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No. 28.] THREE INSCRIPTIONS OF VAIDUMBA-MAHARAJA GANDATRINETRA.
183
the lord of the fourteen worlds, who wears on the forehead the crescent, who is the cause of existence, creation and destruction and who resides on the summit of the hill Mahendra,--he a moon in the sky--namely the spotless race of the Gangas, possessing overlordship of the whole of the Kalinga territory by the strength of his arms, endeared to all his vassals by the excellence of his threefold power, a great devotee of Maheśvara (Siva) and meditator upon the feet of his father and mother, being well duly advises from the victorious residence of Svētaka, the existing administrative officers together with the accountant, the Dandanayaka and the like, the inhabiting people of the locality, the officials of the rank of Chata, Bhata and Vallabha-at the village of Salachanika in the vishaya or district of Hemvakamaṭamva :
(Ll. 14-24) "Be it known to you that this piece of land is given along with the offering of water to Vinayakasarman and ... sarman of the Vajasaneya charana, Parasara götra and SaktiVasishtha-Kanva pravara1 to continue as long as the sun and the moon exist for the increase of merit of mother, father and self. (It is bounded) on the east by an ant-hill, which is in the shape of a quiver, on the south-east by the tank, on the south by the forest, on the west by the tank called Kōsaṁva and on the north by the tank named Udaya. Thus on all sides it is marked by fixed and clear boundaries. No body should be opposed (to this grant). Thus it is said in the religious scriptures":
(Ll. 25-28) Here follow the two verses.
(L. 29) Gift of four murajas.
Incised by the illustrious Akshasalin3 Padmachandra; on the 3rd day of the bright half of Phalguna of Samvat 4.
No. 26.-THREE INSCRIPTIONS OF VAIDUMBA-MAHARAJA GANDATRINETRA.
By R. S. PANCHAMUKHI, M.A., MADRAS.
The three subjoined inscriptions which are edited here for the first time were copied by the Office of the Assistant Archeological Superintendent for Epigraphy, Madras, in 1905, 1906 and 1922 respectively and are noticed in the Annual Reports on South Indian Epigraphy for the respective years. They are called in the sequel A, B and C for the sake of convenience.
A.
The record is engraved on a slab set up in a field west of the village Basinikonda near Madanapalle. The alphabet is Telugu-Kannada of the 9th century A.D. and resembles the script of the Bana and Chola records of the period secured in the Punganur and Cuddapah regions. The language is ancient Kannada.
The inscription records the death of a hero named Kare Punnaņi-māņi in a fight with Nolambi, Dadiga, Rachamalla, Mayindadi and Gundige-gu[la] who had mustered their forces on the occasion of a raid on the fort of Söremați made by Mahārāja (i.e., Gandatrinētra) and
[See above p. 181, n. 2.-Ed.]
[See above p. 182, n. 8.-Ed.]
As regards akshasalin, we find in Kautilya's Arthasüstra a chapter called " Akshasäläyam Suvarnadhyakshak". The Commentator interprets "akshasalayam" as "suvarna-rupy-adi-nirmana-bäläyäm." [The commentary quoted by R. Shamasastry in his translation of Kautilya's Arthabastra (2nd ed., p. 97) runs as follows: Akshatal Eti suvara-adi-parikarm-ävasthanasya samjua, i.e., " Akshaśālā is a name of the chamber in which the artistic work of gold and other metals is carried out."-Ed.] So the term akshasalin here seems to mean one who is in charge of the goldsmith's office'. [See also above, Vol. XXIII, p. 76.-Ed.]
Nos. 295 of 1905, 533 of 1906 and 314 of 1922 of the Madras Epigraphical Collection.
