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No. 46]
BARDULA PLATES OF MAHASIVAGUPTA: YEAR 9
287
(V. 31).--He made a lake at Ratnapura which is deep, contains many creatures, is clear, extremely beautiful and fit to be used by all people (and thus) resembles his heart (which is serene, very courageous, pure, very fine and fit to be resorted to by all people).
(V. 32).-This faultless and beautiful five-shrined' temple of Sambhu has been erected by him with a view to dispel the mass of darkness (i.e., ignorance) of the three worlds. Having made his abode here, even (Siva), the sole lord of the whole universe, does not, I fancy, think at all of Kailasa on account of the excellent offerings of worship (here).
(V. 33).-This five-shrined temple also of him (i.e., Sambhu) has been raised by him from water - the temple) which, by its forms, makes itself identical with Dvärakä on the earth.
(V. 34).-He himself, shining with valour, has raised this pleasure garden of the conqueror of Muru (Siva), in which beautiful bees disport themselves, which has hundreds of beautiful blossoming creepers, which contains various flowers and fruits, which resounds with the warbling of innumerable joyful birds and which has covered the space in the sky with rows of strange trees and creepers.
(V. 35). While the sun was in the mouth of Rāhu, Prithvidova (II) granted by a charter this village Saloni to the wise Purushottama.
(V. 36).- As long as the moon with its stain washed by the river flowing from the head of Siva is wakeful as long as the resplendent sun sanctifies the world with its rays, as long as the lord of serpents supports very firmly the orb of the earth on the top of his hoods--even so long may this glorious temple honoured in the three worlds last on this circle of the earth!
(V. 37).-The illustrious, clever and compassionate Käsala who is skilled in the sciences of arms, who has attained proficiency in numerous and varied arts, who is conversant with the science of elephants and that of medicine, who is a swan (sporting) among lotus-plants which are the entire poetic arts, who knows the three ratnas and whose intellect is well-known in (expounding) the multitude of the āgamas of Srighana (the Buddha) and others, has composed this prasasti.
(V. 38).-He (Purushottama) gave four plough-measures of land to gods and two ploughmeasures of land) to the learned Brāhmaṇa Vāsudēva.
The year 900, in the reign of the illustrious Prithvidēva.
No. 46-BARDULA PLATES OF MAHASIVAGUPTA : YEAR 9
(1 Plate)
P. B. DESAI, OOTACAMUND These copper plates were found buried underground some years back at Bārdülā, a village in the Sarangarh State, Central Provinces. They were traced and sent for examination to the Government Epigraphist for India by Pandit L. P. Pandeya, Secretary, Mahakosala Historical Society, Raigarh. As a member of the office of the Government Epigraphist for India, I had an opportunity of studying them critically. I am grateful to Mr. Pandeya for his kind permission to edit them here.
The temple is called pauchayatana, because the main structure was surrounded by four small shrines dedicated to Durgā, Ganapati, Sarasvati, etc.; cf. above, Vol. XXII, p. 130. For another such temple of a slightly earlier period see the Rewah stone inscription of Vapullaka, Haihayas of Tripuri, etc., p. 131.
* Lit. celestial.
* This verse is rather obscure. Perhaps the temple was surrounded by water on all sides and therefore resembled the city of Dvárakā. • According to the Mahabharata and the Purāpas, Muru dr Mura was killed not by Sive, but by Krishwa.
.e., at the time of a solar eclipse.
. As the author speaks in this verse of his knowledge of the Buddhist agamas, the three rainas may be the Buddha, Dharma and Sangbs.
