________________
192
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[VOL. XXXI The sign for v has been used to indicate the letter b. The language is Sanskrit and the epigraph is composed in both probe and verse. As regards orthography also, the inscription olosely resem. bles other records of the area and age in question. Finalm has been wrongly changed to amusvara at the end of the second and fourth feet of verses. In the place of rbbh, rbhbh has been wrongly written in more than one case (cf. lines 5, 20). There are also some other cases of wrong spelling such as singha for simha, subha for bubha and samcikta for saṁsikta (cf. lines 7, 20, 41-43). Congonants are not only often reduplicated in conjunction with superscript but in one case also in that of subscript (cf. Omattyah in lines 30-31). The date of the charter is given in the chronogram vasu-nanda-nidhi of the Saka era, i.e. Saka 998, while the details of the date quoted are the Vishuva-sankranti in the month of Chaitra, i.e. the day of the vernal equinox. The date of the charter thus appears to be March 23, 1077 A.D.
We know that the later members of the Eastern Ganga family began their charters with the praiasti : svasty-Amarapur-ānukāriņah eto, il prose as in the charter of the Ganga year 393, edited above. The early members of the imperial branch of the family adopted the same prasasti for the introduction of their grants. But Vajrahasta III (1038-70 A.D.) introduced a new prasasti beginning with srimatām-akhila-bhuvana-viruta-naya-vinaya, etc., in prose and verse. This eulogy contains no less than twelve stanzas, five in the description of the reigning monarch (Vajrahasta III), one each in that of his father and the latter's two younger brothers, two in that of his grandfather and one in that of his great-grandfather. The entire prasasti was copied in the charters of his son and successor Rajaraja I Dāvēndravarman (1070-78 A.D.) who issued the grant under study. This king, however, added four new stanzas to the introduction, one referring to the end of his father's rule and three in his own eulogy. The great Anantavarman Chodaganga
1078-1147 A.D.), son and successor of Rājarāja I, used the same introduction, as found in his father's charters, in his earlier grants with tho omission of most of the stanzas, although in bis later records containing a modified but elaborate account of the early members of the family he re-introduced a few of the verses.
The inscription begins with the Siddham symbol and the word svasti followed by a prose passage (lines 1-10) referring to the son of Gunamahārņava(Guņārņava)-mahārāja (circa 879-96 A.D.) who belonged to the family of the Ganga lords of Trikalinga. These Gangas are described as belonging to the Atrēya götra and as having obtained, through the grace of lord Gökarnasyimin (Siva), the unique oonch-shell and drum, the five great sounds', the white umbrella, the golden fly-whisk and the bull enblem or crest. It has to be noticed that the possession of the five mahadabdas, explained with reference to North Indian rulers as the enjoyment of five official desginations beginning with the word mahat and in regard to South Indian kings as the privilege of enjoying the sounds of five musical instruments, is usually associated with feudatories. Some early medieval South Indian dynasties, however, associated the privilege with imperial dignity and the claim of the Imperial Gangas reminds us of a similar one on behalf of their western neighbours, the Eastern Chalukyas of Vērgi.
The son of Gunamahārnava was Vajrabasta I (circa 896-940 A. D.) who is next described in a stanza (verse 1) saying that he united under his rule the earth (i.e. the Ganga kingdom), which had been previously divided into five parts ruled separately by different kings, and reigned for fortyfour years. Then comes a section in prose (lines 13-15) speaking of the three sons of Vajrahasta
1 See, e.g., J BORS, Vol. XVIII, pp. 272 ff. and Plates ; JAHRS, Vol. VIII, pp. 182 ff. and Plates.
80 JAHRS, Vol. I, pp. 44 ff; Vol. VIII, pp. 183 ff.; also above, Vol. XXVIII, pp. 239-40, 250, note 11. . Above, Vol. XXX. p. 166, note 7.
Cf. SI1, Vol. I, p. 54 (text lines 23-24). The introductory part of earlier Eastern Chalukys granta begins with the prasasti : brimatda sakala-bhuvana-sanstriyamana, eto. (ibid. p. 33, text line 1), which reminds us of ir mata mwathita-bhuvana-vinuta, oto. of tho oharters of the Imperial Gangas like the one under publication
