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KANGRA JVALAMUKHI PRASASTI.
191
Sanskrit and, towards the end, not free from grammatical mistakes. With respect to the orthography, it may be stated that in the group nt the nasal is almost invariably expressed by an anusvåra and n.
The inscription consists of two entirely distinct parts. Lines 1-14 contain, besides a double Mangala, nine very artificial verses in honour of Bhavani-J valamukhi. Verse 10 informs us that this Stotra was composed by an ascetic of the Vedanta school called Raghavachaitanya. A poet of this name is repeatedly and reverentially quoted in Sarngadhara's Paddhati (see Professor Aufrecht's Oxford Catalogue, p. 124 B, and Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, vol. XXVIII, p. 76). If, as seems not improbable, the two persons are identical, the Stotra must have been composed before A.D. 1363, the date of the Paddhati, and be at least about 80-100 years older than the inscription. In the second part, lines 15-24, one Kșishṇabhatta informs us (verse 12) that be copied the above Stotra, and tells us regarding himself that he was a brother to the wives of others,' learned in all Sastras, a poet, a devotee of Harihara, and originally an inhabitant of Kas1 or Benares. His grandfather, he says (verse 11), who was also called Kfishṇabhatta, belonged to the Dravida subdivision of the Brahmans and to the Atreya gotra, was able to explain the six Darsanas and had performed one or several Soma sacrifices. His father Vagišvara, he adds (ibidem), thoroughly knew the Mindmed, the Smritis, and the science of the sacrifice, and had composed works of his own. Next fol. lows (verses 13-14) the information regarding the ruler of the country, which has already been discussed by Sir A. Cunningham. He was Samsarachandra, son of Karmachandra and grandson of Meghachandra, "who after conquering all his foes presents the earth to those knowing the meaning of the Vedas and of the Sastras." The latter words show that Krishṇabhatta had received or hoped to receive Dakshina from the prince.
If I am right in reading (verse 13) pañchamábddbhishiktaḥ and in translating it by "who was anointed in the fifth year of the Lokakala)," it appears that Samsarachandra mounted the throne in the year 1430 A.D., which corresponds to the year 4505 of the Santarshi era; for Sir A. Cunningham (loc. cit.) has satisfactorily proved that this king belongs to the fifteenth century, “because he is the fourth after Rapa. [chandra], the contemporary of Firoz Tughlak in A.D. 1360, and the sixth before Dharma(chandra), the contemporary of Akbar in A.D. 1560." The following verse (16) praises Saṁsårachandra's minister, the chamberlain (pratíhára) Raņi, i.e., probably Raņasimha, who was the son of the chamberlain Vira, i.e., Vfrasimha. Verse 16 is in honour of the Muhammadan overlord Så hi Mahammad, who must be identified, as Sir A, Cunningham has shown, with Muhammad Saiyid, Emperor of Dehli from A.D. 1483 to 1446. Verse 17 gives us the name of the mason sagika who incised the inscription out of devotion towards, i.e., while in the service of, the Kamboja Delba. The concluding mangala in prose is addressed to Jvalamukhi, by one Saryadh vaja, the pupil of the illustrious Karmadhvaja. This person probably was an ascetio oonnected with the temple or the worship of Bhavåni-J valamukht. The whole second part of the inscription is no doubt the composition of Krishnabhatta, who, though a poet and learned in all şastras, was unable to write correot Sanskrit. The date of the in. scription, of course, lies between A.D. 1438 and 1446.
