North Indian Inscriptions

THE EARLY SILAHARAS

..The second family of the Śilāhāras was ruling over South Koṅkaṇ, which was traditionally supposed to have comprised 900 villages.[1] It was also known as Sapta-Kōṅkaṇa[2] and included the modern territory of the Goā State and the Iriḍigē country including the former Sāvantavāḍī State and the Ratnāgiri District. This branch states in its records that it originally belonged to Siṁhala[3]. Kielhorn identified Siṁhala with Ceylon, but doubted whether the family could have originally come from the southern island.[4] Siṁhala, however, appears to have been the ancient name of the Goā region; for the Degāṁve inscripti on, describing the Kadamba conquest of Goā, says that the lord of Laṅkā was subdued by king Jayakēśin.[5] Some Śilāhāra kings of North Koṅkaṇ assumed the biruda Niḥśaṅka-Laṅkēśvara (the undaunted lord of Laṅkā),[6] which probably indicated their occupation of the Goā territory. Unlike the other two branches of the Śilāhāras ruling in North Koṅkaṇ and the Kolhāpur region, this branch does not claim connection with the city of Tagara in its inscriptions, though it is not unlikely that like several other branches of the Śilāhāra family, it also may have originally hailed from that ancient city.

.. As stated before, this family rose to power in the Goā region. Its capital then must have been Chandrapura, modern Chāndor in the Goā State.[7] Later, it conquered the Ratnāgiri District and shifted its capital to Balipattana,[8] which is probably identical with Baladēvapaṭṭaṇa mentioned in the Bṛihatsaṁhitā.[9] It has also been noticed by Ptolemy[10] and the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea.[11] It has not yet been definitely identified, but may be identical with Khārepāṭaṇ in the Ratnāgiri District, where one of the grants of this family was found.[12] Barnett’s identification of it with Baḷiapaṭṭam or Vaḷapaṭṭam in the Chirakkal tālukā of the Malabār District[13] does not appear plausible.

.. The third family of the Śilāhāras was ruling over the Kolhāpur, Sātārā, Sānglī and Beḷgaon districts. Some of its grants were issued from the royal camp at Vaḷayavāḍa,[14] Vallavāḍa[15] or Vaḷavāḍa,[16] of which several identifications have been proposed. Some take it to be Wāḷve in the Sātārā District,[17] and others Vaḷavaḍe, 16 miles south-west of Kolhāpur[18]. Most of the inscriptions of this branch have been found at Kolhāpur (ancient Kshullakapura[19]) which seems to have been its actual capital. Vaḷavāḍa may have been the country residence of the
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[1] Fleet, Dyn. Kan. Dist., p. 282, n. 5, and 436.
[2] Ibid., p. 283.
[3] Khārepāṭaṇ plates (No. 41), lines 22-23.
[4] Ep. Ind., Vol. III, p. 294.
[5] J.B.B.R.A.S., Vol. IX., p. 266.
[6] See the Divē Āgar of Mummuṇirāja (No. 16), line 4.
[7] When a later king Aiyaparāja of this branch conquered the Goā territory, he got himself bathed with the water of coco-nuts at Chandrapura, See No. 41, line 26.
[8] See No. 40, lines 29-30, where it is called Balinagara. Elsewhere it is called Balipattana. See No. 40, line 17 ; No. 41, line 25; No. 42, line 13. In all these places va has been for ba, as in other places of the records. So the correct place-name is Balinagara or Balipattana, not Valinagara or Valipattana.
[9] Bṛihatsaṁhitā, XIV, 16.
[10] Ptolemy calls it Baltipatna and locates it in Ariake Sadinon together with Simylla (Chaula in the Kolābā District). See Classical Accounts of India, p. 365.
[11] It is probably identical with Palaepatmae mentioned together with Semylla (Chaula) in the Periplus. Ibid., p. 305.
[12] No. 41.
[13] Ep. Ind., Vol. XIX, p. 32.
[14] No. 46, lines 43-44.
[15] No. 48, line 22.
[16] No. 53, line 15.
[17] Ind. Cult., Vol. II, p. 418.
[18] Loc. cit.
[19] No. 54, line 25. In No. 48, line 25 it is called Kōllāpura.

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