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No. 31.]
PARLA-KIMEDI PLATES OF VAJRAHASTA.
221
appears in at least two forms, and that for some we have no less than four (or even more) different forms. To give a few examples, we have two forms for the initial a, e.g. in an[8]ka, 1. 13, and asya, 1. 16; for k, in Kalinga, 1. 2, and tilakó, 1. 8; for kh, in sukha, 1. 1, and likhitan, 1. 28; for g, in grámó, l. 15, and gråmasya, 1. 16; for ch, in achala, 1.2, and dcháryya, 1. 28; for 4, in chadamandr, 1. 3, and chadamani, 1.6;-three forms for dh, in dharmasya, l. 27, stradhárasya, I. 3, and adhirdja, 1. 8; for m, in amara, 1. 1, mahardja, 1. 8, and parama, 1. 9; for o, in déval, 1-9, Bhuvana, 1. 3, and vara, 1. 6; for 8, in svasty, l. 1, sarva, l. 1, and sakala, 1. 10;- four or even more forms for j, in rája, 1. 13, janita, 1.5, rája, 1. 8, rájó, 1. 11, and mafijari, 1. 6; for , in anukárinaḥ, 1.1, ramaniya, 1. 1, guna, 1. 10, dakshinata), . 17, and gana, 1. 11; for t, in vijayavatah, 1. 1, pratishthitasya, 1.2, tasya, 1. 9, adhipatih, 1. 10, and ittham, 1. 12; for h, in Mahandra, 1. 2, dhava, 1. 5, maharaja, 1. 8, and pariharan, 1. 15. And equally great is the variety of the signs for the medial vowels, especially in the case of u, d, e, and 6, which are written in four, five, or even six different ways.--The language of the inscription is Sanskrit, and, excepting two benedictive and imprecatory verses in lines 24-26, and another verse giving the name of the důtaka (here called djñaptı) in lines 27-28, the whole is in prose. In respect of orthography I have only to state that the consonant b is four times denoted by the sign forv (by the Någari sign for this letter in lavdha, 1. 13, Kadamva, l. 22, and vahubhir, 1. 25, and by a southern sign in savdaḥ, 1. 5), and twice by its own proper sign (in kutuinbinah, 1. 11, and bahubhis, 11. 25-26, where both times the same southern sign has been employed).
The inscription is of the reign of a Ganga king Vajrahasta, and it beging, similarly to the grants of the Ganga Maharajas Indravarman, Devendravarman, and Satyavarman, just as if it were meant to record a grant by that king himself, thus:
"Om! Hail! From his victorious residence of Kalinganagara which, charming with the delights of all seasons, resembles the town of the immortals,- the devout worshipper of Mahêsvara (Siva), who meditates on the feet of his parents, the ornament of the spotless family of the Gangas, the Maharajadhiraja Paramétvara, the illustrious Vajrahastadêva, who is freed from the stains of the Kali age by his obeisance to the two lotus-feet of the holy Gokarnasvåmin, the parent of the movable and immovable, the unique architect who has constructed the whole world, the god) with the moon for his crest-jewel who is installed on the spotless summit of mount Mahendra; who by his onslaught in many battles has roused the shorts of victory; whose blessed feet are tinged with thick clusters of the lustre of the crest-jewels of the circle of all chieftains, bowed down by his prowess; and whose fame is pure like the white water-lily, the jasmine, and the moon, and diffused in all quarters" .... Then, instead of recording some command of the king so described, the inscription in lines 9-15 tells us that "in the reign of this (Vajrahastadêva), the devout worshipper of Mahesvara, the ornament of the spotless family of the Gangas, the regent of five districts (pancha-vishaya), the illustrious Därepardja, a dear son of the illustrious Chola-K&madiraja and a home of all excellent qualities, issued the following command to all cultivators or bouseholders (kufumbin) inhabiting Lankaköņa :- Be it known to you that, on the occasion of giving our ?) daughter (to him) in marriage, we have given the village named Hossandi, exempting it from all taxes, to the ornament of tho Naggari-Salaki family, the son of the illustrious Erayamaraja, the Rajaputra marked with the name of (i.e., probably, named after) the illustrious Kamadi, who has illumined the quarters of the compass with the banner of the renown which he has gained by his victories in many battles."
Lines 16-21 then give an account of the boundaries of the village of Hollandi, which clearly contains the names of a fairly large number of other villages, but which, owing partly to
See Ind. Ant. Vol. XIII. pp. 120, 123, 275 ; Vol. XIV. p. 11; Vol. XVI. p. 134; and Vol. XVIII. p. 144. · [This appears to be a corruption of the word Chalukya.-E. H.)
