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[VOL. XXI.
year Vikarin which began on 23rd February A.D. 939. In all probability, therefore, Krishna succeeded his father after this date. Thus the initial year of the reign of Krishna III would fall between 23rd February and 23rd December A.D. 939.
Now let us ascertain the last date of Krishna. Our inscription tells us that Khotțiga was holding the reins of government on 17th February A.D. 967, after Krishna's death. Consequently, the latter ruler must have died before this date. And the latest date that we now have for Krishna is 6th March A.D. 965'. Several inscriptions in the Tamil country are dated in the 28th year of his reign and thus prove that his rule lasted for not less than 28 years. Since, as shown above, he ascended the throne after 23rd February A.D. 939 he must have occupied the throne till some time after 23rd February A.D. 966, when his 28th year began. The wording of the present record, viz., परलोकं गते तस्मिनाम्ना कृष्णनृपे निधौ राज्ये खोहिगदेवस्य (II. 4-5 ) would indicate that Krishna's death had occurred not long before the date cited in it (i.e., A.D. 967 February 17). This surmise is further strengthened by the fact that another record of Khoṭṭiga which is later by 4 years does not contain any reference to Krishna's death, because it was by that time an event which had taken place long ago. The passage in it which introduces the king runs as: uraufa afa fi ufa aff. We may, therefore, conclude that Krishna III ruled from A.D. 939 to 966-67. From what has been said above, it also becomes clear that the last year of Krishna's reign was the 28th year."
Gadadhara who installed the images mentioned above appears to have been an ascetic of great repute as can be seen from the high praise bestowed upon him in the record. As stated above, the realm of god Karttikeya was under his administrative charge. In another inscription of Kolagallu of A. D. 964, this tract of territory is called Kärttikäya-tapovana and we are told that he had full control over it and that he was ruling it from Kolgallu. We learn from an inscription at Kuḍatini that this person set up in that village an image of Skanda. It thus appears that he was an ardent devotee of this god. We do not know when this celebrity came from Varēndri to the Kanarese country but this much is clear that he rose to this eminence on account of his learning and other qualities. It is possible, however, that Krishna III met and brought him to the south during the second northern expedition which, as I have shown elsewhere, took place in A.D. 963-64.
All that we know about Madhusudana, the author of this inscription, is that he was the son of Atibala and grandson of Risht, that he was a dvija of the Karmara-kula and that his ancestors emigrated from Tarkari. As the preserved portion of the last verse of the Kuḍatini epigraph, referred to above, is an exact copy of the 22nd verse of our record, the former also appears to have been composed by this same Madhusudana. I am not able to identify him with any of the poets of this name who flourished in this period.
Of the geographical names occurring in the inscription, Varendr! "is identified with that part of Bengal which is now called Rajashāhi". As to Tarkari, there seem to be a number of places of this name but the Tarkari of the present inscription is, I think, the famous
1 Bombay-Karnatak Collection No. 113 of 1929-30.
See, for instance, Madras Epigraphical Collection Nos. 364 of 1902, 125 of 1906 and 159 of 1921. Same collection No. 44 of 1904.
The date of the Kilür record which has been wrongly read as the [3]0th year (Madras Epigraphical Colleotion No. 232 of 1902) was after re-examination found to be the 20th year.
Madras Epigraphical Report, 1914, Pt. II, para. 36; No. 234 of 1913.
• Madras Epigraphical Collection No. 44 of 1904.
Abovo, Vol. XIX, p. 289.
Above, Vol. I, page 305 f. n. 2. See Ind. Ant., Vol. LX, pp. 16-17.
