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98
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
(VOL. XIV.
incorrect orthography are the following: 1.113 tu for ri; 1. 39 pi for ru; confusion of the sibilants ś and s in 11. 20, 22, 29, 37, 52, 54 and 95 ; an for nn in ll. 66 and 83; confusion of d and dh in 11. 51, 104 and 109: sporadic adscript of y to an initial vowel as in yētad (for ētad) 1. 21, yek=aiva (for ēk=aiva) 1. 105. The aspirates are sometimes distinguished from similarly shaped non-aspirates by means of a short vertical stroko added below the letters, as in the modern Telugu alphabet. There is inconsequence in the doubling of consonants after r : cf. 11. 7, 10, etc. on the one hand, and 11. 6, 16, etc. on the other. Rough (doubled) is used once in the nomen proprium Dēvarrāja (1. 209). It remains to be remarked that the letters are incised between equidistant parallel lines running along the breadth of the slabs.-It is necessary to add a few words on the language of the inscription. Excepting the benedictory words at the beginning of the record and a few phrases employed further on to introduce some of the stanzas, the whole of the inscription is in verse. The language is extremely meagre Sanskrit, and the verses are devoid of poetic embellishment. The writer is indeed guilty of the gravest mistakes of grammar and syntax, most of which are noticed in the foot-notes to the text and translation. To mention just two of them here : in l. 37 disi pūrvē pratishthitah is used for disi pūrvasy anh pratishthāpitah; and the first sentence of v. 16 the verbum actionis is omitted.-In respect of lexicography the following uncommon words and expressions deserve notice : krili (11. 29, 39)
=“ composition " ; taţāka-matrika (1. 47)="tank-nourished ", on the analogy of nadi-mātika, eto.; bhrama-jala-gati (11. 69, 90)="sluice" (?); madhya-kūrma (1. 73)=elevated ground in the middle (P); bha-vara (1. 79)="king"; gärhgoya (1. 111)="gold".
The object of the record is, as remarked above, to commemorate the construction of the tank at Poromāmilla by king Bhāskara alias Bhavadura, son of Bukka I. (v. 49). The following analysis gives a synopsis of the contents of the record : The grant commences with invocatory and introductory verses (vv. 1-10): the succeeding stanzas give the genealogy of the donor, Bhāskara Bhavadara (11. 11-22): the next few verses recount the merit attaching to the building of a tank (23-27): then are given the details of tank construction and the specification of the site of the tank, date of its constrnction, etc. (28-45): then the usual imprecatory and benedictory stanzas (46-49): and lastly, the specification of the adhikarin of the tank, and the composer of the record (59-62). The only new facts in the history of the First Vijaya-nagara Dynasty with which the inscription furnishes us are the following: (1) Bhaskare alias Bhavadūra (a name which is not known from any other inscription) was the son of Bukka I., and thus the brother of Haribara II. Bhāskara was placed in charge of the eastern provinces--which he ruled from the top of the sublime Udaya-giri" (in the Nellore District); (2) Bukka I. had four brothers, viz. Harihara, Kampana, Marapa and Muddapa; and (3) Anantarāja was one of the ministers of Bukka I.-The adhikärin of the tank was Dēvarrajan, son of the minister (probably of Bhāskara) Kumāragiri-NÄtha (v. 50).-The writer, who was rewarded with a gift of land, was the poet Lingaya-Māohanáryya (i.e. Māchana, son of Limgaya) of the family of the Kautsas, resident of Namda-pura (v. 51). Ou completion of the tank lands under it were handed over to a number of Brahmanas (v. 45).
The question of the construction of the tank is shrouded in some obscurity on account of the unintelligibility of the termini used in the description of the tank. It would be, therefore, as well to start with the facts regarding the tank as it now stands. I have been able to gather the following information through the kind courtesy of Mr. Banerji, the Collector of Cuddapah,
A succinct and connected Account of the facts in the history of this dynasty, gleaned from stone and copper. plate records, is furnished by Rao Saheb Krishua Sastri in his paper entitled " The First Vijayanagar Dynasty na Viceroys and Ministers." (See the Director General's Annual for 1907-8, Part II., PP. 336 1.)
1 To Bao Saheb Krishna Sutri I am indebted for the explanation of several of the technical expressione
