North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE SILAHARAS OF NORTH KONKAN

..As Dr. Kielhorn has shown, this inscription is separated from No. 1 by two vertical lines. It consists of five lines, each of which is 7’ (213.36 cm) long. Besides, a few letters are incised ‘on the capital of a column’, which seem to be connected with the present record. They area read from Dr. West’s eye-copy. The letters are about 11/2” (3.81 cm ) high; though faintly cut, they are regularly and skilfully formed. Excepting some letters, the inscription is well preserved.

..The characters are of the Nāgarī alphabet and show the same peculiarities as those of the preceding inscription. The language is Sanskrit. The only orthographical peculiarity it shows is the reduplication of the consonant following r (see pravardhamāna and Kaparddī, both in line 2).

..The inscription refers itself to the reign of the (Rāshṭrakūṭa) king Amōghavarsha (I), who bears the imperial titles of Mahārājādhirāja and Parmēśvara. It next mentions the prosperous rule of the illustrious Kapardin (II), who was the chief of his Mahāsāmantas and the lord of Kōṇkaṇa graciously granted to him by Amōghavarsha. The inscription is dated in the expired Śaka year 799 (expressed both in words and in numerical figures). It does not admit of verification, but corresponds to A.D. 877-78.

..The object of the inscription is to record that during the region of the aforementioned Kapardin (II) a person named Vēva [1] made a perpetual donation for the kōlivēśmikā, [2] and clothing and other gifts for the Buddhist monks by depositing one hundred drammas with the Venerable Community of the Mahāvihāra at Kṛishaṅgiri.

.. The only locality mentioned in the present inscription is Kṛishṇagiri, which, as shown already, is identical with the hill of Kanheri.

TEXT [3]

[1] Veva is a peculiar name, but the letters cannot be read in any other way. West’s eye-copy gives this reading. Kielhorn read the name as Vishṇu probably because that name occurs in No. 1, line 3. But the two persons are not likely to be identical as there is an interval of 34 years between the two dates. Kielhorn also admitted that the aksharas look like Veva or Vena.
[2] Kielhorn read Kōlhivēśmikā, but the aksharas here are clearly as read above. The word occurs in No. 2, above, where also Kielhorn read it is Kōlhivēśmikā, but there also his reading is not supported by the facsimile of the record.
[3] From inked estampages kindly supplied by Mr. M.N. Deshpande.
[4] Expressed by a symbol.
[5] Kielhorn read विष्णुर्भिक्षूणां See above, p. n.
[6] Kielhorn read कोल्हिवेश्मिकां here as in No. 2 in a similar context; but the letters are clear here.
[7] These aṇsharas are uncertain. Kielhorn conjecturally supplied them because they occur in a similar context in an Ajaṇṭā inscription. See C.I.I., Vol. V, p. 109.
[8] This akshara is damaged.
[9] Kielhorn read प्रतपन्विता and emended it as प्रतापान्विता; but our reading is quite certain. .