________________
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[VOL. XXVIII The epigraph commences with the prasasti of the Western Chālukya family and introduces the king Katti-arasa as the favourite son of Ranavikrama Dharmamahārāja. At the request of Vyāghrasvåmin, the king made a gift of land to & learned Brāhmana by name Krishnasvamin in the 12th year of his reign.
Katti-arasa is a new name in the genealogy of the Western Chalukya house. But there seems to be little difficulty in regard to his identification with Kirtivarman I. For he was the son of Ranavikrama, i.e., Pulakökin I. Kirtivarman is similarly referred to by his other names or titles, such as Kirtirāja', Pururaņaparåkrama and Srivikrama."
The charter is dated the full moon day in the month of Kärttika of the 12th year of the king's reign. The Bädämi Vaishnava cave inscription of Kirtivarman I mentions all the details of the above date with the addition of the Saka year 500.• So taking this clue from the latter record we may assign the date of the present record as A.D. 578.
The title Dharmamahārāja applied to Raņavikrama or Pulakēsin I in this record is significant. This is the first and the only record so far discovered, wherein a Western Chalukya king is given this epithet. The title with its variants, such as Dharmaraja, Dharmamahadhirāja and Dharmamahārājādhiraja, was borne by many rulers of the Western Ganga, Kadamba and Pallava dynasties of South India. The Kadambas were the last to exhibit this title which is found even in the records of the last rulers of the house, viz., Harivarman and Krishnavarman II. The Western Chalukyas who succeeded the Kadambas to the sovereignty of Karnataka appear to have adopted in the beginning the larger portion of the Kadamba prasasti including this title. The Kadamba prasasti which was concise, expanded after its adoption by the Chalukyas. The form of the Chālukya prasasti appears to have been in a fluid state until the time of Pulakasin II, in whose reign it was regularised by giving a fixed form. It is no wonder therefore that the Chalukya prasasti of the
The following instances soom to bear affinity with this name: (i) Mahasamanta Katyera of the Chalukya family. 8. 1. 1., Vol. IX, pt. 1, No. 64. (ii) Kattiyara of the Chalukya lineage in the Didgur inscription, abovo, Vol. VI, p. 263. (iii) Kattiyaradova probably identical with Kirtivarman I or II of the Western Chalukya family: above, Vol. V. p. 20. (iv) Kattiraju in un archio Telugu record, A. R. No. 629 of 1913. (v) Kattirája, 8. 1. I., Vol. IV, No. 798.
* Ind. Ant., Vol. XIX, p. 17. • Bomb. Gaz., Vol. I, pt. II, p. 345.
Ind. Ant., Vol. XIX, p. 14. Above, Vol. XXVII, p. 37. • Ind. Ant., Vol., X, p. 67. * Above, Vol. XXIV, pp. 139-40.
• The title Dharmaraja is met with in one of the three copper plate records of Harivarman, viz., the Sangoli plates which give himn the latest regnal year, above, Vol. XIV, p. 166. Krishnavarman II is associated with the title Dharmamaharaja in three out of four copper plate records of his, so far discovered. In the remaining one, vie., the Bannahalli rooord, the same title is applied to his great grandfather Krishnavarman I, abovo, Vol. VI, p. 18.
The original expression in the Kadamba records was only Svami-Mahdiena-Mafrigan-anudhyal-abhishik. landm; and it assumed the expanded form in the Chalukys records as Sapta-Loleamatpibhih Sapla-Mafribhir-abhiwrdhitändnis Karttikėya-parirakashana-pråpla-kalyana-paramparandrit.
1. That the Chalukya prasasti had not attained fixed form in the beginning, is illustrated by the following instances. The Badami Vaishnava cave inscription of Kirtivarman I and the Nerur copper plate record of Mangalia contain the simple expressions, Svami-padanudhyâtânăr and Svāmi-Mahasena-padanudhyātānām. (Ind. Ant., Vol. X, p. 50 and Vol. VII, p. 161.) The Sätará grant of Vishịuvardhana I bears in addition the following uncommon opitbots; Matriganaprasida parirakshita-bhujargalanan Kahirodadhi-bayana-supe-outhita-prasdda. perilahdhu-Varaha-lanchhananath. (Ibid., Vol. XIX, p. 309.) The enlarged Chalukya prakaali is, met with for the first time in the Hyderabad grant and Kopparam plates of Palakekin II. (Ibid., Vol. VII, p. 72 and above, Vol. XVIII, p. 257.) Even in these records we may note the following variations in the standard form of one of its Components, Kartlikėyunuyraha-parirakahara-pripla and Kartikeya-paripalan-adhigala.
