South Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE MINISTERS AND FEUDATORIES OF THE
VATSAGULMA BRANCH

successor of Pṛithivīshēṇa I) with Pravarasēna II, whose Siwanī and Chammak plates had already been discovered and deciphered. This identification also cannot be upheld. As shown above, verse 8 does not mention Pṛithivīshēṇa, but Vindhyāsēna. Secondly, even if we adopt Bühler’s reading Pṛithivīshēnaḥ is verse 8, we find that Pravarasēna II was not the son of Pṛithivīsheṇa I, but was his grandson ; for his father was Rudrasēna II, the son-in-law of the famous Gupta king Chandragupta II –Vikramāditya. Pravarasēna, mentioned in verse 9 as the son and successor of Vindhyasēna (or Vindhyaśakti II) must therefore be distinguished from the homonymous Vākāṭaka prince who is known from more than a dozen grants discovered in Vidarbha.

...Verse 10 introduces another prince who evidently succeeded his father Pravarasēna II, mentioned in the preceding verse, but whose name cannot now be determined owing to the mutilation of the first half of that verse. He is said to have come to the throne when he was only eight years old and to have ruled his kingdom well. This prince is not known from any other record.

... Verse 11 mentions Dēvasēna as the son and successor of the prince described in verse 10. He is also known from the India Office plate edited before¹. Verse 12-16 incidentally describe Hastibhōja, a capable minister of Dēvasēna. These verses also have suffered much mutilation, but what remains of them is sufficient to give us a fair idea of his accomplishments. We are told that he was an abode of merits, had a broad and stout chest, was obliging, modest, loving and affable, and destroyed the allies of his enemies. He governed the people well and was accessible and dear to them like their father, mother and friend. Entrusting the cares of government to him, the king (Dēvasēna) gave himself up to the enjoyment of pleasures.

Verse 17 proceeds with the royal genealogy and describes Harishēṇa, the son and successor of Dēvasēna. The following verse which describes his conquests is badly mutilated. The first part of it mentions the countries of Kuntala, Avanti, Kaliṅga, Kōsala, Trikūṭa. Lāṭaand Andhra, evidently in connection with the conquests of Harishēṇa.

... Verses 19-20 eulogize a son of Hastibhōja who became a minister of Harishēṇa. His name which must have occurred in the second half of verse 19 is now lost, but from verse 30 we can conjecture that it was Varāhadēva. He is said to have possessed the virtues of liberality, forgiveness and generosity, and to have ruled the country righteously. Realising that life, youth, wealth and happiness are transitory, he excavated a cave in honour of his father and mother for the use of the best of ascetics. Verse 24 described the cave-dwelling (vēśma) as adorned with windows, doors, beautiful picture-galleries², ledges and statues of the nymphs of Indra, and supported by lovely pillars. It contained a temple of Buddha and was provided with a large reservoir of water and a shrine of the lord of the Nāgas. This description exactly applies to cave XVI where the inscription has been incised. Verse 30 states that Varāhadēva made over the cave to the Community of Monks. The last two verses (31-32) express the hope that the cave containing the excellent manḍapa dedicated to the three ratnas (i.e., Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha) would last forever and that the world would be freed from all blemishes and enter the peaceful and noble sate which is devoid of sorrow and pain.
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¹ No. 24, above.
² The reference to picture-galleries in v. 24 was missed by both Bhagvanlal and Bühler as the former took suvithi to mean ‘splendid verandahs’ and the latter, ‘beautiful terraces’. The Trikāṇḍaśesha (cited by Chanaśyāma in his commentary on the Uttararāmachartia, Act, I) gives vīthikā (which is the same as vithi) in the sense of ‘a row of pictures’.