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164
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[Vol. IX.
Of the remaining five Nagayangi inscriptions it has not yet been possible to obtain good impressions. They are all in Telugu, The Potinár slab seems to refer to Narasimhaders and the Dantewart stone lying outside the Dante varf temple to Jayasimhadeva. The Bhairam garb inscription contains birudas similar to those found in the Bårsar one, and the king is stated in both to be the worshipper of Måņikyadevi (Sri-Manikyadévi-divya-fripada-padm-dradhaka), which is an older name of Dantayari, 80 named by the modessors of the Nagavamsis, the Kakatiyas, although the latter claim that Dante vari came with them from Warangal, where she was called Manikydsvari. This inscription is incomplete and it appears that it was never completed. The Bhairamgudi inscription at Dantêward appears to be the oldest of all, as its date appears to be Saks 984. The Gadis inscription, apparently of Somèsvaradeva's time, contains the usual figures of the cow and calf, Sun and Moon, Siva, eto, the peculiar signs of the Nagavamsi kings, although they do not seem to refer to their family crests. They are all picture imprecations. The sun and moon represent that the grant is to laat as long as these Inminaries endure. Siva is the protector against violation of the grant on the spiritual side, and the dagger and shield of the king on the temporal. The cow and calf depict the grave sin which the transgressor would commit, exactly equal to taking away the cow from the calf. This interpretation is supported by the fact that the Kuruspål inscription has a representation of an A88 associating with a pig, the imprecation being explained in the text thus, J8 (yo) anyatha karoti tasya pita gardabhaḥ sakari mdtd (he who acts otherwise has for his father an ass and for his mother a pig.)
From these inscriptions it would appear that Bastar, which has been held to have always been the home of wild animals, with almost wilder tribes, was once ruled by a people whose civilization is sufficiently evidenced by the remains of temples, some of which are of great architeotaral beauty. These inscriptions carry the history of Bastar back to the eleventh century A.D., when at least the central portion of the State was ruled by the Någavamsi kings. They apparently belonged to the Sinda family of Yolbarga, whose titles are strikingly identical with those of the Bastar Någavamli kings. Dr. Fleet states that there appear to have been more branches than one of this family. One of these was that of Bastar, which has been hitherto unknown. These inscriptions disclose the names of five or six different kings, vis., Dhårdvarsha, his son 8ômesvaradeva, and his grandson Kanharadeva, Jayasimhadeve, Narasimhadeve, and a possible Sômesvara II. In view of the fact that half the insoriptions relating to these kings have not yet been dooiphered owing to their incompleteness or want of proper impressions, I reserve a fuller discussion of the history of these kings for another occasion.
11.-THE KÅKATIYA INSCRIPTIONS. All these are modern ones, the oldest being those of the Dantdivari temple at Danteward written by the rdjaguru of the present family, who was a Maithila Pandit. One of those is in Sanskrit and the other is a Maithili rendering of the same with some additions. Col. Glasfurd has given a very defective transoript of both in his report. They are dated in the Vikrama Samvat 1760, or 1708 A.D. on the 3rd day of Baisakh, dark fortnight. They record the pilgrimage of Raja Dikpaladeva to the Danteśvari shrine when so many thousands of buffaloes und goats were sacrificed that the waters of the Sankhini river became red like kusuma flowers and remained so for five days.' The Kakatiyas are stated to be Somavamsis, born of the
Elliot'. Report on the Bastar and Kharonde Dependencies, 1861, p. 18. As read by Rai Babadur V. Venkayya.
Gasetteer of the Bombay Proridenoy, Vol. I, Part II, p. 672.
• In the Ekamrapatha inscription of Gapapati (Ind. Ant. Vol. XXI, p. 200) they are stated to belong to the solar race to which Bagar, Bhagiratha, Raghu and Bama' belonged. This apparent contradiction is, however, capable of being explained. The Kikatiya king Gapapati had no male isege. He had a daughter named Budrimbi, who recobeded him on the throne. Apparently she also had no male love and had therefore to adopt her daughter's
