Epigraphia Indica Vol 10

Author(s): Sten Konow, V Venkayya
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 50

No. 7.)
KURUSPAL STONE INSCRIPTION OF SOMESVARADEVA.
37
No. 7.-KURUSPAL STONE INSCRIPTION OF SOMESVARADEVA; .
SAKA-SAMVAT 1019.
BY RAI BAHADUR HIBA LAL, B.A.; NAGPUR. If the remoteness and inaccessibility of Kuruspal in the Bastar State of the Central Provinces have prevented the antiquarian from witnessing its ancient remains, temples, tanks, wells and gardens, the publication of inscriptions from that place have at least made him familiar with its antiquity and the importance it once enjoyed about a thousand years ago. Local tradition avers that there were in that quondam town Sat upar sāt kori bāoli or 147 step-wells and as many tanks, and Rai Babădur Baijnath, Diwan of Bastar, assures me that the story has a great deal of truth in it. Among the ruins on the bank of a tank known as Chorya-tarãi was found the present record, which like its three predecessors refers to the reign of the Nagavamsi king Somēśvaradēva. There is, however, an agreeable departure in that it is dated. This is a point which renders its publication imperative in spite of the mutilated and extremely bad condition of the stone on which it is inscribed. The stone in fact is not en whole. It is broken into two pieces, and erosion has bad its ample share in obliterating the letters. The stone with both the pieces put together measures 5' 01" X 2' 11", the length of the inscribed portion being 3' 1' with 24 lines, each about 21" long. The average size of the letters, which belong to the Nāgari alphabet, is about 1". The language is Sanskrit prose and there are no peculiar featares in orthography other than those found and noticed in other inscriptions from Kuruspal. .
The object of the inscription is apparently to record a dedication of a lamp to the god L[o]kēśvara by the inhabitants of a village not named. It appears that a subscription of 11 gadyanakas (coins) was raised by them. The dedication was made in the Sake year 1019 during the victorions reign of the illustrious Sõmēsvaradēva, who belonged to the Nāga family, who was the lord of Bhögāvati, the best of cities; the space between the ten quarters was resounding with the deep sound from the sbrill drums proclaiming whose brilliant victories; whose crest was a cow and tiger; who was, as it were, the sun to the lotus of the Chhinda family; who resembled a bee which was rendered yellow by the mass of the pollen on the lotus, i.e. the feet of the great (god) Mahēśvara; who was the store-house of statesmanship; who was the shelter of the whole world; who was like Arjuna in using the bow; who was the lord of kings; who was by birth as beautiful as the god of love ; who was terrible to his opponents (Pratigandabhairava); who was like Purtravas among kings; who resembled the demi-gods in enjoyments; who was brave like Narayana, glorious like Indra, true like Harischandra, and in subduing passion, like Mabādēvs, and who had acquired his kingdom by the force of his own arms. In this birudivali, some of the titles are noteworthy as they were also borne by Madhurantakadēva of the Rajapura plates, whom Somēsvaradēva is stated to have killed in battle in the long inscription found at Kuruspål. This would mean that both belonged to the same family, and that Sömēśvara killed his relative and himself became a king It does not, however, appear necessary to discuss this point before the Telugu inscriptions of these kings are published.
Returning to the date, it is to be regretted that all the original details are not available owing to the stone Laving broken off. The only thing that can be gleaned with certainty is the tithi saptami and the nakshatra Svāti, the day which looks like Sanaischara or Saturday, the paksha and the month having become obliterated or lost. The figures of the year in the impression are also very indistinct, bat Rai Bahadır Baijnath has satisfied himself from the original stone that it is 1019. Luckily, the cyclic year fávara-sanhvatsara is also given. From
Above, Vol. IX. p. 181.
* Above, p. 26.