Epigraphia Indica Vol 08

Author(s): E Hultzsch
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 42

No. 5.]
TALAGUNDA INSCRIPTION OF KAKUSTHAVARMAN.
may have been his younger brother, but there is nothing to prove this with certainty, Davavarman, described as the son of a Krishpavarman, in my opinion more probably was a son of Krishnavarman I. (and younger brother of Vishịuvarman who was an eldest son) than of Krishnavarman II. ;' but of this, again, we have no definite proof. It is also not certain that Sivaratha was a younger brother of Bhåpuvarman. Of the three brothers, Bhåndvarman is described as the younger brother of Ravivarman, Sivaratha as the paternal uncle of Harivarman. It will be seen that according to the Table the number of yenerations is eight, not eleven, as found by Mr. Rice.
There remains the question as to the age of this inscription. The inscription itself is not dated in any way. Of the fifteen Kadamba copper-plate inscriptions, four are not dated at all; ten are dated in regnal years, varying between 2 and 11; and the plates of the Yuvarája Kakusthavarman are dated in the 80th year, which, as intimated already by Dr. Fleet, in all probability was reckoned from the commencement of Mayurasarman's reign. Neither in the present inscription nor in the plates is there any reference to a king whose time can be determined with any certainty; and the inscriptions of other dynasties do not mention any specifio Kadamba king. That our inscription belongs to comparatively early times, there can be no doubt. I have shown that the rare metre, chiefly employed in it, is elsewhere found in records from about the fifth to the seventh century A.D.; and much the same period is indicated by Kakusthavarman's connection with some Gupta king or kings. Of the copper-plates which are later than this inscription, two-instead of quoting the ordinary lunar months which are quoted in seven others - quote fortnights of the rains and winter (varsha and hênanta). This also would suggest a considerable antiquity, although we must not forget that we have a similar season-date in the Dudia plates of Pravarasena II. (above, Vol. III. p. 260), which have been assigned to about the beginning of the 8th century A.D. To what particular portion of the time from the 5th to the 7th century A.D. our inscription should be referred, seems to me extremely difficult to say. I have carefully studied all Kadamba inscriptions from a palæographical point of view, and have eompared them with other inscriptions from the South, without being able to arrive at any certain and definite conclusion. My general impression is that the present inscription may be assigned to about the first half of the 6th century A.D.
TEXT. 1 Siddham? [ll] Namaś=śivåya || Jayati visvad@[va]-sa[n]ghâta-nichit-aikamûrttis
sanktanah Sthanu(pu)r-indu-rasmi-vichchhurita.10dyutimaj-jatabhara-mandangh || [10] Tam=anu bhûsurå dvija-pravar&s=sâma-rg-yajur-vvêda-vadinah yat-prasadas-tråyatê nityam bhuvana-trayam påpmanê bhayât || [2] Annpadam Sarendra-talya[va]puh-Kakusthavarmmå vis&la-dhiḥ bhüpatih-Kadamba-sênåni-brihad-llanvaya
vy[8]ma-chandramsh 2 1 137 Atha babhůva dvija-kulam prägu vicharad-gunândvaṁsu-mandalam
tryårshavartma-Haritîputramqishimukhya-Mânavya-gôtra-jam || [4] Vividha-yajñAvabbřitha-pang-ambu-niyat-abhishek-årdra-mtirddhajam pravachan-&vagåha-nishņåtam,
1 See above, Vol. VI. p. 13.
* See ibid. p. 7, Two dates, with reference to the motion of Jupiter, qualify the regral years by the statements that they were Vaisakha and Pausha years respectively; compare Ind. 4nt. Vol. XXII. p. 83 f. • Compare above, Vol. IV. p. 195, note 4.
See also Dr. Fleet's Dynasties, p. 291. ** From impressions supplied by Prof. Hultzsch. 7 This word stands in front of, and between, line 1 and 2 . For the metre of verses 1-24 see the introduction.
• The abshara in bracketa might perluapa be read #8: da (or rather da), bat the preopding abshara is clearly dd, not rd. 10 The reading vichchhurita is certain.
11 The akahara bri of bridad- has no superscript r.