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EPIGRAPHIC NOTES to struggle with the Palas is possibly indicated by the discovery of the Baghāurāl and Narayanpur inscriptions, dated respectively in the third and fourth regnal years of Mahīpāla I (circa 9881038 A.C.) in the same District. Verse 12 of the Bangarh plates of Mahīpāla I also says that he recovered his paternal dominions that had passed to usurpers. The temporary nature of Mahipāla's success against the Chandras in East Bengal is, however, demonstrated by the Kulkuri (regnal year 12) and Betkā or Päikpāsā (regnal year 23) inscriptions of Govindachandra who was probably the successor of Srichandra. He is no doubt the king Govindachandra of Vangāladēsa (originally the name of Chandradvipa, which was later applied to the extensive dominions of the Chandras in south-east Bengal), who came into conflict with the generals of Rājēndra-chōļa shortly before 1023 A.C. Another later member of the same family was Layahachandra or Ladahachandra.?
The designation Mahātantrādhyaksha occurs in the list of officials and subordinates to whom the king's order regarding the grant recorded on the Madanpur plate was addressed. Dr. Basak says, "The term Mahātantrādhyaksha undoubtedly refers to the highest priest in charge of the religious rites which were performed on the king's behalf in accordance with the injunctions of the trutis and the smritis." But the Tantrādhyaksha may be the same as the Tantrapāla of other inscriptions, who had apparently nothing to do with the office of the Tāntrika or priest. The Partabgarh inscriptions refer to a Tantra pāla-Mahāsāmanta-Dandanāyaka who served the Gurjara-Partīhāra emperor Mahendrapāla II. The official designation Tantrapati, literally the same as Tantrādhyaksha, is also known from the Rājatarangini (VIII, 2422) and Markha's Srikanthacharita (III, 50). Mankha says that his brother received the garland of the office of the Brihattantrapati' from king Sussala of Kashmir. Jõnarāja in his commentary on the above verse explains Brihattantrapati as Dharmādhikārin, i.e., 'a judge'. It may be mentioned in this connection that the Tantrins, so often mentioned in the Rājatarangini, lo were also absolutely unconnected with tāntrika or priestly rites and represented a military tribe or tribal caste. Dr. Basak's interpretation of the designation Mahatantrādhyaksha therefore appears to be doubtful.
The few lost aksharas at the beginning of line 21 of the Madanpur plate may be restored as gandao. The area of land granted by the charter thus seems to be gand-asht-adhik-ashta-drona, i.e., eight dronas (dronavāpas) and eight gandās.
4. Kulkuri and Betka Inscriptions of Govindachandra The above inscriptions have been edited by the late Dr. N. K. Bhattasali in this journal, Vol. XXVII, pp. 24 ff., and Plates. The author quotes only partially my views on both the inscriptions published in the Bengali journal Bhāratavarsha and is totally silent about my articles in English on the former epigraph in the Journal of the Assam Research Society, Vol. X, 1943, pp. 63 ff., and on the latter in the Indian Culture, Vol. VII, 1941, pp. 405 ff. It is gratifying to me
1 Bhandarkar's List, No. 1624. * Ind. Cult., Vol. IX, pp. 121-25. Above, Vol. XIV, pp. 328 ff. Ibid., Vol. XXVII, pp. 24 ff. Ind. Cult., Vol. VII, pp. 26 ff. See above, Vol. IX, pp. 229-33.
Bhandarkar's List, No. 1519. The correct form of this king's name sooms to be Ladahachaudra and, considering the peculiarity of the name, he may be taken to be none other than the homonymous poot known from the Sanskrit anthologies (see Kieth, A History of Sanskrit Literature, p. 204).
Above, Vol. XIV, pp. 176-88.
See Stein, Raj. tar. (translation), Vol. II, p. 188. 10 Ibid., note on Chapter V, verso 248.
11 See 1.H.Q., Vol. XXVI, pp. 309 ff. 52 DGA/55
