Epigraphia Indica Vol 15

SR No.: 032569
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Sten Konow, F W Thomas
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India
Publication Year: 1919
Total Pages: 478
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 23 MB

Page 328

No. 15.)
BARRACKPUR GRANT OF VIJAYASENA : TBE 32ND YEAR.
279
on the seal. The inscribed surface of the grant measures 121 by 104", judging from the pencil rubbings, and the size of the letters varies from t" to " The characters belong to the fully developed Eastern variety of the end of the 11th centary or the 12th century A.D., which may be called the Bengali alphabet. Among initial vowel signs i, , Iri and ai do not occur. a, a, u, 2, 0 and at have completed their developments, and earlier forms are to be found in the cases of i and ri only. Among consonants sia, chha, jha, ña, dha and ba do not occur. Completely developed Bengali forms are to be found in ka, kha, ja, ta, tha, dha, na, ma, ya, ra, la and va. Partly developed forms are seen in ga, gha, in some cases of ja, da, pha, bha, $a, sha and sa. The development is complete in the cases of cha, ta, na, da, pa and ha. The older forms of the visarga and anusvāra are employed throughout. The final forms of t and m are used; but the avagraha sign is not to be met with. Consonants with superscript r are generally doubled. The mason has inscribed the record very carelessly, and consequently mistakes are very frequent. Superscript has been omitted in a number of instances, and in many cases both the visarga and the resultant s have been incised. The language of the record is Sanskrit.
The record refers itself to King Vijaya-sēns of the Sēna dynasty of Bengal, who is already known from his Deopårå stone inscription and from references to him in the genealogical portions of the grants of his son Vallåla-sēna,' his grandson Lakshmaņa-sēnaand his greatgrandsons Kēšava-anas and Visvardpa-Bēna. The first twenty-two lines contain ten verses giving the genealogy of the Sena dynasty from Samanta-Bēna to Vallala-sela. The first two verses are devoted to the praise of the Moon, in whose race the Sēnas were born. It is said that there were many princes (lit. kings' sons, rājaputtrah) in the lineage of the Moon (v. 3). The use of the word rajaputtrah instead of the usual rājānah (kings) is perhaps significant. It is possible that the Sēnas were sprung from some younger son of a king of the Lunar race; but it may also be that the Sönas claimed to be Rajputs. In their family was born SamantaBðDa (v.4); from him was born Hômanta-sëná (v.5); from him was born Vijaya-Bēna (v. 6). The sixth verse conveys a very important piece of information about the history of Bengal. From this verse we learn that Vilasa-Dēvi, the queen of Vijaya-sens, was "the moon of the sea of the s a family." The name of Vilasa-Devi, the principal queen of Vijaya-sēna, has already been met with in the Naihati grant of her son Valläla-sēna ; but her descent from the Süra family is not mentioned in any other known inscription. This statement of the Barrackpur grant definitely proves that the majority of the genealogical works of Bengal are not reliable sources of historie cal information. According to the majority of these works Vallala-sēna was born in the family of a daughter's son of Adi-sūra, the mythical first king of the Söra dynasty. I quote a few examples collected by Mr. Ramā Prasad Chanda in a learned article read at an ordinary meeting of the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad and published in the Bengali monthly journal Bharati :
I. From a genealogical work (Kula-grantha) found in the house of the late Mahesa Chandia Siromani of Puthia, Rajshahi District. Language corrapt Bengali :
"Adi-fūra rājāra sargvārohanaḥ tadante kicchu kal-ānantara tata dauhitrakulēta udbhara hailena Valvāla-sēna."
“The ascent of King Adi-stra to heas ; next, after the lapse of some time, in the line of his daughter's son was born Vallála-soni
II. From another work found at the bare place :
Rajfiah saptama-santānasya dauhitro-bhūd Vallal-akhyah." “ Vallála was the danghter's son of the seventh descendant of the king."
Ante, Vol. XIV, p. 159. • Journ. Bengal 41. Soc., 1900, Pt. 1, p. 62, above, Vol. XII, p. 8; Journ. and Proo., Bengal 4.. Soc., Vol. V, p. 467. Ibid, Vol. X, p. 97.
• Jours. Bengal As. Soc., 1896, Pt. I, p. 6
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