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109
No. 201
INSCRIPTIONS FROM GAYA inscriptions as regards the identification uf Vira-Narasimha. The cyclic year Khara of the Jupiter's sixty-year oycle 48 counted in South India can be associated with the reign of each one of the three kings, viz. Khara-1171-72 A.D. falling in the reign of Narasimha I, Kharam 1231-32 A.D. in that Narasimha II and Khara=1291-92 A.D. about the end of that of Narasimha III. But since the week-day is given as Monday, the details quoted in the epigraph would suit only the year 1291 A.D. The date corresponds to the 24th September 1291 A.D. and the king mentioned in our epigraph is thus no doubt Hoysala Narasimha III.
The inscription under study begins with the auspicious word svasti which is followed by a passage in lines 1-11 mentioning a person named Apannd as the son of Acharya Padmanabhabhattopadhyāya of the dēhāra of Hosana (Hoysaļa) srl Vira-Narasimhadēva. The word dehāra is derived from Sanskrit dēvagrihaka, a temple', through Apabhraría deharaya. The word acharya is used in Kannada in the sense of a priest and Acharya Padmanabha-bhattopadhyāya was apparently the priest of a temple built by the Hoysaļa king Narasimha probably at his capital Dörasamudra. Padmanābha's son Apaņņa is stated in lines 11-18 to have caused to be constructed what is called a Gaya-vrajana-matha and to have discharged thereby his debts to the gods, to his forefathers and to other human beings. The expression Gaya-vxajana-maţha appears to indicate a sort of Dharma-sālā which was meant for the pilgrims who visited Gayā probably from the Karnāta country to which Apanna belonged. Lines 18-23 mention the names of three persons called Rudrapada, Vishnupada and Gadadhara who are stated to have been the witnesses in the matter apparently of the construction of the Matha. It is not clear whether these three persons, who appear to have been local people, were made trustees for the Matha in question by Apaņņa. Lines 23-24 contain the expression fri-sri forming a mangala and indicating the end of the document. This is followed in the last line (line 25) by the personal name Devarasa written in Kannada characters. Dēvarasa was possibly responsible for the engraving of the inscription analysed above as well as of the other record incised in the lower half of the surface of the stone.
It appears that Apanna of the present record and Chandiranna of the second inscription visited Gayā at the same time. There is little doubt that they were accompanied by many other pilgrims from the area of Karņāțaka, to which they belonged, one of them apparently being Devarasa.
It is not clear from the inscription whether. Apanna, the son of the priest of Hoysala Narasimha's temple, visited Gay, and constructed the Matha at the holy place for the pilgrims probably from Karnātaka on his own behalf or at the expense and on behalf of the Hoysala king. But, in spite of the non-mention of the ruler whose kingdom included the Gayā region in the inscription under study, Hoysala Narasimha mentioned in it had obviously nothing really to do with South Bihar.
TEXT
. 1 Svasti [l *) þri2 Hösaņa3 Śri-Vira-Na4 rasimgadē5. vana děhā6 rada acha7 rya-Padmana1 It is also possible to think that the reference is to three local deities.
From impressions. We are indebted to Dr. G. S. Gai and Mr. B. R. Gopal fou some help in reading and interpreting this inscription.
