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No. 14.]
SOMALAPURAM GRANT OF VIRUPAKSHA: SAKA 1389.
worth mentioning in this connection, of which the one, dated in Śaka 1390, registers a gift by an agent of Saluva-Narasimha, and the other, dated in Saka 1394, records a gift for the merit of the same chief.1
197
The subjoined inscription registers (i) a gift of land situated to the west of the Hagari river within the boundary of the village of Yammegēnāru in Müḍa-nadu, a sub-division of Hastinavativalita, to a Brahmana resident of Niṭṭura, the son of Sarangirya, learned in the Vedas, Sankhya and Mimamsă and reputed as the author of a work called Bhishya-Bhisha; (ii) gift of lands under the tanks called Krishna-taṭaka, Kariyakere and in the village of Chiṭukanihilu to another Brahman named Viräpäksharya, a physician and the son of Raseśvara; and (iii) gift of the village of Sömalapuram, with its name changed into Viräpikshapuram, to a certain Viraṇārya, who, in turn, appears to have distributed it among Brahmans, dividing it into 60 vṛittis. The distribution of the full 60 vrittis among Brahmans is not given. But it is said that four Brahmans and three others connected with the issue of the copper-plate grant received 8 shares. The account for the rest is omitted, but it is evident from the blank space preceding verse 46 that possibly one or more plates containing the names of the rest of the vritti holders, which were intended to be inserted, have not been so done. The description of the boundary marks too, which must have followed this verse, is omitted, as already remarked.
Of the geographical names found in this inscription, Niṭṭura, Chiţukanāhāļu, and Somalāpura are villages situated in the Bellary taluka; Hastinavati is another name for Anegondi near Hampi; Yammegönüru is in the Bellary taluka at the place where it borders on Hospet; and the river Hagari bears the same name even now. It is noteworthy that the old name Somalapura is retained at present while its later name Virapikshapuram given in Saka 1389 has not survived. Khari, according to the dictionaries, is equal to 3 bushels and perhaps indicates the extent of land by its sowing capacity. The two tanks, Krishna-tataka and Kariyakere, must be looked for also in the Bellary taluka.
The composer of the grant was Durga-Bhatta, son of Madhavaradhya, who figures also in Ml. 121; and the engraver was the goldsmith Viranarya, son of Muddanarya. This engraver is perhaps identical with Viraparya, the father of Mallapa, who incised the inscription Ml. 121.. [The following metres are employed: vv. 1-3, 5, 7, 11, 14, 15, 17, 20-53, Anushṭubh; vv. 1, 10, Sardalavikṛidita; vv. 8, 12, 13, 16, 19, Upajati; vv. 6 and 18, Upendravajra; v. 9, Malini ; and v. 54, Salini.]
TEXT. First Plate.
1 योगवाधिपतये नमः । नम (तुंग (मि) रविद्रचामरचारये । 1 2. 2 लोक्यनगरारंभमूलस्तंभाय शंभवे [१] रचायै जगतां भूयाददयाकुि 3रदाननः [1] पायक्रोडाविधो यस्य परवनंति पयोधयः I [a] 'नमः (स्त) मे) परा 4k, vertuant get aftursentega(m):* | [*]
1 No. 79 of the Madras Epigraphical Collection for the year 1919 and No. 188 of the same collection for the year 1902.
? The Srisailam plates were also incised by the same person (see above, Vol. XV, p. 19) where the name of the person occurs as Viranacharya, son of Muddanacharya.
Cancel the visarga.
Omit the visarga,
is the reading in Ml. 121.
2 x
