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No. 4.]
THE JURADA GRANT OF NETTABHANJADEVA.
17
and the Antirigam plates of Jayabhañjadēva. He undoubtedly comes of the Vaishṇava branch of the Bhañjas who were mostly lords of the Khiñjali- or Ubhaya-Khiñjali-mandala and issued the earlier grants from Dhritipura. A close study of the genealogy of the family would suggest that Nēttabhañja alias Kalyanakalaba of Nos. 1497 to 1499 of Bhandarkar's List, who was the son of Ranabbañja and grandson of Satrubhañja is identical with Nettabhañja I of our grant." Néttabhañja, son of Vidyadharabhañjadēva, the donor of the Dasa palla grant (called also Chakradharpur plates, see J. B. O. R. S., Vol. VI, p. 266) is styled Mahārāja and parama-vaishnava. The latter epithet might suggest a possible identity of Nettabhañja I of our plates (who calls himself, a parama-vaishnava but only a Mahamandalesvara) with Nettabhañja of Bhandarkar's List, No. 1502. But the title Mahārāja borne by the latter precludes this identity.
In attempting a satisfactory genealogy of the several kings of the family the chief factor to be borne in mind is that the various branches had a special lāñchhana or seal, viz., a lion in certain cases, a bull in others and a kalasa in still others. We may therefore tentatively look upon the kings of the present record as belonging to a junior branch on account of the absence of sovereign titles. The expression Matta-mayūra-turya, etc., occurring in the eulogy of the kings of our grant seems very strongly to connect the origin of the Mayūra-Bhañja family with this branch. I shall, under the circumstances, suggest the following tentative genealogy for the present and await future discoveries for its confirmation.
Maharaja Ranabhanja
Digbhaõjaděya
Silābhažjadēva
Maharaja Vidyadharabhaõjadēva alias Amoghakalasa or Ava[r]yakalasa (Bhandarkar's List, Nos. 1500
and 1501; Ep. Rep. for 1917-18, p. 136).
Ranaka Satrubhañja (Bhandarkar's List,
Nos. 1490 and 1491).
Ranaka Ranabhañja (same List, Nos. 1492
to 1495 and 2055.)
Maharaja Nēttabhañja alias Kalyanakalasa ; worshipper of Vishnu (same List, No. 1602).
Néttabhañja (same List, Nos. 1497 to 1499) (probably identical with Mahamandalesvara Netta.
bhañja I of this grant].
Ranabhañja Mahamandalesvara Nēţtabhañjadēva (donor of this
grant) m. Santosha-Madhavi
Rāyabbañja (Yuvarāja).
1 Above, Vol. XIX, pl. facing p. 44. : Vide Bhandarkar's List, Nos. 1490 to 1495 and 2055.
. He would appear to be a solitary devotee of Mahēsvara in this branch. It should be noted that his grants were issued from Vanjulvaka and not from Dhritipurs. The change in faith might have been caused by some unknown political causes which also must account for the shifting of his capital from the family city Dhritipura to Vanjulvaka. Similar change of faith from Saivism to Vaishnavism is suggested in the case of Jayabhañjadeva of the Antirigam plates (see above, Vol. XIX, p. 43, text, verse 3).
* See Annual Report on Epigraphy for 1917-18, p. 136, para. 12.
. With the materials at our disposal it is almost impossible to arrive at a definite conclusion about the genealogy and the chronological position of the different Bhañja families. See An. Bhand. Or. Res. Ins., Vol. XII, pp. 231 ff., R. D. Banerji, History of Orissa, Vol. I, pp. 161 ff, and Bbandarkar's Genealogical Lists in p. 379 of the List of Inscriptions of Northern India.-Ed.)
