Epigraphia Indica Vol 09

SR No.: 032563
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: E Hultzsch, Sten Konow
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India
Publication Year: 1907
Total Pages: 498
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 28 MB

Page 212

No. 19.)
INSCRIPTIONS FROM BASTAR STATE.
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called Sankhini and Dankini, and is notorious as a place where human sacrifices were formerly annually offered. At least a place was pointed out to me in the innermost sanctum, close to the goddess, where they said the victims used to be decapitated. The goddess has eight arms and is represented in the act of killing the buffalo demon. She is in reality Mahishasuramardini, locally known as Dantésvart. There are various other images such as those of Vishna, Karttikeys, Gapeáa, eto., some of which were brought away from the ruins of Barsûr. There are five inscriptions here, three inside the Dantèsvari temple, one just outside it, and another near a mud hut called Bhairamgadi. There are remains of several other temples buried in rains. For the support of the Dantégvari temple, an estate consisting of several villages is attached.-Bhairamgarh is about 70 miles west of Jagdalpar and has three or four temples, together with remains of a fort and a ditch and several tanks. There is an inscription on a pillar, and at Potinár, & village near Bhairamgarh, there is a slab inscribed on four sides. Gadia is 20 miles west of Jagdalpar and has a stone temple with no idol, bat built in the same style as those of Barsar. Aboat 400 yards away there is a big inscription, and a linga was found buried in a brick mound.- Narayanpal and Kuruspal are quite close to each other, the former being situated on the river Indravati. Near these villages are the forts of Rajapar and Bodra, and not far away the beautiful falls of the Indravati at Chitrakat present a magnificent appearance. Narayanpal is only 6 miles from Gradia and has an old temple, an image of Vishnu, and an inscription.-SunArpal and Ohapka are within 12 miles from Narayanpål. Chapká has a number of sati pillars, several of which are inscribed.- Tirathgarh also contains some temples and relics.- Dongar is a place where according to custom the present Rajag go to be crowned. Here one of the queens, whose finger was chopped off by royal order and who ventured to inform her father, writing the letter with the blood so wantonly spilt, was buried alive. The pit, which is still pointed out, was once distarbed by a greedy Raja of the same family, who also brought down the temple of Narayanpal and some others in search of supposed buried treasure.
I now proceed to give a short notice of each insoription of which I possess impressions, with very brief remarks where necessary, reserving a fuller account for other papers. The Bastar insoriptions may be roughly divided into three classes, vis., those of the (1) Någavami kings, (2) the Kakatiyas, and (3) miscellaneous. Of 22 yet discovered, ten belong to the 1st clams, five to the 2nd, and the rest to the 3rd.
THE NÅGAVAKS INSCRIPTIONS. 1.-Narayanpal Stone Inscription of Queen Gunda-mahadevi, the mother of
Somesvaradeva. Narayanpål is a village 23 miles west of Jagdalpur. The inscription is on a stone slab and is in Nagari characters, and the language is Sanskrit. It records the grant of the village Narayanapura to the god Narayana and some land near the Khajjuri tank to the god Lokovara, and it is dated in the Bake year 1083 on Wednesday, the full moon-day of the Karttika month in the Khara samvatsara (Saka-npipa-kalatità data-data-traya[s® ]-trim-adhiks Kharasamvatsard Kartika-paurnimdeydi Budhaodré) corresponding to 18th October 1111 A.D., and issued by Ganda-mahadevi, the chief queen of Maharaja Dhardvarsha, the mother of Somet Yaraddva and the grandmother of Kanharadêva, who was then ruling on the death of his father (Mahardja-Som&vara-devasya foar (svar)gat& tdshan putrasya dsdm naptub... Srimad-viraKanharadduasya kalyana-vijaya-rdjyd). The dynasty claims to belong to the Någavamia and the Kayapa gôtra, to have a tiger with a calf as their crest and to be the lords of Bhogavati theo best of the oities (Nagatar lodbhava Bh8gavati-pura-var-éduara savatsa-vydghralduchhane Kayapa-gôtra). At the end of the inscription the sun and moon, OOW and calf, and .
This has now bova romoved to
roadside place called JAngl, six mile north of Potinar, for my accons.