North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE SILAHARAS OF NORTH KONKAN

TRANSLATION

Success ! May there be victory and prosperity !

..[For the translation of verses 1 to 9, see that of verses 1, 2, 4-10 respectively of the Ṭhāṇā plates of Arikēsarin (No. 8), above p. 51.].

.. (Verse 10). From him was born the elder son named Vajjaḍadēva and then the illustrious brother Kesideva[5].

.. (Verse 11). Next his nephew, the illustrious Chhittarāja, became king; the great prince, who, though a child, raised the Śīlāra race to high eminence.

.. (Line 16). Now, while the Mahāmaṇdalēśvara, the illustrious Chittarājadēva,-who, by his religious merit, has obtained the right to the five mahāśabdas and who is adorned with all royal titles such as Mahāsāmantādhipati, ‘the lord of the City of Tagara’, ‘a king of the Śilāhāra family’, ‘a scion of the famly of Jīmūtavāhana,’ ‘(he) who has the ensign of the golden Garuḍa’, ‘(he) who is a born Vidyādhara’[6], ‘(he) who has surpassed the world in liberality’, “(he) who is the crest-jewel of (i.e. the foremost among) the Māṇḍalikas’, ‘(he) who is an admantine cage to suppliants’ and so forth-is ruling over the entire Kōṅkaṇa country consisting of fourteen hundred village headed y Purī, together with several maṇḍalas conquered by his own arm, and while the five ministers such as the Sarvādhikārin,the illustrious Nāgaṇnaiyam the Sāndhivigrahika, the illustrious Sīhapaiya, the Karṇāṭa-Sāndhivigrahika, the illustrious Kapardin and the Śrīkaraṇa[7] are shouldering the burden of the cares of his government,- at this time the Mahāmaṇḍalēśvara, the illustrious Chhittarājadēva addresses, with salutation, honour and respect, all the assembled princes, counselors, the family priest, the ministers, the principal and subordinate officers, whether connected with him or not, as well as the heads of the rāshṭras, vishayas, towns, villages, officials and non-officials, government servants and village people as also artisans[8], guilds and the three classes of townsmen and others as follows:

.. “Be it known to you that realising that prosperity is unsteady, youth is momentary and
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[1] Metre : Śālinī.
[2] Read परदत्तां वा.
[3] Metre : Anushṭubh.
[4] Read मधिकाक्षरं वा.
[5] This verse is incomplete. As it stands, it seems to mean that Vajjaḍa, who was a younger son of Aparājita, came to the throne before his elder brother Kēśidēva (Arikēsarin). But the verse is written incorrectly For the correct reading, see v. 5, of the Divē Āgar plates (No. 10).
[6] There is a pun on this word. It means (1) a demigod and (2) a possessor of learning.
[7] Śrikaraṇa means the Secretariat. The name of the Minister in charge of it seems to have been omitted here inadvertently.
[8] The expression Haṁyamana-nagara was understood by Bühler, Fleet and several other editors of Śilāhāra grants as meaning ‘the city of Haṁyamāna (i.e. Sanjāna),’ but it consists of two Kannaḍa words, hamyamana meaning ‘artisans’ and nagara meaning ‘a guild. See Ind., Vol. XXXIV, p. 292. Cf. Añjuvaṇṇam mentioned in some south Indian records.