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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
(VOL. IX.
(V. 6.) This illustrious Vasudeva, the pillar of the city, the chief gem (shining) with priceless splendour amongst (his) caste fellows, famous, devoted to the lotus-feet of king Bhanudêva, known to be very valorous before the array of knights on the battle-field, great, of wonderful power (and) patience, is (nou) administering the country.
(V. 7.) (This) clever (minister) caused to be built two temples of the god whose ornament is tho moon (viz. Mahadeva), together with halls, a puratóbhadra with a gate-way, and an excellent temple (dedicated) to the guardian deity of the fields. Moreover (he) caused to be dug a large pond (tadága) and a long tank (bandha) called Kauņika, which contained a great quantity of water.
(V. 8.) The moon-light of the true fame of Vasudeva, devoted to sacrifices and charitable works, has expanded (and) become established so long as the moon, the sun and the stars endure.
(Line 18.) Samvat 1242, in the Raudra year, on the 5th (tithi) of the dark (fortnight) of Jyaishtha, (this) prasasti was erected by the Ndyaka Vasudeva. Written by Saktikumara. Hail !
POSTSCRIPT.
BY PROFESSOR F. KIELHORN, C.I.E.; GÖTTINGEN. Prof. Hultzsch has asked me to express an opinion on the date of the stone inscription published above, of which he has sent me an impression. He also, at the instance of Mr. Hira Lal, has requested me to give my readings of, and, if possible, to verify, the dates of two copper-plate inscriptions of the Kakaira (Kanker) chief Pamparajadêva, which are about to be published by Mr. Hira Lal, and of which impressions have been forwarded by him.
The date of the stone inscription clearly is, as givon by Mr. Hira Lal: Sanoat 1242 Raudracanvatsaré | Jyohta-vadi panchamyan l. It does not admit of exact verification, and the only question concerning it is, to which era the year 1242 should be referred so that the date may fall in a Raudra-samvatsara. A priori the expression samvat 1242 would be taken here to denote the Vikrama year 1242; but there is no Vikrama year 1242 that could be called a Raudra year. Nearest to V. 1242, Raudra, by the southern system, would be the expired Chaitradi Vikrama year 1257; and by the northern mean-sign system it would indicate the time from the 13th November A.D. 1195 to the 8th November A.D. 1196, in the expired Chaitrádi or Karttikadi Vikrama years 1252 and 1253. If the year of the date were 1252 instead of 1242, it might be taken to be the expired Kärtlikádi Vikrama year 1252, in which case the 5th of the dark half of Jyaishtha would undoubtedly fall in a Raudra year; but there is nothing to prove that the writer erroneously put 1242 instead of 1252.
Assuming, then, the figures for the year and the Jupiter's year to have been correctly given, it would only remain to take the expression sanvat 1242, as bas been done by Mr. Hira Lal, to denote the expired Saka year 1242, which by the southern system was a Raudra year. But here we are at once met by a difficulty. In my paper on the dates of the Saks era in inscriptions I have shown that among 400 Śaka dates of inscriptions only five do not contain the word Saka or Sáka, and that of even these five dates three are spurious or suspicious, while the two others are in verse. There is therefore every reason to assume that the writer of the inscription would have denoted the Saka year 1242 by some such expression as Saká 1242, not by samvat 1242. And there might be the further objection that in the Central Provinces, where the date comes from, the system of Jupiter's years ordinarily followed seems to have been the northern system, not the soutbern system by which alone the Sakn year 1242 can be described as a Randra year.
i Sew Ind. Ant. Vol. XXVI. p. 149.
