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168
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
estampages, however, are not suitable for lithography; and, the surface of the stone being apparently rather rough, it would probably be very difficult to obtain impressions which would serve that purpose. --The characters belong to the so-called Old-Kanarese alphabet, and are of the regular type of the period to which the record refers itself. The average size of the letters, both in the original inscription and in the addition, is about 13" -The language is Old-Kanarese ; and, except for two verses in lines 15 to 19, the whole record is in prose. In respect of orthography the only points that call for special notice are (1) the use of mi for ri in nripa, line 1, prithuvi, line 2, and krishna, line 3; (2) the use of 6 for o in the word bíra, lines 16, 18; (3) the occasional use of e for 6, e.g. in saka, line 1, and saktiy-áge, line 16; and (4) the doubling of 8 after r, in ár=88agara, line 17.
The inscription refers itself to the time of a king named Křishộarâja, whom, partly from the date that is given, and partly from the mention of a predecessor, we know to be Krishna III., & son of Amôghavarsha III., of the Rashtrakůta dynasty of Malkhed: in the body of the inscription, he is also called Kannaradeva; and in the addition at the top of the stone, this form only of his name is used. We are told that he was making a display of triumph, after fighting against and killing a Chola king or chief named Rajâditya, at a place called Takkola. The inscription then introduces a Ganga feudatory of his,' called in the body of the record Permânadi, and in the addition Butuga,' who, as we learn from the addition, had killed a certain Râchamalla, the son of Ereyapa, and (as the result) was ruling over a Ninety-six-thousand district, which is evidently the well-known Gangavadi Ninety-six thousand. From the addition we also learn that it was Batuga himself who slew Rajâditya; treacherously, and while they were out taking the air together: and that, in approbation of the deed, Krishņa III. gave to Batuga the districts known as the Banavase Twelve-thousand, the Beļvola Three-hundred, the Purigere Threehundred, the Kisukad Seventy, and the Bagepád Seventy. The record then introduces a follower of Batuga, named Maşalarata, of the Sagara lineage, with the hereditary title of " lord of Valabhi." And it proceeds to state that, in recognition of his valour in battle, Permånadi-Batuga granted some land to a temple of the god Challeśvara (a form of Siva) at the village of Ātukar; a stone,- evidently the one bearing this
• The fact that Bajaditya died in battle with Krishņa III., is mentioned also in the large Loydon copper-plate grant (see Dr. Hultzsch's Report No. 79, dated the 8th April 1891); the passage speaks of the lordly elephant," on which RAjAditya was riding.
The use of the paramount title in dharma-maharajadhirdja must be taken, with the use of the name SatyavákyaKongunivarman, to be only an bereditary custom. The construction of the whole record, and the subject matter of it, show clearly the nature of the relations between Permånadi-Bâtuga and Krishna III.
This name occurs also in the body of the inscription, among the titles of Manalarata. That passage (1.9) is probably enough to show that Permånadi and Båtuga were one and the same person. But the point is rendered quite certain by the other reference to Batuga and Manalarata in II. 21-23.- When I wrote the preceding remarks, I overlooked the fact that Batuga is distinctly called Permånadi-Batayya in the Hebbal inscription (see Ind. Ant. Vol. XII, p. 270).
One might perhaps expect the name of Rajamalla, rather than Rachamalla. But the original very distinctly has cha in the second syllable.
Mr. Rice (loc. cit., p. 21) summarised this part of the record thus "Moreover, from a subsequent addition "engraved at the top of the same inscription, we learn that this Ganga king" (vis.the Satyavákya-Kengunivarman, or more specifically the Permånadi.Butuga, of lines 5, 6, 8] "was Rācbamalla, the son of Ereyappa; also, that he defeated a rival
damed Batuga, who then proposed to RAjAditya, the Chola prince mentioned in the previous part of the inscription, to join "bim in attacking Kapnara Dova. His treachery becoming thus koown, he was defeated and slain, and the provinces of which # be was governor absorbed into the Ganga territories."- Mr. Rice's extract from the text (loc. cit., p. 21, note 6) showed that this summary could not be correct, but did not suffice to indicate the real meaning with any completeness and certainty.
