though similar names are found in some other districts of Mahārāshṭra. Paṭālasaka also cannot be identified. Lōṇavāṭaka may, however, be Lōnāḍ in the Bhivaṇḍi tālukā of the Ṭhāṇā District. Tagara has already been identified with Tēr in the Osmanabad District.

Text[4]

[1] The date was read as 1082 in Bom. Gaz., Vol. I pt. ii, n. 1, and Vol. XIII, pt. ii, p. 426, and as 1079 elsewhere. It was read as 1083 in Bom. Gaz., Vol. XIV, p. 386. As the Editor of Ep. Ind., Vol. XXIII suggested, it seems that the last figure was first written as 9 and then corrected into 3. But his remark that the penultimate figure tooks like 7 is not correct; for a similar figure denotes 8 in the Chipḷūṇ inscrip- tion (No, 28) of this very Śilāhāra king. As the date is there given in words also, there is no doubt about its reading.
[2] The week-day would be Monday (18th December A.D. 1161) if the Pausha is taken as pūrṇimānta, but the pūrṇimānta scheme was not in vogue in North Koṅkaṇ. Besides, there was no solar eclipse on that day.
[3] The ministers Anantapai and Amuka are also mentioned in the Pareḷ inscription of Aparāditya II, dated Śaka 1108. Bhōpaka Vyōmaśambhu is mentioned as Mahāmātya therein, and also in the Lōnāḍ inscription of the same king, dated Śaka 1106.
[4] From an estampage supplied by the Chief Epigraphist.
[5] Expressed by a symbol.
[6] Read शक‒.
[7] Read संवत्सरांतर्गत‒.
[8] Read पौषै.
[9] Read सुर्य‒.