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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[VOL. XIV.
by Mummadi Nayaka, was bounded on the north by Kanyakubja, on the south by the Pandya country, on the east by Kalinga and on the west by Maharashtra. Prince Mummaḍi is described as having conquered the Pänära, the Kona, the Kuraväṭaka, the Cheňgara and other countries lying on either side of the Godavari, and as having made Kōrakonda his capital. He bad two brothers, Singaya and Gannaya, whom he allowed to rule over the small principalities of Koti and Täḍipäkka. Sovereignty had no attraction for Mummadi; but he was obliged to accept the crown for the sake of his father. Mummadi is also called Sriranga-varddhana (v. 52), a surname which he perhaps assumed after he became the disciple of Parasara Bhatta VII. He became a follower of the latter, when the latter had gone to the Telinga-desa, and as a guru-dakshina this grant of a village was made.
At present nothing more than what is given in this document is known of Mummaḍi Nayaka. From the fact that the southern boundary of his kingdom was the Pandya country we can very well understand that at the time of this record the occupation of the Nellore district by Jata-varman Sundara Pandya was an accomplished fact. This latter subverted the dynasty of the Cholas, overran and captured their country as far north as Nellore, where he had his virabhisheka celebrated. Nothing is known definitely of the chiefs of Panara," Chengara, Kuravāṭaka, etc.
The village granted to Parasara Bhatta VII was evidently enjoyed by him for some time before he died. His mother, who survived him (v. 48), seems to have thought of allowing the relatives of the deceased to inherit the village; but in the meanwhile she changed her mind and gave it away to the god Ranganatha, taking Him, as she says, as the greatest of all relatives. Most likely the relatives began to trouble her and perhaps also to question her rights to the property, which must have goaded her on to take the course which she chose.
An inscription found lately at Korukonda itself gives a very interesting account of the death of the seventh Parasara Bhatta and his reappearance as a divine being. Incidentally also some facts about his patron and disciple, Mummaḍi Nayaka, are given in it. Mr. Krishna Sastri summarises the contents of the record thus:
"Mummaḍi Nayaka is stated to have been the ruler of Korukonda, which was surrounded by a fort. He was a great conqueror and had subdued the kingdoms of Pänära, Kona, Kuravataka and Bengara A Vaishnava teacher Bhattari, of whom Mummaḍi was the devoted disciple, told the chief one day that he had reached the last of his human births and, as soon as the existing mortal frame was given up, he would appear in the form of the god Lakshmi-Narasimha on the hill at Korukonda. Soon after this revelation the teacher died, and all about his rebirth as the god Narasimha was apparently forgotten. A dancing. girl of the village, called Lakshmi-dasi, saw the teacher in a dream and was told by him of his manifestation on the Parasara-saila. The king, being informed of this, was at once reminded of what the teacher had told him and permitted the dancing-girl to build the temple. She wandered about in rags, begging for money, pledged her daughter, earned the amount required, built a temple and consecrated therein Parasara-Nrisimha, presenting at the time of the consecration two villages for the maintenance of the worship and offerings." Mr. Sastri adds that the verses in the inscription under notice are repeated verbatim in the Korukonda record also. The latter inscription is dated S. 1275; this is the date of the consecration of the image of the god Nrisimha; and therefore the death of the seventh Parasara Bhatta would have occurred some time before this date, and this mother would consequently have survived him for at least seven or eight years.
1 No. 904, p. 145 of the Appendix to Vol. VII of Ep. Ind.
Vajjaya, a prince of Pänära, is mentioned in one of the Eastern Chalukya grants published in Sauth Indian Insoriptions, Vol. I, p. 44.
Madras Epigraphist's Annual Report for 1912, para, 68.
