North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE SILAHARAS OF NORTH KONKAN

raja’s son Kṛishṇarāja (I); 6. Gōvindarāja (II); 7. his younger brother Dhruva; 8. his son Jagattuṅga (Gōvinda III); 9. Vallabha (Amōghavarsha I ); 10. his son Kṛishṇarāja (II); 11. Jagattuṅga’s son Indradēva (III), Nityavarsha ; 12. his son Amōghavarsha (II), who ruled for only one year; 13. his younger brother Gōvindarāja (IV), Suvarṇavarsha; 14. his paternal uncle and Nityavarsha’s younger brother Amōghavarsha (III)-Baddiga, who destroyed wicked people at the capital of the Rāshṭrakūṭa Karkara; 15. Kṛishṇarāja (III), at whose marching the king Chōla, the lord of horses (i.e. Pratīhāra), Andhra, Pāṇḍya and the ruler of the neighbouring island (i.e. Ceylon) got terrified; he brought the whole earth extending from the western ocean to the eastern mountain and from the Himālaya, the habitation of Kubēra, to the city of Rāvaṇa (i.e. Laṅkā) under one umbrella; 16. Khōṭṭigadēva; and 17. Nirupama’s son Kakkala. The Description of these kings is conventional, but the reference to the battle fought at the capital of the Rāshṭrakūṭa chief Karkara is important. As I have shown elsewhere[1], this battle was fought between the allies of Gōvinda IV and the Kalachuri army espousing the cause of Baddiga-Amōghavarsha III on the bank of the Payōshṇī (modern Pūrṇā ) about 10 miles from Achalapura, the capital of a feudatory Rāshṭrakūta chief.

..Verse 15 expresses regret over the overthrow of Kakkala by the fierce Tailapa, as a result of which the Raṭṭa rule remained only in memory.

..Lines 22-44 give the genealogy of the Śilāhāra prince Aparājita. It is traced back to the mythical personages Jīmūtakētu and his son Jīmūtavāhana. There were born in this Śīlāra family the following princes :- ( 1) Kapardin (I); (2) Pulaśakti; (3) his son Kapardin (II); (4) Vappuvanna; (5) his son Jhañjha; (6) his younger brother Gōggirāja, also known as Īrmaḍi-Jhañjha (who was helped in governing the country by his Amātya Nāgama); (7) his son Vajjaḍa; and (8) his son Aparājita. It will be noticed that the name of Chhadvaidēva, the younger brother of Vajjaḍa, is here omitted. Among the achievements of Aparājita are mentioned his conquests of Saṁyāna, Puṇaka, Saṅgamēśvara and Chipulaṇa. His rule is said to have extended from the Lāṭadēśa in the north to Chandrapura in the south and from the western sea to the country of Bhillama (i.e. Khāndesh) in the east. His Mahāmātya and Mantrin was Ammaṇaiya.

.. With line 44 commences the formal part of the present grant. When the Raṭṭa rule came to an end in the reign of the Rāshṭrakūṭa Emperor Kakkaladēva, who meditated on the feet of Khōṭṭiga, who also did the same with regard to Kṛishṇa (III) at Mānyakhēṭa, Aparājitadēva obtained by his prowess all the mahāśabdas and also the title Mahāsāmantādhipati. He adopted a number of birudas such as Tagarapura-paramēśvara (the lord of the town of Tagara), Suvarṇa-garuḍa-dhvaja (who has the golden Garuḍa on his banner), Abhimānamahōdadhi (a great ocean of pride), Vimala-gala-ganḍa (a hero with a spotless neck), Paśchima-samudrādhipati (the lord of the western ocean), Gaṇḍara-ganḍa (the hero of heroes), Dīpti-mārtaṇḍa (the Sun of splendour), Gaṇḍavaṅgara (Gold among heroes), Gaṇḍa-ruddha-phōḍi[2] [Rescuer of those who are captured by (hostile) warriors], Gaṇḍa-Nārāyaṇa (Vishṇu among heroes), Nanni-samudra (Ocean of truth), Pusiganjuvāta (One who is afraid of falsehood), Villaviḍēṅga (Clever in the use of the bow), Jhampaḍ-āchārya[3] (Clever in striking fear), Ahita-kāl-ānala (Fire of destruction to his enemies), Birudaṅka-Rāma (Rama among the title-holders) and Maṇḍalikatrinētra (Śiva among Māṇḍalikas). He made the grant mentioned above.
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[1] C.I.I., Vol. IV, Introduction, pp. lxxxii f.
[2] This biruda in noticed nowhere else in the records of the Silāhāras. P.B. Desai would translated it as ‘the breaker of fierce impediments’.
[3] The commentary on Hēmachandra’s Dvyāśrayakāvya explains jagajjhampa (in VII, 40) as ‘one who makes a surprise attack on the world (i.e. the enemy).’