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 440

No. 591
MADANAPADA PLATE OF VISVARUPASENA
317
portion of the document to show that the original charter was issued by the son of king Viśvarūpasina.
Verses 15-20 describe the donor of the original grant, i.e. the son of Visvarupasēna, although the corrections in verses 13-14 lead to the description being referred to Viśvarüpasēna himself. Verse 15 states that the king in question had a thirst for military pursuits ever since his youth. Verse 16 refers to his liberality vaguely while the next stanza (verse 17) represents him as the death to the Garga-Yavanas no doubt meaning the Turkish Muhammadans, whatever the significance of the word garga in this context may be. Of verses 18-20, the first and second speak of his scholar. ship and physical charm respectively and the third states that he granted many villages in favour of the Brahmanas.
Lines 31 ff. introduce the donor as having issued the charter from his victorious camp at Phasphagrama, the name of which has been wrongly read as Phalgugrama. In this section, śrīmatViśvarūpasēnadēva, supposed to be described as Ariraja-vrishabhänka-sankara, is mentioned as the son of Ariraja-madana-sankara-srimal-Lakshmanasenadeva, the grandson of Ariraja-niḥsankasankara-śrimad-Ballälasenadeva and the great-grandson of Ariraja-vrishabha-sankara śrimadVijayasenadeva. It is, however, interesting to note that, as in verse 14 in the introductory part discussed above, the four aksharas visvarupa in the king's name (line 38) have been re-engraved on an erasure offering space only for two aksharas which were originally engraved and the second of which had a superscript r above it. In this case also, the sign of superscript r was not erased apparently through oversight. Equally interesting is the fact that, in his title written as Arirajavrishabhanka-sankara, the aksharas vrishabha appear to have been re-engraved after having erased the aksharas nihsa, so that the title of the original donor of the grant was Ariraja-nih sanka-sankara. But more interesting is another fact. It is that, in the names and titles of the donor's father, grandfather and great-grandfather, the aksharas between śrima (or śrimat) and senadeva in the former and between ariraja and sankara in the latter are re-engraved on erasures. In many of these cases, the traces of the original writing are clear and these show beyond doubt that the original donor was represented as the son of Visvarupasēna, the grandson of Lakshmaņasēna and the great-grandson of Ballälasena. That such was the case is also suggested by the description of the father of the donor of the charter, i.e. Lakshmanasena after the correction but Viśvarupasēna in the original writing, as Paramasaura. In his own records, Lakshmanasēna is called either Paramavaishnava or Paramanarasimha1 while his son Viśvarupasēna was the first Paramasaura in the Sena family. This shows that the person, who was responsible for the erasure and reengraving and changed the name of Viśvarupasena to that of Lakshmanasēna, forgot to correct the former's epithet Paramasaura to the latter's Paramavaishnava or Paramanarasimha. It has also to be noticed that the final t in srimat has been joined in sandhi with the first letter of the kings' names in this section in all the cases excepting that of Viśvarupasēna. This fact suggests that the first letter of the original royal name in the stanza did not require any modification of t in Sandhi It may have thus been a letter like s.
All the five kings including the donor are called Gaudesvara. But the donor and his father are endowed with certain additional epithets such as those indicating their descent from the Sēna family and the lunar race. They have also the imperial titles Paramesvara, Paramabhaṭṭāraka and Mahārājādhiraja. Their title Saraṇāgata-vajra-panjara was originally used by the subordinate rulers of the Kannada-speaking area which was the original home of the Senas. The title Asvapatigajapati-narapati-rāja-tray-ādhipati appears to have been assumed by the later Sēnas after a
1 N. G. Mujumdar, op. cit., pp. 86, 95, 101, 111.
In their own records, Vijayasena and Ballälasena claim to have been Paramamähesvara (ibid., pp. 62, 73). Ballälasena seems to have become a Vaishnava in the later years of his life since he is described as Paramavaishnava in one of his son's records (ibid., p. 95).