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No. 13-BHAIRAVAKONDA INSCRIPTION OF VIKRAMADITYA
(1 Plate) H. K. NARASIMHASWAMI, OOTACAMUND
(Received on 17.3.1953) Bhairavakonda is a hill in the Eastern Nallamalai, which extends over a part of the Cumbum Taluk of the Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh. Its highest point is about 3000 feet above sea level. At a level about 400 feet down from this point, amidst thick jungle, is an unpretentious temple enshrining a small linga called Bhairava. The nearest village from which the temple could be reached is Mohidinpuram, & hamlet of Bögölu, and the temple is situated at a distance of about 5 miles from it. There is a small pond in front of the shrine and, close to it, a much weather-worn image of Gaņēka. Another sculpture by the side of this depicts a seated figure with four hands, holding a staff in one of its right hands. Among the other soulptures lying scattered near the temple and mutilated beyond recognition may be mentioned a stone tablet about 2' long and 6' broad depicting labelled images, in relief, of the Seven Mothers (Saptamātikās) with their characteristic vāhanas. The epigraph published here is on & slab near these images.
The inscription, occupying a rectangular area about 11 inches by 23 inches, is engraved on the dressed surface of the slab. The letters are neatly incised and the entire inscription runs to just 10 lines.
The language of the record is Telugu and it is written in archaic characters which may be assigned to the middle of the eighth oentury. Medial i is formed by a circular loop attached to the top of the letter. For this loop formed by an anticlockwise flourish, cf. Ili (line 2) in which the left end of the loop has not been fully extended so as to join the main letter ; see also ndi (line 4) in which the flourish starts from the top of the shaft over na and, after sweeping over it in a circle, descends on the other side of it a little further down than where it started, and Achi (line 6) in which the sign commences almost with an upright stem over which the loop is formed. A further sharp inward bend of the left end of this loop marks the sign of medial i. The vowels & and e occur in the words acharlu (line 8) and Byu[va) (line 7). Attention may be drawn to the archaic forms of b in bol showing the tendency to the formation of the open b, of formed by a horizontal stroke inside & flattened loop, and of th indicated by an elongated upright curve with its ends opening towards the left and its lower end bent inside. Among orthographic peculiarities may be mentioned the use of 8 for é in the names Nandisvara and Dandisvara (lines 4-5) and the use of, in place of r in the expression acharlu (line 8).
The inscription records the setting up of the images of Ganapati, Nandisvara and Dandiśvara by Kalli-ből. It mentions [Mu]nasanga, the son of Eyuva-acharlu, probably as the sculptor, and ends, with a short sentence in Sanskrit attributing [the engraving of) the document to the same person,
The main interest of the epigraph lies in establishing the identity of the ruler Vikramaditya and the deity Dandisvara mentioned in it. In the absence of any prasasti and distinguishing titles or epithets in the epigraph, it is difficult to identify the king. But the internal evidence of the inscription offers some help.
The first sentence of the record states that during the reign of Vikramaditya, Kalli-bol had the [images of) Ganapati, Nandisvara and Dandisvara made. In the name of Kalli-b8l, the 1 A. R. Bp., 1949-80, No. 281.
The Turimella inscription of Vikramadity. I also ends with sentence in Sanskrit although the main part of the record is in Telagu. See above, Vol. XXIX, pp. 160 ff.
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