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No. 11.]
THREE INSCRIPTIONS FROM HOTTUR.
87
government of the Vanavasi Twelve-thousand and the Pānungal Five-hundred with enjoyment of pleasant conversations :
(Verse 1.) This Pottiyur is a general ghaţikā-sthānal in the county; in it Māra, composed of mind, a treasure of becoming speech, has dwelt happily in the office of Gåvunda.
(Verse 2.) The wealthy, when entreated, may give abundant substance to the needy, (but) they do not give in this wise anything unique and unprecedented in this world; whereas, when footless men came with entreaties, Māra Gāvunda by his own power gave feet to many. Hence is it needful to tell in this and that wise the high degree of the quality of his goodness?
(Verse 3.) As the earth spoke of him as a peer of Manu in virtue and power, as a southern Sömanātha because of his giving feet to the lame, Māra in truth was illustrious, a noble man.
(Line 18.) While Goļuvara Māra Gāvunda, thus combining philanthropy with worldly success, was acting as Gävunda ;-his son,
(Verse 4.) As the moon is born from the ocean, the sun from the Eastern Mountain, Kēsi, a worthy son arising in the goodly family of the Goduvas, won fame as an ornament of his
race.
(Lines 19-22.) While he who hears all titles of honour such as " basis of the series of many virtues praised by all the world, remote from others' wives, a king Vatsa with horses, a Cupid to public women, a discus of justice to the troop of Māra, an ocean of the essence of order, a unique Rudra in warfare, a warrior of the bodyguard, an incarnation of Vira (Virabhadra), a mighty man of valour in courage, a bhērundas to foes, a Pártha [Arjuna] to hostile armies, a site of salvation in the centre of the country, a wishing-gem of bounty, a protective gem to sages, servant of Somēśvara, brilliant in culture, a Nārāyaṇa to foes," Chăļukya-GangaVermāņi Kēšava Gāvuņda, was acting as Gávunda over Pottiyur in the county-shrievalty :--
(Verse 5.) He received from king Hariga, the head of the Kādamba race, many tokens of royalty, to wit, a number of yak-tail fans, a flag, a palace, drums, conches, parasols of many peacock-feathers, and a white parasol, (80 that he became) radiant with manifested intense lustre : for this reason, oh bravo ! thus was the brilliance of Kēsi's distinction ir the abode of this world.
(Verse 6.) The king Chāļukya-Ganga-Vermādi (Vikramăditya), pleased with Kēsi and loving him, said "this man is to me a son, Chāļukya-Ganga-Vermadi," and gave him that
name,
(Verse 7.) With supreme generosity the blest king Vikramaditya gave the various royal emblems of the Gangas and Chāļukyas, to wit, the honour of the excellent white parasol, a pair of golden yak-tail fans, a flag, warriors' drums, a parasol of peacocks' feathers : this distinction comes to the lord Kēsirāja ; does it come to any other man?
(Verse 8.) By the merits of gifts of water and a quantity of gold and food, by gifts of kine, by gifts of land,' by gifts of herds of oxen, by gifts of divers kinds of knowledge, by constant gifts, by gifts of excellent sesam, by gifts of all kinds of) maidens Kēšava has gratified distinguished men: truly he possesses a right mind.
This term (cf. Ep. Carn., VII. i. Sk. 94, X. i. Kl. 170, XII. Si. 23; Progress Report of Asst. Supt. Epigr., Southern Circle, 1912-13, p. 99; I. 4., Vol. XIV, pp. 19, 25 n.) is still not quite clear; but it seems to mean the official meeting place of learned and godly men, and thus is connected with ghafige and ghalige in the meaning of "Assembly," on which soe my note on the Kalas inscription above, Vol. XIII, p. 327 n. Soo above, inscr. B.
• See above, Vol. V, p. 236 n. • The spirit of carnal temptation. (Mára has here a possible reference to Māra-Gāvanda, the father of KēšavaGāvanda. In this case the text Marana chakrana nyaya-chakram can be divided Marana chakranaanyayachakran and translated the diseas of Māra-[Gāvanda) and a discas to destroy) injustice. "-H. K. S.]
• A fabulous two-headed bird.
• Chauka is from Skt. chatushka (Pkt. chaükka); for the sense of "palace" cf. Kumāra-sambhava v. lxviij., VII. ix.
