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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[Vol. XXX
triangular base, but shows that form wherein we see two slanting lines meeting together on a horizontal base. This form of mis much later than its form in our record showing a graceful round base. Devamitra of the coin flourished at Ayodhyā probably not earlier than 200 A. D. There can be no doubt that Devamitra of our inscription ruled at least a couple of centuries earlier.
Cunningham refers to 394 coins found by him at Kaušāmbi, of which about 344 were of tho early period. Out of these about 30 were inscribed, of which sixteen bore the name of Bahasatimitra, two of Devamitra, one of Ašvaghosha and three of Jyeshthamitra. Unfortunately Cunningham neither described nor illustrated the coins of Devamitra. What happened to them we do not know ; for the British Museum, which acquired the entire collection of Cunningham, does not have in its Kaubāmbi collection any coins of Devamitra. If Cunningham's reading is correct and there was really a king named Devamitra at Kausāmbi, it is very likely that he is identical with Devamitra of our record. The kings known from Cunningham's coins flourished in the period 150 B. C. to 50 B. C. The palaeography of the present record places our Devamitra also about the same period. Ancient Indian history shows that there were rulers like Ikshvāku Sāntamūla I, Sālankäyana Devavarman and Kadamba Krishnavarman I, who performed the horse sacrifice, though they did not rule over big empires.
Before concluding this paper, I may take the opportunity to refer to the inscribed brick tablets discovered in 1953 by Mr. T. N. Ramachandran at Jagatgram in the Dehra Dun District, U.P., within two miles of Kalsi, famous for its Asokan rock inscriptions. These tablets reveal that a hitherto unknown king named Silavarman, who flourished in the latter half of the 3rd century A.D., &s suggested by the palaeography of the records, performed four Aśvamedha sacrifices.
TEXT ......beke Asvavátāyaniputasa Devamitasa aģva'merdha(dhah)
TRANSLATION The horse-sacrifice of Devamitra, son of Asvavātāyani, (performed at) ...... beka.
No. 22.-TWO INSCRIPTIONS OF GAURI
(1 Plate)
D. C. SIRCAR, OOTACAMUND 1. Chhoți Sadri Inscription, Year 547
In the course of my examination of the old estampages of inscriptions preserved in the office of the Government Epigraphist for India, I found one impression of an interesting stone inscription in October 1952. Nothing could be ascertained then as to the source from which the estampage was received in the office. The seventeen lines of writing in the epigraph were found to cover a space about 174 inches by 114 inches. But only the last five lines were completely readable on the impression, a large number of letters about the central portion of all the other lines being more
ASI, Vol. X, p. 4. From the original brick.
The reading of this letter is doubtful on the impression.-D. C. S.] [The reading is Devio. The name of the performer of the Advantedha was therefore Devlmitra.--1). C. 8.1
* The reading of the last akshara seems to be dhe or dhar which is followed by a cross symbol indicating the end of the writing.-D. C. S.]
