Indian Antiquary Vol 18

SR No.: 032510
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 454
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 19 MB

Page 373

November, 1889.)
THREE INSCRIPTIONS FROM UDAYPUR.
345
ladeva of Anahilapataka, and to the time when somosvara was that king's chief minister.30 At that time (lines 5-11) the illustrious Lunapasaka, an officer appointed 31 by the king to govern Udayapura, which was in the Bhlillasvami-mahadvadabaka province (mandala), 1.c. the great group of twelve called Bhâillasvâmin,-a province acquired by the king's own prowess,32 - on the occasion of the yugádi which coincides with the akshaya-tritiya, gave the village of Umaratha, which was in the pathaka called Bhrimgårika-chatuhshashti, ie. the group of sixty-four villages called Bhțingårikå, to the god Vaidyanatha ('Siva) at the town of Udayapura, for the spiritual benefit of the deceased Raja, the illustrious Sôlaņadêva, a son of the Rajaputra, the illustrious Vilhamadêva, of the Muhilaündha (?) family33 The boundaries of Umaratha were (lines 12-13), to the east, the village of Naha; to the south, the village of Vahidau[mtha]; to the west, the village of Douli; and to the north, the village of Lakhaņauda. Lines 14-19 contain three benedictive and imprecatory verses, together with an admonition to preserve the above grant. Lines 20-21 state that this donation was received (upárjitam; on behalf, as I take it, of the god) by the most pious and highly reverend, the holy Nilakanthasvâmin; and the concluding line appears to have contained some imprecation, directed against people who might interfere with the grant.
Since we know from the preceding inscriptions that the town of Udayapura belonged to the kingdom of Aphilwad already under Jayasimha and Kumarapaladêva, the historical value of the present inscription lies mainly in this, that it furnishes a date, which admits of verification, for the reign of their successor Ajayapaladeva.
To my knowledge, two such dates have been hitherto made public. One of them, corresponding according to Mr. Fleet to the 27th (and 29th) October, A.D. 1175, is furnished by the copper-plate grant published above, p. 82. The other occurs in the Narapatijayacharya, a treatise on omens by Narapati, and is contained in the following verse834:
Vikramarka-gatê kâle paksh-Agni-bhanu-1232-vatsaré ! mase Chaitre site paksbê pratipad-Bhaumavåsarê 11 Srimaty-Anahilansgard khyâtê sri-Ajayapala-npipa-rajyê
sriman-Narapati-kavina rachitam=idam såkunam sastram II i. e., this work on omens was completed by the illustrious poet Narapati at the famous town of Anahilapataka, in the glorious reign of the illustrious king Ajayapala, in the year 1232 of the time of Vikramårka, on the first of the bright half of the month Chaitra, on a Tuesday. The proper equivalent of this date (for the northern expired Vikrama year 1232, or the southern current year, and for the nija Chaitra) is Tuesday, 25th March, A.D. 1175, preceding the last-mentioned date by about seven months.
The present inscription, now, in line 1 is dated, in figures only, in the year 1229, on the 3rd of the bright half of Vaibakha, on a Monday;' and according to line 7 the donation, which the inscription is intended to record, was made for the spiritual benefit of a deceased person (probably the grandfather of the donor) on the occasion of the yugadi which coincides with the akshaya-tritiya. Alshaya-tritiya is the well-known name of the third tithi of the bright half of Vaisakha, and this same tithi is regarded as the commencement of the Kțita-yuga; and religious ceremonies in honour of the dead are prescribed for the akshaya-tritiya as well as for the yugádi 35 Referring our date to the Vikrama era, and calculating for Vaisakha sukla 3, we find -
for the northern year 1229 current, - Saturday, 10th April, A.D. 1171;
30 For the further particulars, see above, p. 81. 81 The technical expression is niyukta.danda, which occurs again e. g. in Professor Bhandarkar's Report for
pita-danda in Professor Peterson's Report for 1884-86, App., p. 51. Compare with it niyukta-mahisidhanika in line 8 of the inscription A. above.
32 Considering that Udayapura belonged already to Ajayapala's predecessors, the above expression can hardly be taken literally.
88 See below, note 46.
24 Soe Professor Bhandarkar's Report for 1882-83. n. 220. Attention may be drawn to th preceding verse, that Narspati's father Amradeva livod at Dhård in Malaya.
* Compare for this and the following the Dharmasindhu, Bo. Ed. of Saka 1796, p. 72.