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No. 32] NANDURU PLATES OF VELANANTI RAJENDRA-CHODA : SAĶA 1091 235
District, lying within a distance of two miles from Madanapalli. In the numerous inscriptions found at Nidubrölu, Drākshārāma and other places, Velanänti Gonkarāja II is statel to have vanquished the lords of Marāta, Lāta, Karnāta, Kuntala, Andhra, Kataka and Trikalinga, and acquired the rulership of the Andhra country with the insignia of a paramount sovereign (sāmrājya-chihnaik) and enjoyed it. A Drākshärāma inscription states that Kulottunga-Chõļa II raised Gonkarāja II, who was till then the commander-in-chief and ruler of the Tri-sat-õttara-sha!-sahasrāvani-vishaya on the sor bern bank of the Krishṇā river, to the rulership of the Andhra country which was bounded by the Mahendragiri on the north-east and Srisaila on the south-west, with the insignia of a subordinate king. The former statement is also borne out by the Telugu poem, Kēyurabāhucharitramu of Mañchana.
Gonkarāja II married several wives but the chief queen was Sabbāmbikā. To them was born Rājöndra-Chöda who is described as resembling Kumārasvämin, the leader of the armies of gods.
It would appear that the latter part of the reign of Gorkarāja II was peaceful and prosperous, i.e., from 1135 to 1161 A.C. Gonkarāja was a great builder: he founded temples, established satträlayas charitable feeding houses '; he encouraged learning and granted innumerable agrahāras to the learned and the twice-born, i.e., Brāhmanas. He placed pinnacles over temples all over the land. He set up a massive golden pinnacle for the gopura of the temple of Bhimanātha at Drākshārāma which he had built in 1133 A. C., evidently after he became the king of Vēngi." Gorkarāja II made a rich offering to god Bhimanātha for a perpetual light of camphor and for five perpetual lights of ghee; for that purpose and for the purpose of kshiräbhishechana, or ceremonial bath to the god with milk, every day, he gave away 500 cows to the temple. Roughly ten years later, in Saka 1064, corresponding to 1142-13 A. C., he made a pilgrimage to the great shrine at Dräkshärāma, accompanied by his wives, younger brother Pandarāja, his son, prince Rajendra-Choda II and other members of the royal family! On that memorable occasion, every one of the royal household placed four perpetual lights in the temple. And roughly six years later, Gonkarāja II visited the temple of Bhimanātha again and made a grant of 25 gold coins to be paid annually from out of the royal treasury to the temple for the celebration of the annual festival daman-otsava for three consecutive days ending with the full-moon day of Chaitra. On that occasion, probably he built a gölaka (a klobular roof studded with various kinds of gems in the inner shrine of the temple), a köshthügāra,' store-house', and a beautiful mandapa 'assembly hall' for the god Bhimanātha. Further, for burning 25 perpetual lights more, with ghee, Gonkarāja presented as many as 1000 she-buffaloes to the temple. The occasion for these priceless gifts was the Karkataka-samkrānti, which occurred on the 25th June 1158 in the sixteenth or the closing year of the reign of Kulottunga II. Gonkarāja II also placed pinnacles of gold on the temples of Purushottama at Puri in Orissa and Sri Mallikärjua-Mahā. dēva at Srisailam on the south-west, which shone like jayastanbhas proclaiming his victories On yet another occasion, Gonkarāja II gave away unlimited number of golden utensils for daily use in the worship of the god Bhimanātha, and covered the roof of the temple vimāna with & plate of gold.
1 SII, Vol. IV, Nos, 1113, No. 1164 (Dräkshārāma); Ibid., Vol. VI, No. 123 (Nidubrölu).
SII, Vol. IV, No. 1182, text line 12 (verse 28). * Sarasvati-grantha-mälä: Käkināda, (1902), canto I, (verse 18). . Above, Vol. IV, p. 50. 5 Ibid., p. 51. • SII, Vol. IV, No. 1138.
Ibid., No. 1137. • Ibid., No. 1140. .Ibid., No. 1144.
