Indian Antiquary Vol 40

SR No.: 032532
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 388
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 15 MB

Page 35

JANUARY, 1911.) FOREIGN ELEMENTS IN THE HINDU POPULATION.
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how, with the migrations of the Chibamânas southward, the boundaries of Sapadalaksha came to be extended or rather the country over which they ruled came to be called Sapadalaksha. It has been stated above that Rajasekharasûri, author of the Prabandha-kosa, speaks of them as Sapadalakshiya-Chdhamanas, i.e., Chåhamânas of the Sapadalaksha (country). From inscriptions, and early Muhammadan writers, it seems that Sapadalaksha included Hânsi in the Punjab, Ajmer, Mandor, the old capital of Mârwar and 6 miles north of Jodhpur, and M&ņdalgadh in Mewärl5. All this was exactly the territory held by the Chåhamânas, and there cannot be even the shadow of a doubt as to this province being called Sapadalaksha only after their Occupation. And what can be more natural than that they should give it the name of their original habitat? How else are we to explain again the fact that the district of Dharwar over which a branch family of the Châlukyas ruled was known as Sapadalaksba, as the author of the Pampa-Bháralle informs us? Here too one conclusion only is possible. The original habitat of the Chalukyas, like that of Châhamanas, was the mountain region called Sapadalaksha, and they too gave this name to the territory which they conquered in the south though it was far removed from the Himalayas. Thus the mountainous territory called Sapädalakshe was the original country where the Châhaminas and Chalukyas were settled. It is with this Sapädalaksha that the Sapardalaksban of Vasudeva's coins referred to above must be identified, and not with Rajpatana, as is done by Cunningham, because, northern Rajpatanê came to be called Sapadalaksha abont the middle of the eleventh century, and was in the time of Vasudeva kuown as Gurjara-desa only?". In this connection it is worth noticing that the so-called White Fun coins collection of Mr. Rawlins, so ably and lacidly noticed by Mr. V. A. Smith, came from the Plateau of Managwal situated on the outer renge of the Sawalakh hills in the Hoshiarpur district 18. In fact, this whole mountainous region had been occupied by the Hûņas and Gûjars before they spread southward and eastward.
Not only the fighting tribes such as Chihamânas, Châlokyas and Sindas, but also Brahmanas, came from Ahichchhatra, the capital of old Sapadalaksha. We have seen above that Mayůraśarman, the founder of the early Kadamba family, brought twelve-thousand Brâhmaņas of thirty-two gotras from this place, and some of these at any rate are represented by the modern Havigas. The Keralotpatti tells us that the Brahmaņas in the south were brought by Parasurama from Ahichchhatram!. In inscriptions as well as in the colophons of old MSS., Brâhmana
18 N. Chron. for 1894, p. 271. There can be no doubt that the kingdom of the ChAhamAnas was called SapAdalaksha. At the end of his work, entitled Dharmamrita, Ashdhara says that he was born in the fortress of Mandalakara situated in the country of Sapadalaksha, the ornament of which was Bakambhart (R. G. Bhandarkar's Report for 1883-84, p. 390). Bakambbarl is no doubt Sambhar, the onpital of the ChAbamAna kingdom. Sapadalaksha here can, therefore, denote the Chabanna territory only. This Sapadalakeba inoluded, as Abadhara informs us, Mandalakara durga, i.e., Mpdalgadh in Mewer. This was, I think, its south-eastern limit. A LA inscription informs us that it inoluded Nagapattana, i.e. Någaur, and I have elsewhere stated that there is still a traot of land in the Nagaur distriot, known as Svalakh or SavAlakh, which is fanious for bullooks. This formed its western boundary. How far its other boundaries extended is not olear. In this connection it may be stated that the last story of the first tantru of the Panchatantra speaks of SapAdalaksha and also Pallipura (PAI), but in Bach a way as to show that PAll did not fall under Sapadalaksha, at any rate, at the time when the work was composed.
16 Pampa Bharala (Bibliotheca Carnatica), by Rice, "Analysis of the Poem," p. 1. My attention to this was drawn by Mr. L. Narasimhachar of Bangalore.
11 The names of the countries that ooour on the coins of Vasudeva are Tukan, Jaulistan and Sapardalaksban. Cunningham's identification of Jaulistan with Jabulistan is incontrovertible. But Saparda lakshan is to be identified, as I have just show, not with Rajputána, but with the mountainous region comprising Kamkun, Gadowal, Kingd Hogbiarpur and so forth. Tukan has been, indentified by Cunningham with the Panjab (N. Chron. for 1694,
withont sufficient grounds. On nome coins instead of Tukan we have 'Takan. Agair, the ending an is here tantologous, like that in Sapardalaksban. The true name thus appears to be Tåk-Takka, doubtless, the name of the province between the Indus and the Beas known as early as the eighth century (Stein's Rajatarangint, translation, Vol. I, p. 205, Noto 150). Tukan, i.e., Takkadeka, thus was contiguous, with the old Sapadalakshs. 18 Jour. Roy, A8. Soc. for 1907, p. 91,
19 Ante, Vol. VII., p. 281.