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No. 17) AJAYAGARH ROCK INSCRIPTION OF CHANDELLA KIRTTIVARMAN
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the former, for whom the dates known so far are 1090 and 1098 A.D. The Chandella king defeated and uprooted by Karna may be, as suggested by R.D. Banerji, identified with Dévavarman. In that case the date of this event has perhaps to be placed sometime after 1051 A.D. It may be that Dāvavarman was crushed at the time of the battle fought at Pītādri in 1060-61 A.D., referred to in the Rewah inscription of Vappulaka. Triloohana defeated by Vappulaka was evidently a Chandēlla general and not Trilochanapala of Låta as suggested by R. D. Banerji." The defeat of Karna at the hands of Chandalla-Kirttivarman referred to in several inscriptions and the Prabodhachandrðdaya has to be placed after the battle in the valley of the Pita-parvvata described in the Rewah inscription of Vappulaka in 1060-61 A.D. and before 1071-72 A.D. when Karņa abdicated his throne. It seems that the decisive battle agains: Karna was also fought at the Pita-saila as indicated by the present inscription and the Ajayagarh inscription of Bhõjavarman, which speak of the distressed condition of Kirttivarman and the help rendered by his loyal officer Jājāka. In the light of the above discussion it may be suggested that Kirttivarman ascended the throne sometime after 1061-62 A.D. and before 1071-72 A.D
The Vistayya family of the Kayasthas mentioned in this inscription also figures.in a number of Chandēlla inscriptions. The genealogical details of the family occur in fuller detail in the Ajayagarh inscription of Bhõjavarman, which states that these Kāyasthas, who were engaged in karana-karmma, resided in thirty-six towns, of which Takkärikä was most excellent. At Takkārikā lived a person called Vastu and his descendants were known as Vāstavyas. As regards the thirty-six' towns, Kielhorn observed that it "would lead one to look for some territorial name such as Chhattispur, but I find only Chhattīsgadh". There is, however, no difficulty in identifying the thirty-six' towns, of which Takkārikā was one, with Chhattisgadh in Madhya Pradesh. Takkārikā was the name of a city and a district now forming part of Chhattisgadh, which is so called because of the thirty-six forts situated within its area. Of these thirty-six forts, 18 were situated on the one and the other 18 on the other bank of the river Sivanātha, which flows through Chhattisgadh. A number of Kāyastha families are mentioned in the inscriptions of the Kalachuris of Tummāņa.
Four place-names are mentioned in the record, viz., Kālañjara, Dugauda, Pītādri and Pipală hika. Of these the first is well-known. Dugauda is the modern Digaura (Dogora of the map). It is situated some 15 miles from Tikamgarh on the Orccha-Tikamgarh road, in 24° 58' N. and 78° 55 E. The ruling family of Orocha hailed from the village Digaura, old Dugauda, and was therefore known as the Digaura family (Eastern States Gazetteer, Vol. VI-A, p. 74.). Pitādri, Pita-saila or Pita-parvvata may be identified with the Pita hill (Pet hill of the map of Orccha State between pages 91-93 of the Eastern States Gazetteer, Vol. VI-A), which is about 4 miles southeast of the village of Digaura in the Baldeobagh tahsil of the former Orocha State, now included in Vindhya Pradesh. Pipalāhika cannot be identified.
1 MASI, No. 23, p. 19. . Ibid., p. 132. ** Ibid., p. 24.
Above, Vol. I, pp. 222, 327; ASR, Vol. XXI, p. 39; Ray, Dynastic History of Northern India, Vol. II, pp. 676 ff.
* Canto I, vv. 5-6 and the prose passages in between the two verses. . Above, Vol. XII, p. 205.
Bilaspur District Gazetteer, pp. 19 ff., p. 62; Raipur District Gazetteer, p. 47. Wo have actually a list of the thirty-six forts. Even though the list is based upon tradition, the fact remains that the namo Chhattisgadh is derived from that basis.
$ 189, Vol. I, pp. 409 ff.; above, Vol. XIX, pp. 209 ff.; Vol. I, pp. 30 ff, 45 ff., 332; 14, Vol. XVI, p. 62; Cunningham, ASR, Vol. III, Pl. XXI, 1.
