Epigraphia Indica Vol 34

SR No.: 032588
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: D C Sircar
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India
Publication Year: 1961
Total Pages: 384
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 20 MB

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142
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[VOL. XXXIV
Lines 4-6 introduce the reign of the Chaulukya-Väghēlā king Paramesvara Paramabhat äraka ahārājādhirāja Arjunadeva who was residing at Anahillapataka (i.e., his capital Aphilwaḍā, modern Pățan in the Mehsana District of Gujarat). The king is stated to have been endowed with all the royal epithets (raj-ärali) and enjoyed the titles Nihsankamalla (literally, 'the fearless wrestler'), Arirajahridayaśalya (literally, a dart in the heart of the hostile kings') and Chaulukyachakravartin (i.e., the Chaulukya emperor). King Arjuna is also described as having obtained great prowess (praudha-pratapa) as a favour (vara) from the god Umapati (Siva).
The next passage in lines 6-7 refers to the administration conducted by the king's subordinate whose name was Mahamatya (literally, 'the great administrator or minister') Mäladeva and who enjoyed the feudatory title Ranaka. Maladeva's official function is indicated by the passage śriérikaran-adi-sama ta-mudrā-vyāpārān-paripanthayati, literally meaning, conducting all the business of the seal such as the making of śri-éri [at the beginning of documents] (i.e., the drawingup of documents).' This was, however, the usual style of early medieval documents for introducing the king's principal administrator of the kingdom and his viceroy of a province.1 Maladeva was therefore either Arjuna's chief minister or the chief administrator of his kingom or, more probably, the king's viceroy in charge of the administration of Kathiawar. The following passage in lines 8-9 refers to the administration (pratipatti) of the Panchakula at Somanathadevapattana which is called Sōmanathadevanagara elsewhere in the inscription and is the same as modern Sōmanatha Patan near Vērāval. The expression pañchakula indicates a board of administrators consisting of five [or more] members. It is the Panchayat of various parts of the country and is similar to the Chauthia of Rajasthan. The Chauthias were the town-magistrates' and a self instituted tribunal'. Tod says, "In every town there is an unpaid magistracy, of which the head is the Nagarseth or chief citizen and the four Chauthias, tantamount to the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, who hold their court and decide in all civil cases". The same scholar further says, "Besides the resident ruler of the district, who was also a judicial functionary, there was a special officer of the Government in each frontier Thana or garrison post. He united the triple occupation of embodying the quotas, levying the transit duties and administering justice, in which he was aided at the Chabutra or court, by the assembling Chauthias or assessors of justice. Each town and village has its Chauthia, the members of which are elected by their fellow citizens and remain as long as they conduct themselves impartially in disentangling the intricacies of complaints preferred to them. They are the aids to the Nagarseth or chief magistrate, an hereditary office in every large city in Rajasthan. Of this Chauthin, the Patel (i..e, headman) and Patwari (i.e., accountant) are generally members............ these are the special and fixed council of each town, the general Panchayats are formed from the respectable population at large and were formerly from all classes of society".
Thus the initial part of our inscription down to line 9 refers to the date of the record, on which the king of the country was Chaulukya-Väghēlā Arjuna, Maladeva was the governor of Kathiawar and a Panchakula was in charge of the administration of Sōmanathadevapattana where the inscription was written and engraved. The number of members of this Pañchakula is not indicated although two of the members are stated to have been: (1) Para Virabhadra described as a great teacher of the Saiva doctrine called Pasupata, as great among the great scholars and as one who was an incarnation of dharma and was called Ganda or as the best (ganda, literally a rhinoceros`) among people who were incarnations of dharma; and (2) Abhayasimha who is called Päri and
1 See apuve, Vol. XXXII, p. 152 and note 2; p. 166.
Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, ed. Crooke, Vol. II, p. 682. The word chauthid seens to be a modification of chaturjalakiya derived from chaturjataka which was a board of four administrators. See above, Vol. XXXIII, p. 193.
3 Op. cit. Vol. I, p. 171.
Cf. expressions like nara-vyaghra.