Epigraphia Indica Vol 25

Author(s): Sten Konow, F W Thomas
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 20

No. 2.) RAMTEK STONE INSCRIPTION OF THE TIME OF RAMACHANDRA.
No. 2.-RAMTEK STONE INSCRIPTION OF THE TIME OF RAMACHANDRA.
By Prof. V. V. MIRASHI, M.A., AND L. R. KULKARNI, M.A., NAGPUR. Rämtök is the head-quarters of a tahsil of the same name in the Nägpur District of tbe Central Provinces. It is situated 28 miles North by East of Nagpur and derives its name from the temple of Rāma on a hill close to the town. The place is regarded as very holy on account of a number of temples and tirthas on the hill and in its vicinity. A fair is held in the month of Kärttika, which attracts thousands of people from even far-off places. The sanctity of the place can be traced back to the fourth century A.D. at least ; for the Riddhapur plates, which were issued from the foot-prints of the Lord of Ramagiri (modern Rämtēk), record & grant of the Vākāțaka dowager queen Prabhāvatiguptă on the twelfth tithi of the bright fortnight of Kārttika. Kalidasa also mentions in his Mēghaduta that the hill was marked with the foot prints of Rāmal. These references indicate that the shrine at Rämagiri at first contained only the foot-prints of Rama. Later on the images of Rāma and Sītā appear to have been installed there and another temple dedicated to Lakshmana was built. This is probably the reason why the temple of Lakshmaņa is at present situated in front of that of Rama and Sitä. The present images of these deities are said to have been found in the Dudhālā tank at Rämtëk and were substituted some years ago for the earlier ones which had been mutilated. These temples are surrounded by a number of smaller shrines. They are situated in the innermost of three enclosures on the hill and none but caste Hindus get acoess to them.
The present inscription is incised on a large slab let into the wall on the right hand side of the door of the garbhagriha in the temple of Lakshmana. It was first referred to by General Cunningham's Assistant Beglar, who visited Rāmtēk in 1873-74. He was not admitted to the innermost court-yard of the temple, but he got the inscription copied by his Hindu servant and noticed in it the name of Ramadēva. He could not, however, offer any conjecture about the identification of this Rāmadēva. Subsequently from a faint rubbing of it supplied by Dr. Fleet, Prof. Kielhorn first noticed in it the names of Simhana and Ramachandra whom he identified with the homonymous princes of the Raipur branch of the Haihaya dynasty mentioned in the Khalāri and Raipur stone inscriptions. In 1904-05 Mr. Cousens visited the place, but he too was not admitted inside and was therefore unable to give any account of the contents of the inscription. Finally Rai Bahadur Hiralal briefly noticed the inscription in his Inscriptions in the C. P. and Berars and identified many of the tirthas mentioned in it in an informative article en titled 'A visit to Rāmţek', published in the Indian Antiquary, Vol. XXXVII, PP. 292-08. Though referred to or noticed several times the inscription has remained unedited so far. In the absence of a reliable edition it has given rise to some misconceptions about its historical contenta. We have, therefore, edited it here from the original stone which we could examine several times during our visits to Rämtēk:
. I trufafrentaraxaraqur J.P. A. 8. B., Vol. XX, p. 58.
i pa: get tyafetue feat Heat (Verse 12.) . Ind. Ant., Vol. XXXVII (1908), pp. 207 ff. • Cunningham's 4. 8. R., Vol. VII, p. 112. . This cours in lines 54 and 61 but there it denotes the deity Räms. . Above, Vol. II. p. 230. * P. R. A. 8., Western Circle, for 1904-05, p. 41, para. 125. • Mirt Edition (1918), pp. 3. f.; Second Edition (1989), p. 3