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No. 5) BHUBANESWAR INSCRIPTION OF ANANGABHIMA III ; ANKA YEAR 34 21 the Kāñchipuram region about 1230 A.C. in spite of his logs of the Srīrángam area five years earlier, he must have occupied parts of that country for a considerable period of time. Under the circumstances, the silence of his court poet who composed the stanzas dealing with his achievements in regard to this spectacular success becomes inexplicable. The verses in question are quoted in Anangabhima's own Nagari platest of 1230-31 A.C. As well as in the charters of his successors. Fifthly, the evidence of the Nagari plates clearly shows that the year 1230 A.C. was passed by Anangabhima III in his capital and its vicinity. It is impossible to believe that he could have led an expedition against the Tamil land, about one thousand miles away, in the neighbourhood of that year.
But the most serious error in the consideration of the Kāñchipuram inscriptions seems to be the identification of Abhinava-Vārāṇasi, where the Ganga king Anangabhima (actually, the donatrix Sõmaladēvi) is said to have been stationed, with Kāñchipuram. It is well known from the Nagari plates of Anangabhima III that he had his capital at Vārāṇasi, Abhinava-Vārāṇasi or AbhinavaVārānasi-kataka, which is the same as modern Cuttack on the Mahanadi in Orissa. It should be pointed out that there are numerous Vārāṇasīs in different parts of India ; but Cuttack seems to be the only Värānasi with the word abhinava prefixed to it. We know that the Gangas originally had their capital at Kalinganagara (modern Mukhalingam near Srīkākuļam); but, sometime after the overthrow of the Sõmavamsis of Orissa by Anantavarman Chūdaganga about the boginning of the twelfth century A.C., they transferred their headquarters to Cuttack. Vārāṇasi-kataka or Cuttack is mentioned as the Ganga capital not only in the above grant of Anangabhima III but also in the records of his successors. The Muslim historians who have described Sultan Firüz Shah's expedition against the kingdom of Jājnagar (i.e., the Ganga kingdom of Orissa) in circa 1360 A.C. during the reign of Ganga Bhānu III (circa 1352-78 A.C.) mention the sanie city on the river Mahānadi as Banārasi (.e., Vārāṇasi). It is not known as to who amongst Anantavarman Chödaganga's descendants transferred the capital from Kalinganagara to Cuttack. But the Mädala Pāñji' states that Anangabhimu, who dedicated his kingdom to Purushottama-Jagannatha, lived at Chaudvāra-kataka on the Māhanadi, while his younger brother and successor, also called Anangabhima, transferred his residence from Chaudvära-kataka to Vänarăsi(Vārāṇasi)-kataka, a city built by bim at the site of a village called Väravāți (in Kodinda Dandapāta) on the other (i.e., southern) bank of the Mahānadi. The evidence of the Nagari plates, coupled with that of the confused tradition of the Mädala Panji, however, suggests that it was Anangabhima III who was the builder of the new capital city called Abhinava-Vārāṇasi-kataka. The correct interpretation of the Kanchipuram inscriptions seems to be that the Ganga queen Somaladevi made a grant in favour of a Vaishnava shrine at Kanchipuram while she was staying at Abhinava-Vārāṇasi (i.e., the present Cuttack) which was her husband's capital. Making grants in absentia in favour of
* Above, Vol. XXVIII, pp. 235 ff. (verses 72-80). JASB, Vol. LXV, Part I, pp. 218-9 (verses 72-80), oto. Above, Vol. XXVIII, pp. 214.46. Ibid., p. 256, text-lines 123 ff.
* See Bhandarkar's List, Nos. 1122, 1125 , SIT, Vol. VI, No. 1069, etc. The city is mentioned in numerous other records. Soe SII, loc. cit., Nos. 708, 711, 722, 756, 792, 801, 808, 851, 586,918, 958-60, 1003, 1022, 1041, 1045, 1051, 1079, 1083, 1089, 1096, 1104, 1105, 1107, 1119-20, 1135, etc.
See Ray, DHNI, Vol. I, p. 491. For the celebrity enjoyed by Cuttack Banaras during the Mughal period, see Jarrett and Sarkar, Ain-i-Akbari (translation), Vol. II, p. 316, note 2.
Op. cit., p. 27: e-uttare Ana gabhimadevanka adna-bhai Bhima-parirdetku Bhimanagara-dandapafuni ani raja kale. e duti Anangabhimadeva hoile. e-raja nagara-Chaududre Kafake vije kari thanli.emantare eka-dinare rajde vije kari dasi Mahanadi pära hoi e-nadiru dakshina-lire dekhile Kodinda-danda på fara Varavifi-gramare Vi. Svelvaradevankara sanidhe sa mala-pakshiki vaga mari vasi achhi. Eha dekhi rajde vada a charya pdi bubha yoga. dinare e.Värava fi grämare bubha dei naara toldi Kafaka kari e-Kafaka nama Vanarafi-Kafaka voli nima dei nagara-Chaudvara-Kafaka chhadi asi Kataka lari rahile.
