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No. 21.]
PENUKONDA PLATES OF MADHAVA II (III).
333
Now all the Ganga plates describe Vishnugopa in the same way, -as devoted to the worship of the twice-born, guras and gods,' or 'gurus, cows and Brahmans. Taking this statement into consideration, it seems to me that a simple explanation can be given to account for the omission of Vishộugopa in the present plates. At the end of line 8 and the beginning of line 9 we have the phrase devoted to the worship of gods, twice-born and garas,' with which the inscription goes on as if it were an attribate of Madhave. But this is nowhere stated of Madhava ; on the other hand, it is the distinctive characteristic of Vishņugopa, and of no other. It is evident then, I think, that Vishnagopa was intended by the composer of the insoription to come here, in connexion with this phrase. But the engraver, whether for the purpose of saving space for the rest, or out of pure carelessness or misunderstanding, went on with it as if part of the description of Madhava. Vishộugopa thus dropped out.
Having disposed of this difficulty, we have now to consider the character in which the Pallavas appear in relation to the Gangas, which is the novel feature of this record. Of the first two kings nothing of the kind is stated; but the third and fourth are said to have been installed (abhishikta) by Pallava kings, and this function is described as performed yatharham, which may merely mean' in due form,' or it may perhaps be intended to imply that the sanction of the Pullaves was customary, and indispensable to confirm the Gangas on their throne. Though, occurring as it does in a Ganga grant, the act may be considered as
friendly one, yet the adoption by Madhava of a second name which was that of the Pallava king would ugually be a sign of subordination. On the other hand, it must be noted that the name he took was not that of the king who crowned him, but that of ? his son. The only instances in which we find anything of the kind in connexion with the Gangas are in the Siriganda stone, which says that Nirvinīta's (ie. Avinita's) younger son obtained the Kongapi orown from the Pallava and Rashtrakāta kinga (superseding the rightful heir)-this was in the latter half of the 5th century: and in the early part of the 9th century, Siyamārs-Saigotta, on his release from captivity, was crowned by the Rashtrakata and Pallava kingg% with their own hands. We gather, therefore, that the Pallavas laid claim to be overlords of the Gangas; but, if so, they only asserted the claim on rare occasions. Certain it is that no such relation is mentioned in any other Ganga grants as it is in this. It may be noted that in the case of the Kadambas, although the Pallavas installed the founder of the line in his kingdom, they are not afterwards referred to as overlords. Perhaps, therefore, they pursued the liberal policy of letting the quasi-dependent kings ordinarily follow their own course unimpeded.
. We are here told that Aryyavarman was installed by the Pallava king Simbavarman, and that Madhava (III) was installed by the Pallava king Skandavarman and had another name Sinhavarman. Now in the Pallava inscriptions already mentioned above we have the same names. First Skandavarman, then his son Viravarman, his son Skandavarman, and his son Vishậugopavarman or Vishnugopa. The latter, as Yuvamaharaja or Yuvaraja, makes & grant in the reign of Simhavarman, who may have been his elder brother or his uncle and the ruling sovereign. The second grant goes on to Simhavarman, the son of Vishộagopa. He may be the Simhavarman of this inscription. If so, the Skandavarman may be his son, as we have no Skandavarman following a Simhavarman, as here required. There are no preoise dates that can be given for these kings; but indoubtedly they belong to the 4th century.
1 Sprinkling with consecrated water. Goldstücker, in the Dictionary he began, has 26 columns on the subject. ? EC, VI, Cm 50. Ia. IV, Ya 60 ; IX, NI 60.
Id. VII, Sk 176 ; EI, VIII, 24. A somewhat similar sequence, but with variations, ocents in two later Pallava granto, of perhaps the 8th or 9th century. But this seems to be merely an echo of the earlier genealogy in the grants above referred to. Beo Kielborn's remarks on the subject in EI, III, 144. Also the list in 14, VIII, 280.
