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26
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[VOL. XXXIV
1169 A.D.) and the Tilothu inscription1 bearing no date. Pratapadhavala is called a Nayaka (ruler) of Japila in these records. The name of the family to which he belonged is given as Khayaravala and it has been supposed that he was really a scion of the aboriginal tribe known as Kharwar which is one of the three principal tribes living in the Palamau District.
Of the geographical names mentioned in the inscription, we have already indicated the location of Gadhinagara or Kanyakubja (also spelt in literary works as Kanyakubja and Kanyakubja). Japila and Vaḍayila (or Badayila). Suvarnahala or Svarṇahala appears to be the modern village Sunahar about 3 miles from Baraila (Vaḍayila or Badayila of the record) and about 10 miles from Tarachandi where the inscription is found. Kalahandi or Kalahandi seems to be no other than modern Karvandiya which is a station on the Eastern Railway, 6 miles from Dehri-on-Sone and 3 miles from Tärächandi. The distance between Karvandiya (ancient Kalahandi or Kalahandi) and Baraila (ancient Vadayila or Badayila) the two villages secured by fraud by the Brahmanas of Sunahar (ancient Suvarnahala or Svarṇahala) near Baraila, is about 15 miles. The reason why the inscription was engraved at Taruchandi seems to be that its findspot was not only near one of the two villages fraudulently secured by the Brahmanas but was also within or near the headquarters of the district in which all the three villages, viz. Kalahandi (Kalahandi), Vadayila (Badayila) and Suvarnahala (Svarṇahala), were situated. Koṭaghat, about mile from the Tarachanḍi temple, seems to have been a township in the early medieval period and may represent the heart of the headquarters of the district in question.
TEXT"
[Metres: verses 1-2 Vasantatilaka.]
1 Siddham [*] Svasty-udgata-prathita-kirtti-dharaḥ samantad-dēvaḥ Pratāpadhavalō vadati sva-vamsam(sam) | grāmēshv-amishu Kalahamḍi-samīpageshu vipraiḥ Suvarppahalajair-iha chhadmana" yat || [1*]
2 Utkōchya Gadhinagar-adhipa-dasa-Deu-hastat-ku-tāmvra(mra)m-imakam pragrihitam= astē nātra pratiti-vishayaḥ parito vidheyaḥ śu(su)chy10-agra-bhedyam-api bhūmitala[th]
3 na tēshām || [2] Samvat 1225 Jyeshtha-vadi 3 Vu(Bu)dhe " Japil-adhipati-mahānāyaka-sri-Pratapadhavaladeva-charaṇaḥ | atma-vams-ōdbhavānāṁ putra-pautr-ādīnām12 svarpath kathayanti
1 Ibid., No. 1759. The name is sometimes spelt as Tilötha.
Cf. above, Vol. IV, p. 311, note 10; O'Malley, op. cit., p. 17. The other two tribes are the Oraons and the
Cheros.
From impressions.
Expressed by a symbol which is not noticed in Hall's transcript.
The name is spelt as "hamdi in line 4.
Hall's transcript has su-danda. The name is spelt as Svarnna in line 4.
Chhadmana was originally engraved.
*Hall's transcript has asti. For the following danda, two dandas had been originally engraved, but the second of them was later struck off.
Pratiti-vishaya may mean 'a transaction based on the belief'. But better read pratiti-vishayah parito viaheyah as the reference seems to be to the Brahmanas. The word paritah 'everywhere', should have to be taken with grämishu [bhumitalam na]
10 Hall's transcript has suchy-a°.
The danda which is not indicated in Hall's transcript is really unnecessary. 12 J.e. van putra-pautrādin.