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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[YOL XXXII
finds mention in the Naḍupuru grant of Anavema-reddi, and in the Tottaramāḍi plates of Kaṭayavēma. This territorial division retains its name even today and the whole territory between the Vasishtha and the Gautami branches of the Godavari is known as Kona-sima at the present day. Dhilli is the well-known city of that name, the capital of the Indian Repablic, which was the capital of the Slave kings, the Paṭhāns and the Tughluqs in the medieval period. Ekasilanagara is the present Warangai, the headquarters of the district of the same name in the Andhra State. Rekapalli is identical with the village of the same name in the Bhadrachalam Taluk of the East Godavari District. Of the villages mentioned in the grant only Vilasa, the village granted and its boundary village of Sirupalle and Maingain are identifiable. They are in the Amalapur Taluk. Sirupalle is the present Siripalle, and Mingam, the present village of Magam. Vilasa, which is a few miles distant from Amalapuram, retains its old name to the present day. The rest of the boundary villages are not to be found now.
It is stated that the grant was made on the occasion of a lunar eclipse; but neither the Sakayear or the cyclic year nor the month in which the lunar eclipse occurred is specified. Hence the precise date of the grant cannot be definitely ascertained. However, the period in which it was given, can be approximately calculated. The grant was certainly subsequent to 1325 A.D. (Saka 1247), the earliest date known for the establishment of-Hindu independence in the costal region. It is unfortunate that none of the records of Prōlaya-niyaka with the exception of this grant has come to light. In this respect his brother, Kapaya-niyaka was really more fortunate. Besides his Prōlavaram grants already adverted to, dated in Saka 1267, Parthiva, there are two of his lithic records, the Ganapeśvaram inscription dated in Saka 1268, Vyaya, and the Pillalamarri inscription dated in Saka 1279, Hemaļambi. Of these, his Prōlavaram grant is the earliest as is evident from its date. But the country of Tiling, in fact, the whole of Southern Hyderabad to the south of Warangal, was already in the possession of the Hindus by 1339 A.D., the date of the Bādāmi record of Harihara I, the founder of the kingdom of Vijayanagara. Hence, Kapayanayaka was surely in possession of Warangal before 1339 A.D. He conquered it probably by about 1336-37 A.D. from the Mussalmans. As the Muslim historians mention Kapa, Kaba-nand, or Kaba-Nayand, who is no other than Prölaya-nayaka's brother Kapa Nidu or Kapaya-nayaka, as the leader of the rebellion of the Hindus of Warrangal in Telangana, it seems likely that his brother Prōlaya-nayaka was already dead, by that time. If not so, he must himself have been mentioned as the leader of the rebellion. If this supposition is accepted, the record under review must have been granted between 1325 and 1336-37 A.D., possibly about 1330 A.D.
The editors of the present record take this opportunity of expressing their gratitude to Sri N. Lakshminarayana Rao, for lending for cousultation the impressions of the following unpublished inscriptions: (1) the Srisailam epigraph of Kacheya-reddi, (2) the Mallavaram inscriptions of Prōlaya Vēma-reddi, and (3) the Pentapaḍn grant of Chōda Bhaktiraja. They also offer thanks to Dr. V. Raghavan, Professor of Sanskrit, University of Madras for revising the Romanised text of the inscription.
1 Above, Vol. III. p. 2.
Ibid., Vol. IV. p. 320.
JBORS, Vol. XX, pp. 260 f.
SII, Vol. IV., No. 950.
Crop. Ins. Te. Dist., p. 113, No. 40.
Ind. Ant. Vol. X, pp. 63 ff.
Ind. Cult., Vol. V, p. 264; A Forgotten Chapter of Andhra History, p. 69. The Early Muslim Expansion in South India, p. 205.
