________________
176
EPIGRAPEIA INDICA.
[VOL. XIV.
No. 13.-PARTABGARH INSCRIPTION OF THE TIME OF THE PRATIHARAZ
KING MAHENDRA-PALA II. OF MAHODAYA: SAMVAT 1003.
BY RAI BAHADUR PANDIT GAURISHANKAR HIRACHAND OJIA. Some time ago n friend of mine wrote to me of the existence of an inscribed stone at Partabgarh, the contents of which no one in the locality could read, except the date, Samvat 1003, which was plain enough. I lurried to the spot at the first opportunity available and found the inscription cortuining a series of grunts described below. The stone in question was afixed to a Chabútra, or platform, near Cheurum Agraval's Bawri (a well with steps leading to it) at Partäbgarh, the capital of the State of that name in southern Rūjpūtaua. On examination I found the recird to be of great historical importance; and at my request the Makäraj Kumar of Partābgarh was kind enough to present it to the Rajpātāna Museum, Ajmer, where it is now depositel. In spite of being constantly exposed to the inclemencies of weather, the stone is in a fair state of preservation and can easily be read, only a few letters here and there being indistinct. A portion of the stone at the left-hand top corner is broken off, and the commencement of the first five lines is lost.
The inscription contains 35 lines of writing-34 full lines and one line only l' 8" longwhich cover a space of 2' 6" broad by 2' 21" high. Except for four verses (11. 1-4) at the beginning of the first, five and half (11. 14-19) at the beginning of the second, & laudatory verse (11. 30-31) at the end of the third and an imprecatory one (11. 34-35) at the end of the fourth part, the scription is in prose.
The characters belong to the northern class of alphabets of the 10th century and show no special peculiarities except, in two instances (paryantā, 1. 11 ; paryant.m, 1. 24), the medieval forn of ryu, wi' hout the lower right-hand stroke as well as the separate sign of r on the top, as is found in the Udaipur (in Rajputana) inscription of the time of the Gohila Räjú Aparajita, the Jhälräpätan inscription of the time of Durga-gana, etc. Line 18 contains numerical symbols saṁ and lri for 100 and 10 respectively.
The language is Samskrit throughout, corruptions and solecisms being freqnent in the last three grants. A locative was probably intended in 1. 20 Ofrišamne (read furnmani) cha vyāpāraṁ kurvroto read kurvvats), and a passive construction suddenly ends in active in 11. 20-22, Madhavēna . . . . sutēna . . . . vodhayati.' The Deater gender is grossly misused in 11. 24-25, while aghāta' is neuter in l. 28 and masculine in 1. 32. Cases do not agree in l. 31 'Crājēna.. ..sutah' (read sutēna), while the rules of Samdhi are not observed in some cases (11. 2, 4, 14, 18, etc.) and misused in others (11. 11, 12, 27, etc.). Other grammatical irregularities are shown in the footnotes accompanying the text.
Some dësi words of the local dialect are used in Sanskrit composition. Harirshēsvara in 1. 12 is to be divided into Hari and Rishēsvara, the latter being a modification of Rakhēsar, still used in the vernacular of these parts for Rishisvara. Arahatēna (1. 26) is the instrumental form of Arahata, a Persian wheel, the Samskrit form being araghatta.' Kitikā (1. 26) is Samskpitized from kidi or kidā, a matting screen, akin to Samskțit kata. Kosavāhē (1. 31) is applied to as much land as can be irrigated by one kosa, or leather bucket, and moni (1. 31) is a local measure of twelve maunds. Chausarā (1. 33) is a garland of four strings. Metta (1. 29) is the Prākṣit form of matra. Palikā (1. 33) is probably used for pūli, or bundle of leaves. Ghana (1.33) is an oil-mill and Palika (1. 33) is a measure of capacity approximating to six tolās and commonly called pall or palā.
1 Ep. Ind., Vol. IV, p. al.
Ind. Ant., Vol. V, p. 181.
