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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[VOL. XXVI
(V. 21) Consigning the yoke of the government to him who, being a treasure of merits, had been brought over from the Talahari-mandala and who killed hostile kings with the strokes of the Bword grasped in his hand, the king Prithvidēva (II), the lord of the famous Kösala country, obtained great mental happiness.
(V. 22) [Seeing that) on the orb of the earth .... is like dew-drops on (the petal of) a lotus ..........shaken by the wind, that wealth is of unsteady duration resembling mostly the flashes [of lightning) and that men's youth imitates (in fickleness) the shining of the fire-fly, he who had acquired abundant wealth [by valour] exerted himself for piety.
(V. 23) In this Mallala which renders the circle of regions fragrant with abundant [fullgrown] lotuses, he constructed a temple of Dhūrjati (Siva) (distinguished) by these banners set in motion by wind, which remove the perspiration, caused by fatigue, of the horses of the sun.
(V. 24) [And he constructed) a tank, which appears bea utiful with clusters of full-blown lotuses, the rows of the waves of which are broken by the protruding breasts of town ladies, and which in crowded on all sides with multitudes of swans sporting in water. ...........
(V. 25) The religious merit of this temple, the splendour of which is beautiful like that of the moon's rays and kunda flowers, he assigned to the king Pțithvidēva (II) of pious nature.
(V. 26) He....... constructed ten large and beautiful temples of Tryambaka (Siva), [bright] like moon-light, full-blown night-lotuses, kunda flowers and the mountain of crystals (i.e., Kailāsa).
(V. 27) At this very place he [constructed] two lotus-pools which delighted the ears of travellers with the sweet humming (of bees) .....in water.
(V. 28) He erected at the famous Varēlāpura, a temple of Srikantha (Siva), white like the lustre of the moon, and covered with flags fluttering in the wind; having received habitation in which, the god (Siva), the lord of Ambikā, has given up completely his longing for living on Kailāsa ......
(V. 29) By him there were built at Ratnapura nine cloud-kissing excellent temples of (Parvati) the daughter of the Himalaya, (which are) white like night-lotuses, the moon, kunda flowers, Bnow, pearl-necklaces and lavali (flowers and) the flags of which flutter in the wind.
(V. 30) He made here a large and beautiful well, with wonderful steps, the waves of which were stirred by the plump breasts of town ladies sporting (in its water).
(V. 31) In the northern and southern directions of Ratnapura he made two beautiful tanks which are rendered noisy by the buzzing of the swarms of bees humming on clusters of full-blown lotuses and the banks of which are crowded with numerous swans sporting (in their water).
(V. 32) At the village named Gothālī he made a pleasant tank which is occupied by crowds of fishes as heaven is by gods.
(V. 33) He constructed at Nārāyanapura a temple of Dhūrjați (Siva), white like the moon, which with ita flags scrapes the sky.
(V. 34) He made * tank near the village Bamhaņi, which, like the story of the Bharata is .. .
The wording of verse 28 may be taken to signify that the inscription originally came from Malláln, but notice similar wording in V. 30.
There is a play on the expression a-nimisha-dpis (lit., having unwinking eyes). It signifies (1) fishes and ti) gode.
• The verse apparently containnd an expression which by means of double entendre described both the tank and the story of the Mahabharata,
