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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
(VOL. XXXIII
The date of the inscription is very interesting. It is quoted in lines 1-4 as SalivāhanaSaka 1588, Vikärin, Märgasira-ba. 30, Friday. But the year 1588 really belongs to the Vikrama Samvat and not to the Saka era. This is clearly suggested by several indications. In the first place, Saka 1588 was far removed from the cyclic year Vikärin of both the North Indian and South Indian calendars and the details of the date are irregular for the said Saka year. Secondly, the cyclic year Vikärin of the northern calendar corresponded to V.S. 1588 and the Vikrama and northern cyclic years are sometimes found side by side in the records discovered at Gaya. Thirdly, the details of the date are regular only in the case of the year V.S. 1588 corresponding to Vikärin of the North Indian calendar and this date tallies with the internal evidence of the record stated to have been set up during the reign of king Achyutarzya of the Tuluva dynasty of Vijayanagara, who was the step-brother and successor of Kţishnadēva-raya and ruled in the period 1629-46 A.D. On the other hand, Saka 1588 (1666 A.D.) would fall more than a century after the period of Achyutarāya of Vijayanagara. The details of the date, viz. V.S. 1588, Vikārin, Märgasira-ba. 30, Friday, regularly correspond to the 8th December 1531 A.D.
The date of the inscription discussed above is followed by a passage in lines 5-11 stating that the dharma-sāsana belonged to king sri-vira-Achyutarāya-mahārāya, the son of Narasimha, grandson of Isvara and great-grandson of Timmaya. The expression dharma-säsana means * a document relating to religious merit' and undoubtedly refers to the inscription under study. It is quite appropriately employed in the present context since the record was apparently set up by a person who made a pilgrimage to Gayā on the king's behalf. King Achyutarāya is endowed in the inscription with the epithets Rājādhiraja, Rajaparamèsvara and Virapratāpa as well as Hindu-rājya-sthāpan-ūcharya (i.e. one who can teach how to establish the sovereignty of the Hindus) and Yadu-kula-tilaka (i.e. an ornament of the Yada family). Lines 12 ff. state that a certain Timmananna made the occupants of the Vijayanagara throne Gayā-mukta. The passage Vijayanagaram(ra)-simhāsana-karta[la] in lines 13-17 apparently refers to the departed ancestors of king Achyutarāya mentioned in the record. The expression Gaya-mukta (literally, 'emancipated at Gaya ') no doubt means that Timmananna performed the Sraddha of Achyutarāya's ancestors on the king's behalf at Gayā and thereby led their spirits to emancipation. Timmananna was probably a priest of the Vijayanagara king.
The inscription gives the genealogy of king Achyutarāya from his great-grandfather Timmaya who is the earliest historical figure in the Tuluva dynasty of Vijayanagara and is mentioned only in a few copper-plate grants of his descendants and in literary works like the Manucharitramu and Amuktamālyada. He has been identified with the chief named Tirumalaidēva mentioned in two inscriptions from Tañjāvüro and Srirangam. The earlier of the two records is dated in Saka 1377 (1455 A.D.) and refers to the chief as Mahamandalesvara Médinimisaraganda Katharisāļuva SāļuvaTirumalaidēva-mahārāja. His mention in & stone inscription of Achyutarāya is striking and seems to be explained by the fact that he was one of Achyutarāya's ancestors whose srāddha was performed by Timmananna at Gaya. Timmañanna was apparently sent to Gaya by Achyutarāya in order to perform the pilgrimage on his behalf and at his cost as well as to celebrate the fräddha ceremony of his departed ancestors. It is impossible to believe that king Achyutariya himself visited Gayā or had anything to do with South Bihar.
1 See, 6.8., Bhandarkar's List, No. 370 which comes from Gays and is dated V.S. 1232 and Vikarin. . Above, Vol. I, pp. 363, eto.
Mann.charitromu, Canto I (introduction), verses 23-24. • A muktamalyada, Canto I (introduction), verses 24.28. .811, Vol. II, p. 117, Ins. No. 23. • A. R. Ep., No. 59 of 1892.
