________________
232
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
(VOL. V.
c. - or the time of Perma-Jagadékamalla II.-A.D. 1144. This inscription, also, is at the temple which is now known as the temple of Basave vara, but was originally called the temple of Brahmêśvara.-The writing, consisting of fifty-two lines of about fifty letters each, covers an area about 2' 11" broad by 4' 8" high, and is in a state of perfect preservation almost throughout. The soulptures at the top of the stone are, in the centre, a linga, with an officiating priest, inside a shrine; on the proper right side, the bull Nandi, with the sun above it ; and on the proper left, a cow and calf, with the moon above them.-The characters are Kanarese, of the period to which the record refers itself; and they are almost exceptionally well formed and engraved. The size of the letters ranges from to 1'- Except for the opening invocation of Siva and one imprecatory verse in line 45, the language is Kanarese, partly in verse, and partly in prose. The record gives us a word, khandarane (line 52), evidently meaning "engraving,' which is not to be found in dictionaries.! Avd, as variants, it gives gaunda (e.g. line 7) and gavunda (e.g. line 10), as farther forms of gauda, gavuda ;na (in nd prabhu, lines 21, 51), as another form of nál, nád, 'district';' and håll (line 33), as another form of hal, ruin, desolation, a waste' (i.e. land left uncultivated). In respect of metrical license, we may note that in line 8 Jakkave is written for Jakkavve, and in line 29 oppat-ok kalum is written for eppatt-okkalun, simply to suit the metre.
The inscription is a record of the time of the Western Chalukya king PermaJagadêkamalla II. It is & Saiva record. And it registers grants that were made, both in the reign of that king and on a previous occasion, to the temple of the god Brahmêsvara. The later grant was made by a Dandanayaka named Mallibhêvarasa, who was administering the vaddardoula and hejjurika taxes under the Dandanayaka Yôgêśvaradêvarasa who was in charge of the Banavese twelve-thousand province, and it consisted of an oil-mill and a tax, for the maintenance of the perpetual lamp of the god. The earlier grant was made by a certain Bammagauņda or Barmagaunda,* the Nålprabhu or official in charge of the local district; and the chief iterhof it was an area of land, as much as his horse was able to go round, ridden at full speed.
The record contains two dates. The details of the first date, when the grant was made by Bammagaunda, are Monday, the new-moon day, when there was an eclipse of the sun, of the month Magha of the Saumya santatsara, which was the fourth year of the Western Chalukya king Bhâlôkamalla-Sômējvara III. The given samvatsara was Saka-Samvat 1052 current. And the corresponding English date is Monday, 10th February, A.D. 1130 : on this day, the tithi ended at about 2 hrs. 29 min. after mean sunrise (for Ujjain); but there was no eclipse. The full details of the second date, when the grant was made by the Dandandyaka Mallibhåvarasa; shortly after which time, presumably, the whole record was put on the stone,-are Sunday, coupled with the fifth tithi of the bright fortnight of the month Karttika of the Raktậkshin saivatsara, which was the seventh year of (Perma)-Jagadekamalla 11. (the son and successor of Sômég vara III.). This date was not recorded correctly. The given samvatsora was S.-S. 1067 current. And the given tithi ended at about 10 hrs. 50 min. after mean sunriso (for Ujjain) on Tuesday, 3rd October, A.D. 1144, and cannot be connected with the Sunday at all.
1 so, also, A. and B. have given us the verb khandarisu,'to engrave. • The further variant dounda (e.g. line 21) has already been noted under A. and B.
. Kittel's Dictionary includes nd! as a form of nodd; but not ndt. It does not include the word ndiprabb (which occurs in other ancient records also); but it does give the equivalent nad odeya, which it explains as the chief of a country, or of a district.'
* This Bammagaunda was a son of Echagaanda (lines 8, 9), and consequently he was grandson of the first BammagAvunda, the founder of the temple of Brahinésvara,- Echagaunda being mentioned in A. line 33, 38 son of the first Bammagévuzda.
