South Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE VATSAGULMA BRANCH

was succeeded by his grandson Rudrasēna I, the son of Gautamīputra, who probably did not come to the throne.

...These princes were also mentioned in the inscription in Cave XVI at Ajaṇṭā, but owing to the mutilated condition of it their names were differently read by Dr. Bhau Daji, Pandit Bhagvanlal and Dr. Bühler, who edited it from time to time. The correct readings have since been restored¹.

... As for the localities mentioned in the present grant, Vatsagulma, which was evidently the capital of this branch, is undoubtedly modern Bāsim where the plates were discovered. The place-name is variously derived. The Jayamaṅgalā, a commentary on the Kāmasūtra, states that Vatsa and Gulma were two uterine brothers and princes of Dakshiṇāpatha². The country settled by them came to be known as Vātsagulmaka. The local Māhātmya gives an altogether different derivation. It states that Vatsa was a sage who by his very severe austerities made an assemblage (gulma) of gods come down and settle in the vicinity of his hermitage. Both these derivations are evidently conjectural. The Vātsagulmaka country is mentioned in the Kāmasūtra of Vātsyāyana which describes some peculiar customs current there. Vatsagulma is also mentioned by Rājaśekhara in his works Karpūramañjarī and Kāvyamīnāṁsā. Nāndīkaḍa, which was apparently the headquarters of a district³, is probably identical with Nāndeḍ the chief town of a district of the same name in the Mahārāshṭra State. Tākālakkhōppaka and the donated village Ākāsapadda which was situated near it cannot be definitely identified. From the description in line 6 we learn that they lay in the northern subdivision of Nāndīkaḍa. Now, on the road which connects Nāndēḍ with Bāsim, which lies about 75 miles to the north of it, there are two villages Ṭākalīgohan and Ṭākalī, about 40 and 45 miles respectively from Nāndeḍ. One of these may represent ancient Tākālakkhōppaka. About 7 miles to the west of Tākalīgōhan there is still a small village named Āsuṇḍ which is possibly identical with Ākāsapadda. The identification of Nāndīkaḍa with Nāndēḍ which is almost certain shows that Vindhyaśakti II was ruling over southern Bear and the northern part of the former Hyderabad State.

_________________________

¹ See the revised edition of it in the Hyderabad Archaeological Series, No. 14. See also inscrip- tion No. 25, below.
² Kāmasūtra (Nirṇayasagar ed.), p. 295. The Bṛithakathā also probably mentioned Vatsa and Gulma as the sons of a Brahmaṇa and the maternal uncles of Guṇāḍhya. It does not, however, state that they founded a city named Vatsagulma. See Bṛihatkathāmañjarī, I, 3, 4, and Kathāsaritsāgara, I, 6, 9.
³ Similar names in kaṭa (e.g. Bhojakaṭa, Bennākaṭa) occur in other grants of the Vākāṭakas as names of districts.
⁴ From the facsimiles facing pages 152 and 153 in Ep. Ind., Vol. XXVI.
⁵ This word is written in the margin on a level with line 3.
⁶ Other Vākāṭaka plates name this gōtra as Vishṇuvriddha. See No. 3, line 2.
⁷ Read श्रीप्रवरसेनस्य पौत्रस्य.
⁸ Read श्रीप्रवरसेनस्य पौत्रस्य.
⁹ Opposite this line in the margin there is a sign for 1 denoting the number of the plate.
¹⁰ This mark of punctuation is superfluous.
¹¹ The engraver first incised dā which he afterwards altered to u.