North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE SILAHARAS OF NORTH KONKAN

about the reading Saku saṁvatu 1131 Vibhava-saṁvatsarē in line 5. The date Śaka 1131 falls in the reign of Kēśidēva II, whose two other inscriptions are dated Śaka 1125 and Śaka 1161,

..As the inscription is much abraded, it is not possible to say definitely what its object was; but from the extant portion its purpose seems to have been to register that Bhaïrju, who is described as the Mahāpradhāna of Kēśidēva, dug something (either a tank or a well) and Adhōra, who is designated Pradhāna, excavated something similar in honour of the goddess Mahālakshmī.[1] The inscription ends with the prayer that the world would be happy. It is noteworthy that there is even now a temple of a goddess near the place where the stone is lying.

Text[2]

TRANSLATION

..Hail ! Ōm ! While Bhaïrju is an Officer[15] and Māhāpradhāna of the illustrious Kēśidēva, (who bears the titles) Paśchimasamudrādhipati and Kōṅkaṇa-chakravartī−at such a time in the Śaka year 1131,[16] the cyclic year being Vibhava, Bhaïrju dug . . . . (and) Adhōra, who is a Pradhāna (of the same king), excavated . . . . in honour of Mahālakshmī. May the world be happy !
____________________

[1] Tulpule takes the inscription as recording the gift of 9 kavalis of grain for the bōḍaṇa (religious rite) of Mahālakshmī. It seems doubtful if such a gift would been commemorated in a stone inscription. For Tulpule’s readings of lines 7-9, see his P.M.K.L., p. 9. Dikshit takes it to mean that Bhaïrju dug a pushkariṇī (large well ) on the occasion of a sacrifice in honour of Mahālakshmī.
[2] From the facsimile Plate I in P.M.K.L.
[3] This is in continuation of ज‒ at the end of the last line. Read जगीं सुख असो. For a similar instance of the last portion of a record inscised in the beginning, see No. 31 in P.M.K.L.
[4] Read पश्चिमसमुद्राधिपति.
[5] This and similar daṇḍas in the following lines are superfluous.
[6] Read श्रीकेशिदेवराय-.
[7] Read सेन:.
[8] Read तस्मित्.
[9] Read प्रवर्तमाने.
[10] Read शकसंवत्.
[11] Tulpule read this date as 934, and Dikshit as 1132. See the discussion above, p. 167. [12] Tulpule read the name of the cyclic year as प्रधावी (for परिधावी), and Dikshit as प्रभावा (for प्रभव ) Both the reading appear to be incorrect. The year is विभवा (for विभव). For the form of व in this name, see that in संवतु in the same line.
[13] Tulpule reads this sentence as follows : भइर्जुवे तथा बोडणा तथा नऊ कंवली, and Dikshit as भइर्जु-तल-तव्हान उकरली. The last word उकरली seems to be correct. The reading of the other words is doubtful.
[14] Tulpule reads वआण । लुनया कवली, and Dikshit यज्ञा कलु (रु) न पोकरली. Here also the last word in Dikshit’s reading seems certain, but the other words are doubtful.
[15] Tulpule takes sēṇui to mean Sēnāpati, while Dikshit connects it with the caste Śēṇavī, of which many families are still found in Kaṅkaṇ. Sēṇu is probably derived from sēṇa (probably meaning a great officer) which occurs in earlier Śilāhāra inscriptions. Cf. Bhaṇḍāgāra-sēna in No. 10, lien 47, above.
[16] See above, p. 167.