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128
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[VoL. XXXIV The present record offers the earliest instance of the use of the name Vangala. It is also very interesting to find that the name of the ruler of the land is mentioned in this connection, which is not the case with the others. Dharma, the ruler of Vangala, may easily be identified with Dharmapāla (770-810 A.D.) of the PAla dynasty. In the Sanjan plates also he is mentioned by name and is said to have surrendered himself to Govinda III along with Chakräyudha, when the Rāshțrakuta king was engaged in his northern campaign. The present record informs us additionally that Govinda III brought from him an image of the goddess Tärä. Tärā is one of the important deities of the Buddhist pantheon and Dharmapala is known to have been a Buddhist. But the goddess has no place on the banner or insignia of the Päls dynasty. The seals that are found with the Pāla records bear the emblem of the well-known dharmachakra, flanked by two deer. It is quite possible that Dharmapala, at the time of his surrender to Govinda III, offered him an image of Tárā, the highly esteemed mother of all the Buddhas.
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[Metres : verses 1, 21-24, 27-29, 31 Anushtubh; verses 2, 6,9 Vasantatilaki ; verses 3-5, 7,
8, 10-20, 25 Sardilavikridita; verse 26 Aryā; verse 30 Indravajrā; verse 32 Pushpitagrd.]
First Plate 1 ॐ' स [वोव्याद्वे] धसा धाम यन्नाभिकमलिं] कृतं(तम्) [*] हरश्च यस्य कांतेंदु
कलया कमलंकृतं (तम्) [॥१*] भूयो भवढ (द) हदुरस्थल[रा2 जमानश्रीकौस्तुभायतकरैरुपगूढकण्ठाः ।*] सत्यं (त्या)न्वितो विपुलचक्रविनिर्जितारिचक्रो
प्यकृष्णचरितो भुवि कृष्ण3 राज[ः ॥२*] पक्षच्छेदभयाशृ (श्रि)ताखिलमहाभूभृत्कुलभ्राजिता[*] दुल्लघ्यादपर
रनेकविमल(ल) भ्राजिष्णुरत्नान्वितात् [*] 4 यश्चालुक्यकुलादनूनवियु (बु)धवाताश्रयो वारिधेर्लक्ष्मीन्म (म्म) दरवत्सलीलमचिरादाकृष्ट
वन्विल्लभः [॥३*] तस्याभू5 तनयः प्रतापविसरैराक्रांतदिग्मण्डला (ल)श्चण्डांशो[:] सदृशोप्यचण्डकरताप्रह्लादितक्ष्मातल:
[*] धीरो धैर्यधनो विपक्षवनि
6 तावक्त्रांव (बु)जश्रीहरो हारीकृत्य यशो यदीयमनिशं दिग्नाजि (यि)काभिघृतं(तम्)
____[*] ये (ज्ये)ष्ठोल(ल्लं) घनया (जा)तयाप्यमलया लक्ष्म्या
[See below, pp. 135 ff.-Ed.). * From the original plates.
Expressed by symbol.' Only faint traces of those letters can be seen on the plate. *[The rending is bhüpo.-Ed.)