Epigraphia Indica Vol 29

Author(s): Hirananda Shastri
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 41

22
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[Vol. XXIX Sinhavarman. The illustrious Nohalā was born of Avanivarman and she became the beloved of the Kalachuri prince Kěyüravarsha, i.e., Yuvarājadēvs I. Quoon Nohala is stated to have endowed a templo of Sive with the villages of Vida, Pondi, Khajlapātaka and others. It will be seen that although the story of their origin differs in some particulars from that relating to Narasimha given in the present record this much seems certain that both the families were of the same stock and were perhaps even lineally connected. Narasimha was & subordinate of a Krishnaraja who fought against the Kalachuris and the only Krishnaraja of this period who could answer to this description was Krishna III (939-967 A.C.) of the Rashtrakūta family." Narasimha of our record seems to be a later descendant or a collateral member of the same family since his area of authority was in the same region around Bilhari over which the Chālukys family of Nohelä exercised away. Vida-dvadasa which was the fief of Narasimhs seems to be identical with the area around Bilhari itself since Vids may be identified with Vidä which was one of the villages granted by Nohala to the temple of Siva at Bilhari, as stated in the Bilhäri Chēdi inscription referred to above. Though I am unable to identify Vida, the donated village, with any place near Bilhari, some of the other villages which the princess granted along with Vida are however identifiable. Thus Pondi and Khailapataka, two of the gift-villages, are represented by the modern Pondi and Khailwara which are to the north-west and north-east of Bilhări respectively. Vidä must be another village in the same locality. The exact relationship of Narasimha with the Chālukya family to which Nõhalā belonged can only be decided by further researches.
Now, returning to facts stated in the present Māser inscription, it has to be ascertained under what circumstances Narasimha had to encounter the Kalachuris under the orders of Kţishnaraja. It has been assumed above that Krishnarāja was Krishna III who claims in his Karhäd plates a victory over the Kalachuri Sahasrarjuna, who was the elderly relative of his mother and his wife. Krishna III achieved this victory as Yuvarāja, i.e., sometime between o. 934 and 939 A.C. It was evidently in this campaign of Krishna III that Narasimba took part and obtained the victory over the Kalachuris as described in the present record. As Prof. Mirashi? and Dr. H. C. Rays have shown, the Kalachuri adversary of Krishna III may be identified with Yuvarāja I (c. 914-945 A.C.) who, being a member of the family of Sahasrarjuna, i.e., Kärtavirya, was referred to as
I later found that Prof. Mirashi had already arrived at this conclusion; so Ind. Hist. Quart., Vol. XXVI, PP. 8-9.
* Although the text of our record at this place is mutilated, there seems to be no doubt that the Kalachuri is referred to as the adversary and not as a friend. This would be apparent from the context which refers to the vaid hanya-diksha given to the chatura-Kalachuri-kshamabhri....ote.
Rishtrakata Krishna II was a friend and ally of the Kalachuri king Kokkals. It was Krishna III who fought the Kalachuris as stated in his Karhad plates (above, Vol. IV, p. 279). The Chandella king Krishnap with whom Krishparaja of our record has been sought to be identified by Prof. Mirashi (above, Vol. XXV, p. 280) is not known to have fought the Kalachuris, though his father Yasovarman defeated a Chedi king.
. If the alternate reading Vila-dvddata for Vida-duadaka is preferred, Vila may perhapa stand for Bilhárt itself.
I was at first inclined to refer Narasimha and his son Kesarin of the Miser inscription to the Chalukys family of Vémulavada, the well-known Rashtrakata feudatories, and identify these two princes with their namesake of that family, Narasimha and Arikbaarin II. This does not appear likely since the latter belonged to the solar race and were rulers of a much wider territory, viz., the Sapädalakshs which they were ruling from their capital Lombulapätaks, i.e., Vémulavada in the Hyderabad State. The Sulki Narasimha of our record was of the lunar raos and a small potentate ruling Vida-dvadasa, a region which lies in the Madhya Pradesh, a far cry from Sapada. Iakohs which was situated in the Hyderabad State (J.O.R., Vol. XVIII, p. 42). Further, in none of the gones. logioal accounts of the Vēmulavada Chalukya family is there an allusion to Bharadvájs or to the chuluku story. It seems, therefore, best to view those families as altogether unrelated.
• Above, Vol. IV, p. 279.
A B. O. R. I., Vol. XI, p. 371 ; Ind. Ant., Vol. LXII (1933), pp. 36 ff. • Dynaatio History of Northern India, Vol. II (1936), p. 762.