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AN EARLY HISTORY OF ORISSA
244 that a sort of religious sanctity was attached by the people to State-elephants.
The epithet Mahāmeghavāhana also reminds of the god Indra. His vehicle too is elephant (Airāvata) thougii white and not black as those of Kalinga. Further, he is also the master of clouds and hence rains.' Indra is the god of all gods and hence is called Mahendra. The royal epithet Mahāmeghavāhana may, accordingly, be taken to imply that Khāravela and other kings of that house were very powerful, each of them bearing comparison with Mahendra. As a matter of fact, every Indian king was regarded as an earthly representative of Indra or Mahendra. Dr. B. M. Barua’ opines that Khāravela's comparison with Indra is corroborated by the royal title •Indraiāja' occuring in the 16th line of his inscription. But what he reads as 'Indrarāja' has been read as 'Bhikhurāja' by K. P. Jayaswal and also by Dr. D. C. Sircar.
The personal and dynastic name Meghavāhana was not unknown in ancient India. It is known to the authors of the Mahābhārata. Meghavāhana as a personal name occurs in the Rājatrañgiņī also. In the Jaina traditions as well, the Mahāieghavāhana kings are said to have ruled in southern India. The name occurs in the Jaina literature too."
1. Cf. 'Govardhana.dhurana' legend ascribed to ści Krishna and Indra.
2. OBI, p.39. 3. SI, Vol. I, p. 211.
4. Sabhā parvan, Ch, XIV, 13. "Vakradantah karushas cha Icarabho meghavahanah."
5. Dr. Sircar, AIU, p. 211. 6. "Dāhina mahiyali vaddiyya viyappa Maheuri mehavahaņu narindu-piya mehavila raikaiyavila"
-Nyāya Kumara Charita, pp. 85-86; Qtd. K. P, Jain, Jaina Antiquary, Vol. XII, No. 1, July '46, pp. 33f.
7. Hemchandra's Sūtra Vribata Vritti, Adhyāya 2, 2, 3; Algo in
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