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No. 12.] JODHPUR INSCRIPTION OF PRATIBARA BAUKA: V. S. 894.
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religious one, and the next king Tata spent his last days in a bermitage. His three successors seem, no doubt, to have been powerful rulers, bat his example was followed by the next two kings who spent the last part of their lives on the banks of the Ganges. Kakka, the successor of the last of them, is described to have fought with the people of Bengal (Ganda) in distant Monghyr, and the full significance of this will be explained later on. His successor, Baula who is the hero of the inscription, defeated a king named Mayura.
The date of the inscription has given rise to much disou.ssion. Munshi Deviprasad who originally edited the inscription read the figures as 940 but Kielhorn held that thero is only one nameral figure, which is 4 and read the whole as Samvat 4.1 Professor D. R. Bhandarkar reads the date as San 894. He reads the letter following Sas as vra and takes it to be a sign for 8.
As regards Kielhorn's view I entirely agree with Professor D. R. Bhandarkar that what the former reads na dva is more like ora and that the sign which he reads as t denotes the cipher for 9. There is also undoubtedly much force in the learned Professor's contention “that there can be no question that ura also is a sign for some integer and that it may be taken as equivaleut to 8," although as he himself admite, tra has never been so far found to represent the integer 8. Apart from the arguments advanced by him, there is one consideration which is decidedly in favour of his view, and seems to me to be fatal to Munshi Deviprasad's contention. If the date of the record be 940 Samoat, as the latter holds, Bāuks must be looked upon as a younger brother and successor of Kakkuka. It is, therefore, inconceivable that his name should have been omitted from the dynastic list of our inscription which retaing the names of collateral kings of earlier generations. On the other hand, as Kakkuka's inscriptions do not refer to any collateral king at all, it cannot be a matter of surprise that Bauka's name is not mentioned therein. On the whole, therefory, I am inclined to think that Banka was the earlier prince and that the date of the inscription is Samvat 894 or 837 A.D. as read by Professor Bhandarkar.
The historical importance of the inscription is very great. It gives us a line of chiefs extending over twelve generations. Taking twenty-five years as average for each generation the total reign-period of the dynasty would be about 300 years,
As the dates of Kakkuks and Bauka, representing the twelfth generation of kings, are respectively 861 and 837 A. D., Harichandra, the founder of the dynasty may be placed at about 550 A. 1). The Imperial Pratihara dynasty, however, cannot be traced back beyond the beginning of the eighth century A. D.. So far, therefore, as the available evidence goes, Harichandra must be looked upon as the earliest Pratihåra chief. The verse 5 of our inscrip
1J.R. 4. 8. 1894, p. 9. * Progress Report Arch. Suro. W. Oirele, 1906-07, p. 80.
• Dr. Hoernle remarks: The two half-brother Kakkuks and Banks formed the twelfth generation of the Parihar dynasty. This fact, et the usual rate of twenty years for reigo, will place Harichand, the founder of the dynasty, at about 840 A, D." (J. R. 4. 8. 1906, p. 28). Dr. Hoerple here overlooks the difference between reise and generation. A consideration of the duration of the well known bistorical dynasties would show that the arenge duration of generation may be fairly taken to be at least 25 years. Thus
(1) Eight gonerations of Pala klage from Dharmapila to Mabipila I ruled for considerably more than 200
years. (11) Soven generations of Chilukya kings from Kirttivarman I to Kirttivarman II ruled for more than
180 years. (ii) Nino generations of Rishtakuta kings from Dantidurga to Indranija IV ruled for more than 229
years. (iv) Nine generations of Pratibara bingo from Vatparija to Trilochadepåla ruled for more than 944
years.
These gire 27, 26, 26, and 37 your respectively for the arengo duration of a generation. • J. Bo. Br. R. 4. S. Yol. XXI, p. 491.
