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286
Digbhanja II (F. J.)
Šilhañja II (F. J.)
Satrabbanija II
(A. B. C. L. N. P.)
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
Ranabbañja II
(A. B. L. P.) Solagabballja (M)
Darjayabhaja (M)
Virabhadra (Ganadaṇḍa) (D. E. A. O.) Koṭṭabhañja or Silabhañja I (D. E. 0.) (H. I.)
T
Digbbaja I or Satrubhalija I (D. 0.)
T (G. H. I.)
Ranabhañja I
(D. E. F. G. H. I. J. O.)
I
Vidyadha [ra"]bhañjadeva or Rayabhañja I Vidyadharabhañja Amoghakalasa)
(F. J.)
Nětribhanja (Kalyāpakalasa) (G. H. I.)
Devabhanja (K)
(K)
Virabhañja (K) Rayabhanja II (K) Yasabhanja (K)
Rajabhañja (E.)
[VOL. XVIII.
Prithvibhanja
(0.)
Narendrabhanja (0.)
Kanakabhañja (M)
NOTE:-Letters in the brackets refer to the charters as named in this article and the postscript. Ganadanda appears to have been the title of the original ancestor, which is found in some records in a corrupted form as Gandhata.
In the Bamanghati charters (D. E.) which appear to be the oldest, it is stated that the original ancestor of the Bhanja family was one Virabhadra, who was reared up by Vasishthamuni. From him was descended in the main line king Koṭṭabhanja whose graudson was Ranabhanja; this seems to imply that there were several other branches, the senior being the one in which Ranabhanja I was born. As the saying goes, two swords cannot remain in a single scabbard, the junior members of the family had apparently no alternative but to ttle elsewhere, either as subordinate or independent rulers. It appears that the senior branch continued to observe the Orissa practice of repeating the names of its ancestors, while the junior ones adopted a different scheme. Thus in the main branch with 8 kings, there is only one whose name is not repeated, while in the second there is only a single name out of 6, which has been repeated. In the main line there were 2 Śilabhañjas, 2 Digbbañjas, 2 Satrubhañjas, and 2 Ranabhañjas, although in one case the first Digbhanja was apparently identical with the first Satrubhanja. In the junior branch there were only 2 Rayabhañjas. In the main line the word Bhanja forms an integral part of the proper name, without which the latter would be ridiculous. In the junior line this is not the case as its elision would still give an appropriate connotation. For instance, it would be extremely uncomplimentary to name one's