Epigraphia Indica Vol 15

Author(s): Sten Konow, F W Thomas
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 26

No. 2.) SRISAILAM PLATES OF VIRUPAKSHA : SAKA-SAMVAT 1388.
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could have reigned six years, as stated by Naniz. Still more inexplicable is Mr. Rice's inscription, according to which Vira-Vijaya was the sovereign in Saka-Sumvat 1344, i.e. one year after the Acoession of his son Déparāya II. It may, of course, be supposed that Vira-Vijaya was consecrated king while his father was still alive and reigning, and the same might have been the case with Dēvariya II , . . .It may, therefore, be questioned if, during all the period of six years mentioned by Nuniz, Vijaya was actually reigning at the capital Vijayanagara." Against this surmise, we may remark that there is no precedent in the history of the first Vijayanagara dynasty for anointing a person before the death of his predecessor and that the guess is made on the supposition that Nuniz's statement is correct. As Naniz remarks, Vijaya did during his reign nothing which is worth mentioning.
Devaraya II is known by the various names, Prandha-Dövaray, Abhinava vira-Devarāya, Vira-pratápa-Dévaraya, Kumira-Devarāya and Dēvarāya who was pleased to witness the elephant hunt. His reign commenced, as already stated, in s. 1345, Sobhakrit, and it was a comparatively peaceful one; hence he was able to perform a large numbər of mahadānas, sa laid down in the Dāna-khanda. The Kalpalatā-mahādāna was performed in s. 1348; the Gõsahasra-mahādāna in s. 13493 and the Ratnadhënu- and Hēmāśvaratha-mahādānas in S. 1356.4
The chief governors of the provinces during his reign were as follows:- Srigirinātha-dova Odeyar of the Sankappa-Rayappanvaya and his son Rāyappa Odeya were the governors of the Araga rajya; Goparāja, who was the king's confidant aud nephew by his sister Harima, governed the Tokal nadu (near Mulvāyil); Pradbāni Irugapra and Pradhāni Mallarasa Odeya were successively governors of the Gutti-Gove rajya; while the Tamil country, with Marakatanagara as capital, was administered by Srigiri-bhāpāla, the king's brother.
The important advisers of the king were the brothers Lakkappa and Mādaņņa Daņdanāyakas.
In one rocord it is stated that Dévarāya II [ip the inscription Pratāpa Raya.-H. K. S.] "received the throne from his elder sister," and the words employed in it are :- .
nijāgraja präptam anādi-rājyan sādhikrid-arthi-vraja-pārijātah
tasya Sinhala dēv=iti bhāryā sarva-gun-äéraya ; whereas the wording of this passage in the document under consideration raus as follows:
nij-agrajat prāpta-Ghanādri-rājyah sarthikpitārthi jana pārijātah
tasya Siddhala-dev-iti bhāryā lakshana-samyuta. In the first inscription the name of the queen of Devaraya II is given, or has been read by Mr. L. Rice, as Sinhala-dēvi, whereas the second inscription reads distinctly Siddhala-dēvi. Under what circumstances Dēvarāya II got the Ghanādri kingdonu from his elder brother, and who this elder brother was, is not known; nor is it plain why this fact is not mentioned in records belonging to the reign of Dēvaraya II himself, but is found in those of his succeseors only; again, the reason for mentioning, long after he ruled over the whole empire and died, his obtaining the Ghanādri rajya, a portion only of his vast empire, is also not patent. Further researches alone could throw light on these points.
It is believed by Drs. Kielhorn and Hnitzsch and Mr. Venkayya that Dēvarāva II had a younger brother named Pratāpa-Dēvaraya, that he governed the Marakatanagara prānta, that in $. 1346 (expressed by the chronogram tatvāloka) he made a certain grant and that he
1 Ep. An. Rep. for 1907, pp. 82-83, para. 54.
Ep. Carn., No.11, Tin., Tm. *C. P. No. 20 of 1905, Madras Epigraphist's Collection ; see Ep. An. Rep. for 1906, p. 9. *C. P. No. 19 of 1905, ibid; see Ep. An. Rep. for the same year, p. 9. Ep. Carn., No. 121, M., My.
• See Ep. Ind., Vol. 111, p. 86; List of 8. Indian Inscriptions, No. 487; and Ep. An. Rep. for 1904, p. 13, para. 22; ibid for 1906, p. 82, pers. 45.