Indian Antiquary Vol 42

SR No.: 032534
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 400
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 16 MB

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31
FEBRUARY, 1913.] THE INDIAN INSCRIPTION AND THE ANTIQUITY
the reign of his father Samudragupta, there are two inscriptions not dated. These belong to the last half of the fourth century and as regards Mr. Fleet's No. I, it can be asserted that it was composed when Samudragupta had already ruled for a large number of years. Because the number of his exploits eulogised therein is very considerable. Mr. Fleet's supposition that this inscription must have been composed after Samudragupta's death, rests, as it will be shown in detail below, on a wrong interpretation of the expression "Samudragupta's glory had gone up to heaven". As for the documents dated according to the Mâlava era, the detailed expositions of Dr. Peterson and Mr. Fleet leave no doubt that the era is identical with the Vikrama era of 56-7 A.D. The age of several undated numbers can be determined, as Mr. Fleet has shown, by the comparison of their contents with those of the dated numbers. If we arrange chronologically the numbers important for our inquiry, we may have the following list.
1. No. I, Harishena's panegyric of Samudragupta, composed sometime between 375-890 A.D., on the Allahâbâd pillar, consisting of 9 verses and the rest in high, elevated prose, at the close named a Kavya.
2. No. II., A fragment of a poetic description of Samudragupta, composed sometime between 358-390 A. D.
3. No. IV., An undated fragment of a poetic description of four early Gupta-kings, from the reign of Chandragupta II; Gupta-Samvat 82-94 or 95.
4. No. VI., The small, wholly metrical, undated inscription in Virasena's cave at Udayagiri, from the same period.
5. No. X., The inscription on Dhruvasárman's pillar at Bhilsad, composed partly in high prose and partly in metre, dated Gupta-Samvat 96, i. e., 414 or 415 A. D., in the reign of Kumaragupta, Gupta-Samvat 96-180, 414/5-448/9.
6. No. XVII., The long composition, from Mayûrâkshaka's well in Gângdhar, dated Samvat 480 (P), 428/4 (?) A. D., from the reign of king Viśvavarman.
7. No. LXI., The small metrical inscription from Sankara's cave in Udayagiri, dated Gupta-Samvat 106, 424 or 425 A. D.
8. No. XII., The undated, partly metrical inscription on the pillar at Bihar, from the reign of Skandagupta, Gupta-Samvat 136-149, i. e., 454-467 or 455-468 A. D.
9. No. XIII., The undated inscription on the pillar at Bhitari, which is partly in high prose and partly in metre, from the same period.
10. No. XIV., The long, wholly metrical Rock-inscription at Junagadh, which shows the Gupta year 136-188, 454-6 or 455-7, and is called a grantha.
11. No. XV., The wholly metrical inscription on Madra's pillar at Kahâum, dated GuptaSamvat 141, 459 or 460 A. D.
12. No. XVIII., Vatsabhaṭṭi's wholly metrical prasasti about the Sun temple at Mandasor, dated Malava-samvat 529, 473/4 A. D.
13. No. XIX., The wholly metrical inscription on Mâtrivishnu's and Dhanyavishnu's pillar at Eran, dated Gupta-samvat 165, June 21, 484 A. D., in the reign of Budhagupta.
14. No. XX., The short, wholly metrical, inscription on Goparâja's tomb-stone at Eran, dated Gupta-samvat 191, 509 or 510 A. D., in the reign of Bhânugupta.
15. No. XXXIII., Vâsula's, undated, wholly metrical, panegyric of the king Yasodharman, on the pillar at Mandasor, spoken of as slokaḥ, and engraved by the same stone mason As the following dated inscription.
16. No. XXXIV., (? 35) The wholly metrical Prasasti on Daksha's well at Mandasor, composed in the Malava year 589, 533-4 A. D., in the reign of king Yasodharman-Vishnuvardhana.
17. No. XXXV., (P36) The inscription on Dhanyavishnu's boar-statue at Erap, in the year 1 of king Toramâna, composed partly in verse and partly in high prose.
18. No. XXXVI. (?37), The wholly metrical panegyrie on Mâtricheta's temple of Vishnu in Gwalior, from the year 15 of the reign of Mihirakula, who, according to No. XXXIII, verse 6, was a contemporary of Yasodharman.