________________
(SECTION IV)
PREDECESSORS OF KHĀRAVELA
There is a curious silence in the Häthigumphā inscription about Khāravela's predecessors. There are few records in the world dealing with the history of the reign of a single king, which omit the king's father or his predecessors altogether.'
The silence in the inscription on this point gives rise to a number of theories. But in the absence of any other evidence in support of a particular theory, speculations would be fruitless. Two hypothesis are however possible according to R. D. Banerji,” that Khāravela had inherited the throne of Kalinga as a minor or that the kingdom of Kalinga was like the modern ex-states of Travancore-Cochin. In that case, it was, probably, the custom not to mention father as parentage was doubtful. The Purāņas mention the Kalingas as people of the Deccan and the country as being contiguous to the mythical “Stri-rājya'. Therefore, it is quite possible that some form of matriarchate was prevalent there."
The above hypothesis however is no better than speculation. In the Inscription there occurs the phrase "Tatiye kalinga-rāja-vase purisa-yuge' in the 2nd and 3rd lines. But the phrase is not free from complicated interpretations. K. P. Jayaswal' suggested it as denoting—"In the third dynasty of the Aira (Aila) line of the Kalinga kings.”
1. Yasodharmana's inscription at Mandsaur is one of such cases. 2. HO, Vol. I, pp. 73-74. 3. Ibid. 4. JBORS, Vol. III, p. 435 ; 1918, p. 454.
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
