North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE SILAHARAS OF SOUTH KONKAN

the grant, by Raṭṭarāja, of the three villages viz., Kūshmāṇḍī, Asanavīra and Vaḍaṅgula[1] to his learned preceptor Ātrēya, who was a disciple of the Śaiva ascetic Ambhōjaśambhu of the Karkarōṇī branch of the Mattamayūra clan, for the purposes of worshipping with five-fold offerings the holy god Avvēśvara and keeping his temple in proper repair, and of providing food and raiment to ascetics and for the use of disciples, learned men and visitors. While stating the boundaries of the village Kūshmāṇḍī, the places Maṇigrāma, Vāparavaṭa and Sachāndalakapittha are mentioned. Similarly, the villages Kāraparṇī and Gavahaṇa are named in connection with the boundaries of the second donated village Asanavīra, and the Bhōgadēva hill and the village of Stāmāna are mentioned while stating the boundaries of the third village Vaḍaṅgula.

..In addition to these, the following were also given for the same purpose‒a jīvalōka at the village of Dēvalakshmī, a chākāntara at Vyaṅgarula[2] and jūhaka at Sayyāpalī. The meaning of these expressions is obscure.

.. It seems that the temple of Avvēśvara, for whose service these grants were primarily meant, had been built by Raṭṭarāja’s father Avasara III, who apparently named the god after himself.[3] We are told further in this inscription in lines 56 f. about some additional gifts, viz., a gadyāṇa of gold from every vessel coming from foreign lands, and a dharaṇa of gold from every ship coming from Kandalamūlīya, excepting Chēmūlya and Chandrapura; and also about the settlement of families of female attendants (dēvadāsīs), oilmen, gardeners, potters and washermen, and also some land within the fort, the boundaries of which are specified. It seems that the temple was situated within the fortified capital of Balipattana. The scribe was Lōkapārya, son of the Sāndhivigrahika Dēvapāla.

.. The inscription is dated, in lines 41-42, on the full-moon tithi of Jyēshṭha in the Śaka year 930, the cyclic year being Kīlaka. The date does not admit of verification for want of the necessary details, but the cyclic year corresponding to Śaka 930 was Kīlaka according to the Southern luni-solar system. The corresponding date of the Christian era is Saturday, the 22nd May, A.D. 1008.

..The genealogy of the Śilāhāra kings given in these plates does not agree with that in the preceding grant. That from Ādityavarman onwards is, of course, the same, but the earlier genealogy is different as will be seen from the following :-

Paṭṭaṇakuḍi plates                                        Khārēpāṭaṇ plates
                                                                             .............Saṇaphulla
                                                                                 |
                                                                              (son)
  Dhammiyara                                                    ....Dhammiyara                   ..........|                                    
       (son)                                                                   |          
      Amalla                                                                   |
          |                                                                      |
       (son)                                                                   |
     Aiyapa                                                               Aiyapa
         |                                                                       |
         |                                                                   Avasara
         |                                                                       |
      (son)                                                                   (son)
Ādityavarman                                                       Ādityavarman 
___________________

[1] Kielhorn read this name as Vaḍodgula. D and ṅ are confused as ṅ had no dot in this period.
[2] Here also Kielhorn read Vyadgarula, but the name is probably Vyaṅgarula corresponding to Vēṅgurlē, a well-known place in the Ratnāgiri District.
[3] Kielhorn took the first member of the compound to be the Kannaḍa word avvā, meaning ‘mother’, and the name Avvēśvara formed like Ambikēsvatra.