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

Page 216

136
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
(VOL. XXXIV
Verse 9 mentions king Visvala as the younger brother of Pratāpamalla. Mērutunga's Thērāvali represents Visala, another form of the name Visvala, as a brother of Viradhavala apparently through mistake. Pratāpamalla is generally taken by scholars to have been a younger brother of Visvala or Visala since Bühler explained king Visvamalla's (i.e. Visala's) opithet Pratāpamall-avaraja occurring in the Cintra prasasti as one whose younger brother was Pratāpamalla '! But our inscription makes it clear that the said epithet should be understood not as a Bahuvrihi but as a Shashthi-Tatpurusha compound in the sense of 'one who was the younger brother of Pratapamalla'. Our record, however, does not mention Visvala's other brother Virama probably because the relations between Visvala and Virama were hostile.
The same stanze of the inscription (verse 9) further states that Visvala vanquished the king of Dhārā and destroyed that city. The successful encounter of the Chaulukya Vāghēlā ruler with the Paramāra king of Dhārā is referred to in other records. There is difference of opinion about the identity of this Paramāra ruler and it is not possible to be sure on this point. Verse 10 gives the interesting information that Visvala died after having installed Arjuna, who was the son of his elder brother (i.e. Pratápamalla), on the throne. According to Mērutunga's Vichāra frēni, Visvala's successor Arjuna ruled from V.S. 1318 to 1331 (i.e. from 1261-62 to 1274-75 A.D.).
Verse 11 introduces Arjuna's son Råma as & ngipachakravartin or imperial ruler while the next stanza (verse 12) speaks of his younger brother Sārangadēva as the vanquisher of Goga. Since some inscriptions refer to Särangadēva's success against the Mālava kingdom, it is possible to identify Goga of our inscription with the Malwa ruler of that name, who is known from epigraphic and Muslim sources. Mērutunga's Vicharasreni represents Särangadēva as the successor of Arjuna and assigns his rule to the period V.S. 1331-53 (from 1274-75 to 1296-97 A.D.). His elder brother Rāma, omitted by Mērutunga, probably ruled for a short time.
Verse 13 mentions Karpa, the son of Rāma, as the reigning king. Mērutunga represents him as Sārangadēva's successor ruling, as indicated above, in V.S. 1353-60 (i.e. from 1296-97 to 1303-04 A.D.). The next stanza (verse 14), which is damaged, contains the prayers of the author, one of which seeks that the family, no doubt meaning the Chaulukya family described before, might be glorious. In verse 15, the author of the eulogy states that he had to describe the Chaulukya family in brief because of his inability to deal with the qualities of the kings in details, meaning thereby that it was an impossible task.
The following section (verses 16-21) in lines 6-8 describes another family, the first of the stanzas (verse 16) referring to it as the dynasty of the Dhavalaukas, which is stated to have been devoted to both the gods Vishņu and Sankara (Śiva). The expression Dhaval-aukasām occurring in the inscription means of those who have their home at Dhavala'. This locality called Dhavala msy be modern Dholkā in the Ahmedabad District, which is mentioned as Dhavalakapuri (also called Dhavalakkanagari, Dhavalakkaka and Dhavalänka) and was the original capital of the Våghēla branch of the Chaulukyas.' It therefore appears that the family described in verses 16 ff. of our record was residing at Dholkā. Dhavalapuri was also the name of modern
1 See JBBRAS, Vol. IX, 1867-70, p. 155. . Cf. above, Vol. I, pp. 272, 280 (text line 9). . See Ray, op. cit., p. 1048. • Boe ibid., p. 1087.
Ibid., p. 1043 . Cf. abovo, Vol. XXXII, p. 147, noto 2: Majumdar, op. cit., p. 182.
* See Ray, op. oit., pp. 1020, 1027, 1080. The city of Dhavals may have been named after Anäks's father Dhavala,