________________
No. 21.)
PORSHOTTAMPURI PLATES OF RAMACHANDRA: SAKA 1232.
205
Kalacburis of Ratanpur which can be referred to that age, viz., the Pēndrābandh plates of Pratāpamalla', is dated K. 965 (A. D. 1214), i.e., more than thirty years before the accession of Kșishna.
The present inscription mentions only one exploit of Mahădēva, the younger brother and successor of Krishna, viz., his destruction of Soma. The latter is evidently Somēśvara of the Silāhāra dynasty, the ruler of North Konkan, two records of whose reign have recently been edited in this journal. Mahādēva seems to have continued the hostilities which were begun by his predecessor Krishna; for the aforementioned Tāsgaon plates intimate a victory over a king of Könkana won by Chandradēva, a feudatory of Kțishna. The description in verse 10 of the present record suggests that Sõmēsvara was killed in a naval engagement with the fleet of Mahādēva.
Mahādēva's son and successor was Amaņa to whose glorification the present inscription devotes two verses. They are, however, altogether devoid of historical interest. Verse 13, of which the latter part was already known from the Paithan plates, states that Rama (i.e., Ramachandra), the son of Kșishņa, having occupied the fort of Dēvagiri, forcibly wrested the kingdom from Amana. The next verse gives an interesting description of the ruse which Ramachandra adopted to obtain possession of the impregnable fort. He entered it with a purty of dancers who were his soldiers in disguise. When admitted inside, he rallied his foot-soldiers and attacked his antagonista apparently while they were engaged in seeing the dance. The dancers also, throwing off their ornaments (i.e., disguise), joined in the fight. Rāmachandra seems to have won an easy victory as his enemy was taken unawares. The Lālācharitra, a work of the Mahanubhāva sect from which some extracts of historical importance have recently been published, gives a graphic account of the confusion caused by this sudden attack. Chakradhara, the founder of the sect, was then Bojourning at the village Sayitā (v. l. Sēvată) near Dēvagiri. Seeing that the people were panicstricken and some carts carrying wounded persons were passing through the village, Chakradhara sent his disciple Indrabhatta to inquire what had happened. He confirmed what Chakradhara had already come to know by intuition that a revolution had taken place at Dēvagiri, that Rāmadēva had deposed Amanadēva and himself occupied his throne, that Narasimhadēva (who seems to be Amaņadēva's general or minister) had fled away and that Ramadēva had put out the eyes of Amaņadēva. As this account occurs in the Lilācharitra, which is a biography of Chakradhara, written by his disciple Mahindrabhatta, we may take it as trustworthy. The Ratnamālāstotra of Kēšava Vyāsa, another disciple of Chakradhara, furnishes the further detail that the aforementioned incident took place in the evening. The Smritisthala of Parasarāma Vyāsa, who
1 Above, Vol. XXIII, pp. 1 ff.
Ibid., pp. 278 ff.
See above, p. 204, n. 4. . He is called Ammana in the present plates and Amana in the Paithan plates.
* These extracts were first published by Mr. Y. K. Deshpande in his Mahanubhaviya Marathi Vanmaya (1926), pp. 16 ff. and their historical importance was brought to the notioe of scholars by Mr. Y. R. Gupte in his article in the Journal of Indian History, Vol. V, pp. 198 ff..
The place-name is given as Sabhichchha in a Sanskrit verse cited below. It is possible to fix the exact location of this place. According to the Lisacharitra, Chakradhara's itinerary was as follows :-Pimpalvādi (about 30 miles south by cast of Devagiri and 5 miles north of Paithan), Bhöganärāyana, Bābhulgion (12 miles south of Devagiri), Savita, and Jõgēsvart (6 miles south of Devagiri). So Savita was situated between Babhulgaon and Jogēsvarl. It seems to have occupied the same position as modern Waluj, about 8 miles south of Dēvagiri. It lies on the Dövagiri-Paithan road. It seems therefore that the wounded persons were being taken to Paithan.
* See Tatah Sabhichchhath samupētya sayan viprah prayuban parigrihya tailam | samägatan granua-janairitän tän paprachchha rajy-antara-jala-variam cited in the Appendix to the Lisacharitra, Part IV, edited by Mr. H. N. Nene.
