Epigraphia Indica Vol 08

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

Page 62

No. 7.]
CHIKMAGALUR INSCRIPTION OF RACHAMALLA III.
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detail, in guiding us to the real period and attribution of the record, will be made clear further on. The record further presents an initial o in line 10, and final forms of t in line 4. of r in line 12 (twice), and of ? in line 7. It does not seem to make any perceptible difference between the dental d and the lingual d.-The language is Kanarese, of the archaic type, in prose. And the vocabulary presents three words which call for comment. In line 9 we have a word which according to Mr. Rice's published texts is nir-panya, and which, in Mr. Rice's translation, has been rendered by 'wet land.' That rendering is based, I suppose, on an idea that nir may occur as another form of nir, niru, 'water.' But there is no justification for that in the late Dr. Kittel's Kannada-English Dictionary. And from the photograph I read l, notr, and find the word nil, length. From the context, and the usual method of expression in the records, I should have been disposed to take the whole word nilpanya es denoting some partioular measure of land, of the same class with mattar, nivartana, etc. Bat Dr. Kittel's Dictionary gives panya, panneya, in the sense of a farm, a landed estate,' connected with pano, 4,
ground that is worked, tillage, a quarry ;' and Mr. Ullal Narasinga Rao's Kisamwâr Glossary, Mangalore, 1891, p. 95, gives panya in the sense of lands formerly held by the Rajas and now leased out on the condition of their being surrendered when government makes & demand; crown-lands.' I therefore take nilpanya as some particular kind of panya-lands, consisting of very long narrow strips such as may be often seen in various parts of the Kanarese country. And I consider that probably the word mattar should be supplied. In line 12, assuming that we have the lingual and not the dental d, we have kodangeyan, as the accusative of a word kodanige. This word has not been translated by Mr. Rice. I take it as the older form of the kodage, kodige, a gift, & grant, of Dr. Kittel's Dictionary, and of the later kodagi, which is given in the Kisamwâr Glossary as meaning 's grant of land' (p. 144), and (a) 'lands having an invariably fixed rent, not liable to any change on account of the seasons, etc., and saleable,' and (b) lands granted for service in connection with the restoration or construction of tanks, or of their maintenance in good order' (p. 91). It seems sufficient to translate it here by allotment.' In line 12, again, we have a word balasidor which Mr. Rice, apparently taking it from balast, 1, 'to go in a circle or round; to circumambulate; to surround,' etc., has translated by "those (? who own the land) surrounding." I notice that the Kisamwår Glossary, p. 15, gives balasu in the sense of husbandry, cultivation;' and, even apart from that, I see no difficulty about taking balasu as a variant of belasu,' to cause to grow, to raise (s orop),' eto. : and I therefore translate the word by 'those who have cultivated;' finding in that meaning an equally good means of defining exactly the grant that was made. As a matter of fact, the photograph shews before the b & mark which might justify our actually reading b[@]?asidor. That, however, does not seem to be really necessary-In respect of orthography, the only points calling for notice are (1) the use of the guttural nasal min [gaunda]rige, line 8-9, narasingayyanum, line 10, kodangeyan, line 12, and mangala, line 16, as contrasted with the use of the amusara in koguni, line 1, rdchamallange, line 4. patfangattid, line 4-5, and rajyam-geyyuttams, line 7-8; and (2) the use of s for é in suddha, line 6.
The inscription refers itself to the time of & prince Nitimârga-Rachamalla, plainly of the family of the Western Gangas of Talakad, in whom we have a third Râchamalla, not previously recognised. And it is dated, without a reference to any era, in the sixth year of his rule, on a day specified by certain details to which we shall advert farther on. It is & non-sectarian record, registering & grant of land by private persons to a private person.
The following places are mentioned in the record, in addition to Kiriya-Maguli and PiriyaMagaļi :
Palmedi. This is mentioned again in an inscription of A.D. 959 (P 958) at Uppahalli, Ep. Oarn. Vol. VI., Om. 42. I cannot find its representative in the mape.
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