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No. 35] RATANPUR STONE INSCRIPTION OF THE (KALACHURI] YEAR 915
257
The inscription is one of Brahmadēva, a feudatory prince of Prithvidēva II of the Kalachuri dynasty of Ratanpur. The object of it is to record the religious and charitable works of Brahmadēva at several places. It is dated in Samvat 915 (expressed in decimal figures only) of an unspecified era. This date must of course be referred to the Kalachuri era. The year, if expired, would correspond to A.D. 1163-64. This is the last known date for Prithvidēva II, for the next certain Kalachuri datel 919 belongs to the reign of his successor Jäjalladēva II.
The inscription opens with the customary obeisance to Siva, which is followed by three verses invoking the blessings of the deity. The next verse describes Šēsha, the lord of serpents. Verses 5-8 eulogise the Talahāri-mandala which is called an ornament of the earth. Then begins a description of the family of Brahmadēva who put up the present record. His father Prithvipāla is eulogised in verses 9 and 10 as a very valiant and famous personage. His son Brahmadēva was the foremost of the feudatories (māndalik-õgrani), evidently, of the Kalachuri king of Ratanpur (v. 11). The next nine verses (12-20) describe his valour, handsome form, learning and charity. The only point of historical interest mentioned in the extant portion is that he obtained a victory on Jațēsvara who is evidently identical with the homonymous son of Anantavarman-Chōdaganga. We are next told that Přithvidēva, the lord of Kösala, called him from the Talahäri-mandala and entrusting the government of his country to him obtained peace of mind (v. 21). This Prithvidēva is evidently the second prince of that name in the Kalachuri dynasty of Ratanpur.
The next eighteen verses (22-39) describe the benefactions of Brahmadēva. He constructed a temple of Dhürjati (Siva) at Mallala and excavated a tank evidently at the same place. The religious merit of the former he assigned to his lord Přithvidēva. Besides these, be built ten shrines of Tryambaka (Siva) and dug two lotus-ponds at some place the name of which is lost. At Varēlāpura he constructed a grand temple of Srikantha and at Ratnapura he built nine shrines of Parvati. At the latter place he excavated also a large step-well and two tanks, one on the north and the other on the south of the city. Several other religious and charitable works of Brahmadēva are next mentioned, viz., a tank at the village Göthāli, a temple of Dhūrjați at Nārāyaṇapura, tanks at Bamhaņi, Charauya and Tējallapura, a temple of Siva at Kumarāköta and a mango-grove as well as a charitable feeding-house evidently at the same place. Verse 39 records that he donated the village Löņākara to the god Sõmanātha who is probably identical with the deity installed in the temple at Kumarākõta.
The next two verses (40-41) are devoted to the description of Anantapāla of the Gauda lineage, who was a keeper of records, and his son Tribhuvanapāla who composed the present prasasti. Then are mentioned the scribe Kumārapāla and the engravers Dhanapati and Isvara (vv. 43-44). The prasasti closes with a verse expressing the hope that the kirtti (evidently the temple of Sömanātha at which the present prasasti was originally put up) may last for ever.
Brahmadēva, the chief of the Talahari-mandala was at first a feudatory of the Kalachuri king Prithvidēva II. He seems to have taken a leading part in the defeat of Jațēśvara alias
1 Hiralal read the date of the Amõdá plates of Jājalladēva II (above, Vol. XIX, pp. 209 ff.) as 912, but ht: reading of the third figure of it is probably incorrect in view of the date of the present inscription which belongs to the reign of his father Prithvideva II.
Kumārapāla belonged to the race of Sahasrarjuna from whom the Kalachuris also traced their descent. He is mentioned as the scribe in some other records also, viz., in the Ratanpur stone inscription of Prithvidēva II, dated V. 1207, (above, Vol. 1, pp. 45 ff.) and Mallar stone inscription of Jajalladeva II, dated K. 919 (ibid., Vol. I, pp. 39 ff., etc. He had also considerable poetic talent ; for he composed the Sheorinārāvan stone inscription of the reign of Jäjalladēva II, dated K. 919 (Bhandarkar's List of Inscriptions of Northern India, No. 1242) and the Kharod stone inscription of Ratnadēva III, dated K. 933 (above, Vol. XXI, pp. 159 11.).
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