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258
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
We know from several records1 that
Kāmārṇava, the son of Anantavarman-Chōḍaganga. Chōdaganga invaded the Kalachuri kingdom and suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Ratnadēva II, the father of Prithvidēva II. But that Jaṭesvara also attempted a similar invasion which met with the same fate is not so well known. The defeat of Jatesvara is mentioned in one other record only, viz., in the Kharod stone inscription of Ratnadēva III. Unfortunately the verse in that record which describes this event is partly mutilated, but my personal examination of the record in situ has yielded the further details that Jatesvara was made captive by Prithvidēva II. Verse 17 of the present record which describes Brahmadeva as well known for imprisoning a mighty foe may refer to the same event. Brahmadeva afterwards became Prithvidēva's trusted minister and was entrusted with the government of the whole kingdom.
[VOL. XXVI
As for the localities mentioned in the present inscription, Mallala is evidently modern Mallar, 16 miles south-east of Bilaspur. Varēlāpura or Barēlāpura is Barēla, 10 miles south of Ratanpur. Nārāyaṇapura and Bamhani still retain their old names; the former is situated on the Mahanadi in the Raipur District, while the latter is 4 miles north by east of Akaltara. Rai Bahadur Hiralal identified Kumarakōta with Kotgaḍh', but from some other records" the old name of the latter appears to have been Vikarṇapura. Gōthali, Charauya and Tējallapura cannot now be traced, but the last of these may have been situated not very far from Sheorinārāyan, for it seems to have been founded by Tejalladeva, a Kalachuri prince of a collateral branch, who is mentioned in an inscription at Sheorinārāyan. Finally, Talahari-mandala is probably identical with the ancient Taraḍamsaka-bhoga mentioned in the Mallar plates of Maha-Sivagupta. It is highly glorified in the present inscription probably because Mallar and other places where Brahmadeva constructed his religious and charitable works were included in it. It seems thus to have comprised the southern portions of the Bilaspur and Janjir tahsils and the northern portion of the Raipur District.
TEXTR
[Metres Vv. 1, 4-6, 11-17, 19, 21, 22, 28, 31, 37, 38, 40 and 45, Sardulavikriḍita; vv. 2, 3, 9 and 20 Sragdhara; vv. 7 and 26 Mälini; vv. 8, 10, 18, 24, 29 and 43 Vasantatilaka; v. 23 Mandäkräntä; vv. 25, 27, 32-36 and 39 Anushṭubh; v. 30 Giti; vv. 41, 42 and 44 Arya.] 1 [सिद्धिः"] ओं नमः शिवाय ॥ यथामी [करकु* ]म्भसन्निभकुचद्वंद्दस्य रत्युत्सव क्रोडानेह शैलराजदुहितुर्व्वकारविन्दस्य च 1 नि:प (निष्प) र्यायदिदृक्षयेव नेत्रत्रयं स श्रेयांसि समातनोतु भवतामन्दुचूडा
भगवान्धत्ते
4.
1 See, e.g., above, Vol. I, p. 40 and p. 47; Vol. XXI, p. 163 and Vol. XXIII, p. Above, Vol. XXI, p. 163.
I read the last quarter of verse 9 of this record as kärägara-niväsi-va(ba)ndishu
pital.
Above, Vol. XXXIII, p. 120.
• From the original stone in the Central Museum, Nagpur, and inked estampages, Expressed by a symbol,
ER
- dharam(?) pra
See his Inscriptions in C. P. and Berar (second ed.), p. 127. The name of the place is not Kōṭapattana as stated by Hiralal, but Kumarakōṭapattana.
A stone inscription which was originally found at Kotgaḍh and is now at Akaltara (Bhandarkar's List, No. 1585) records the construction of a tank and a temple of Revanta by Vallabharaja, another feudatory of Ratnadēva II and Prithvidēva II. Another stone inscription of the same feudatory found at Ratanpur, while enumerating the benefactions of Vallabharaja, mentions the same tank and temple of Revanta as situated at Vikarnapura. This shows that Vikarnapura was the ancient name of Kotgaḍh. Is Kumarakōta identical with Dhangaon See above, p. 256, n. 3.
Bhandarkar's List, No. 1242.
