Early History of Orissa

SR No.: 006922
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Amarchand Mittal
Publisher: Jain Cultural Research Society
Publication Year: 1957
Total Pages: 506
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 9 MB

Page 158

THE NANDA RULE IN KALINGA
133
References to Nandarāja Considered
With the Nanda house, we reach a stage of the East Indian History when the inhabitable evidence of inscriptions becomes available to supplement the information gleaned from traditional literary sources. But the reign of the Nandas, on the whole, is one of the darkest, even of the many hopelessely dark, epochs in the history of Ancient India.
As already pointed out, the Hāthigumphā inscription twice mentions Nandarāja in connection with Kalinga. In the first place it mentions in the sixth line : "And, then in the fifth year (Khāravela) caused the canal opened out by king Nanda 103 (or 300) years before."! It is clear from this that in the fifth year of his reign, Khāravela executed a public work which was associated with the memory of king Nanda. Different versions of this passage depend chiefly, though not solely, upon translation of “ti-vasa-sata'. The following renderings have been proposed :(i) “He opened the three yearly alms-house of Nanda
rāja”, as translated by Indraji.2 He took sata as sattara, which is equivalent to satra in Sanskrit and it means 'alms-house'. But this rendering is
not accepted by scholars. (ii) “He has an acqueduct conducted into the city
which had been used for 103 years since king Nanda." This translation has been proposed by Prof. Luders. He took sata to be śata which means 'hundred'.
1. Original : "panichame cha dāni vase nandarāja tivasasata oghātitain paņādim.”
2. The International Oriental Congress Proceedings, Leidon, 1884, Pt. II, p. 135.
3. Epi, Ind., Vol X, App. 1345, p. 161.