Epigraphia Indica Vol 33

SR No.: 032587
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: D C Sircar
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India
Publication Year: 1959
Total Pages: 514
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 29 MB

Page 199

138
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[VOL. XXXIII
Verse 6 introduces Trailokyachandra's queen Kafchanā or Srikāñchanā, and the next stanza (verse 7) speaks of Srichandra, son of Trailökyachandra and his queen. Verse 8 states that Srichandra brought the earth under his sole umbrella and this conventional description apparently suggests that he was the first independent or imperial ruler of the family. Verse 9 describes him As a digvijayin in the conventional way and this also supports the above suggestion. As will be seen below, there is another indication in favour of the same conclusion
The prose passage (lines 17 ff.) following the above introductory part in verse reintroduces king Srichandra as in good bealth, i.e. as fit for making a grant. As in his other grants, the king is described as enjoying the imperial titles Paramēšvara, Paramabhattāraka and Mahārājādhirāja, as meditating on (or favoured by) the feet of the Paramasaugata (i.e. one devoted to the Sugata or Buddha) Mahārājādhiraja Trailokyachandradēva and as issuing the charter from his jayaskandhāvāra (meaning' capital' in this case) at Vikramapura. It has to be noticed that, while Trailokyachandra is endowed with the title Mahārājādhiraja only, Srichandra is called Paramesvara-Paramabhatļāraka-Mahārājādhiraja. This supports the suggestion that the father was a feudatory and the son an independent and imperial ruler. It seems that Srichandra threw off the allegiance to the king of Harikēla, conquered a considerable part of the latter's territories in South-East Bengal and transferred his capital from Chandradvipa to Vikram.apura in the Dacca District. The rise of Srichandra may have been a result of the struggle between the Palas and the kings of Harikēla for the Dacca-Tippera region. The Mandhuk (Tippera District) inscription of the first regnal year of Gopila II (c. 935-92 A.D.) shows that the Palas succeeded in ousting Harikala rule from Tippera before the middle of the tenth century. But shortly afterwards, Srichandra conquered the Dacca-Tippera region originally perhaps on behalf of the Harikēla king.
Srichandra must have flourished earlier than Govindachandra (c. 1015-40 A.D.) who apparently belonged to the same family and is described in Chola records as the lord of Vangala-dēda (originally the same as Chandradvipa but later the name of the Chandra empire in South East Bengal). The armies of the Chola king Räjëndra I had an encounter with Govindachandra before 1023 A.D. For some time between the reign of Srichandra and that of Govindachandra, the Dacca-Tippera region seems to have been in the possession of king Mahipala I (c. 992-1040 A.D.). This is suggested by the Bäghāurā and Nārāyanpur inscriptions dated respectively in the 3rd and 4th regnal years of the said Päla monarch, both discovered in the Tippera District. Thus Srichandra seems to have ruled for at least about 46 years (cf. the issue of the Madanpur plate in the 46th year of his reign) about the second half of the tenth century between the earlier years of Gopāla II and those of Mahipāla 1.
All the geographical names mentioned in connection with the details of the plots of land granted as given in lines 20-23 cannot be fully deciphered from the impressions, even though Bhattasali offered readings for all of them. There were altogether five plots of land. The first of these was situated in a village (called Durvapatra and situated in Vallimunda-mandala according to
THQ., Vol. XXVIII, pp. 51 m.
Cf. Above, Vol. IX, pp. 229 ff. • Bhandarkar's List, No. 164; Ind. Cuu. Vol. IX, pp. 121 ff.
• Pila rule appears to have been ousted from the Dacca-Tripura region by the successors of Srichandra. Two oopper-plato grants of Ladabachandrs and one of Govinda chandra have been recently discovered at Mainamati in the Tippers District of East Pakistan. These charters, issued from Vikramapura, show that Srichandra was followed on the Chandra throne by his son Kalyanachandra, grand on Ladahachandra and great. grandson Govindachandra. Another charter, discovered along with the above, was issued by Virdharadeva in hin 15th regnal year. He appears to have belonged to the Deva dynasty and flourished about the 13th century. For a note on these inscriptions, see F.A. Khan's report on 'Excavations on Mainamati Hills near Comilla in Further excarations in East Pakistan-Vainamati, pp. 22-28.