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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[VOL. XXI.
padbhyann Südro-bhijāyata. In it was born Prolaya-Vēma who constructed the flight of steps leading to Srisaila and made all the gifts enumerated by Hēmädri (v.4). He performed various meritorious deeds and defeated several hostile Kings (vv. 5 to 8). To him were born two valorous Bons namely Anna-yota and Anna-Vēma (v. 9). Anna-Võta, the elder, is said to have exhibited great prowess on the battlefield and to have ruled the Andhra country extending from the eastern portion of Srinaga (i.e., Srisaila) to the eastern ocean (vv. 10 and 11). The Telugu work Vishnu-purānam tells us that this Annavõta defeated a chief called Rāvutu Käta near the river Kfishnavēņi before the very eyes of god Amarēsvara. The work also says that king Pota had some literary works written by poets of the Vennalaganti family and got them dedicated to him. Sūrana, the author of this Telugu work belonged to this family. AnnaVöta's younger brother Anna-Vēma who was a great warrior ruled over his father's kingdom after the death of his elder brother (vv. 12 to 15). The genealogy of the donee is then given. In the götra of Härita there was a pious Brāhman named Nrisimha who was a lion to the elephants, viz., the disputants (v. 16). His son was Bhimēsvara-Somayajin who had performed many Vedic sacrifices (v. 17). His son was Potibhatta ; to him was born Gundayāryys whose son was Peddi-Vidvăn, the crest jewel among astronomers (v. 18). To this PeddiVidvan king Anna-Vēma granted, on the date specified, the village Pachchani-Tämdiparru (v. 19). Then follows a description of the boundaries of the village (II. 47 to 73). After three imprecatory verses, the concluding verse of the grant tells us that this edict was composed by Bala-Sarasvati, the court poet of Anna-Vēma. The inscription ends with the king's signature Pallava-Triņētra.
The details of the date recorded in the inscription are the Saka year counted by rasa (6), ratna (9) and Bhāskara (12), i.e., 1296, Nabhasya (Bhadrapada), full moon, Tuesday, lunar eclipse. According to Swamikannu Pillai's Indian Ephemeris, the English equivalent of this date is A.D. 1374 August 22, Tuesday, when there was a lunar eclipse.
The grant under publication does not say anything new about the donor king Anna-Vēma. The donee Peddi-Vidvăn seems to have been a great scholar in astronomy. He seems to have been patronised by the kings of the Reddi family even after Anna-Vêms for we learn from two copper-plate grants of Pedda-Kömati-Vēma that this Peddi was the recipient of the village Kalvavámulu in Saka 1329 and of Nandamuru in Saka 1333. In both these records he is des cribed as having mastered the quintessence of Siddhāntas like those of Brahmi and Särya.. One of them says that he had knowledge of the present, past and future on account of his learning in Jyautisha-tāstra.
Nothing is known from other sources about Bālasarasvati who composed the record and who calls himself a poet of the court of Anna-Vēma. It may be pated, however, that he was the author of another inscription of the same king at Srisailam Another poet in this king's court, viz., Trilochanacharya is already known to us. He composed the Vānapalli copper-plate inscription of this king.
с PINAPADU GRANT OF KOMATI-VEMA. This is the last of a set of copper-plates whose other plates are lost. It measures 12 in length and 54' in breadth, and weighs 47 tolas. In the middle of its proper right margin there is a hole for passing a ring through. It bears writing only on one side. Though it is a little damaged the writing is in good state of preservation. It was secured in the year 1920 from Mr.
• 4. R. on South Indian Epigraphy 1919-20, Nos. 13 and 14. I fee 4. R. on South Indian Epigraphy for 1916, Part II, para. 69. Aboro, Vol. II, pp. 60 4.
