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. EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[VOL. XXXIV
like alin for ali in verse 6, and arin as a synonym of chakra in verse 2. This latter, derived from the word ara, 'spoke ', is of rare occurrence in literature as well as in epigraphy. The use of the word maha (verse 26) in the sense of a temple' is worthy of note, since commonly it denotes 'a nionastery
The composer of the prasasti, who happens to be a descendant of the famous poet Bāņa as we shall presently see, evinces an intimate knowledge of the Sanskrit language, a great familiarity with its poetics and a full command over prosody. He has skilfully employed various metres and figures of speech, including puns upon words. Especially in the description of the town in verses 4-8. he follows in the footsteps of his great ancestor, Būna, so far as the style is concerned. His style closely follows poetical traditions and conventions. For instance, lilies and lotuses are usually found in pools and lakes, and not in rivers and oceans; but according to Sanskrit poetical tradition, rivers and oceans, too, are described as full of lilies and lotuses. An example of their being in a river is found in the very first stanza of our prasasti.
The inscription starts with an auspicious symbol, followed by the opening obeisance On namak. Verse 1 invokes the blessings of the god Vishnu, verse 2 those of the combined deity Harihara or Sankaranarayana, and verse 3 those of the Sun-god. Verse 3 also expresses benediotion, through double entendre, for the ruling monarch of the time. The next five stanzas (verses 4-8) are devoted to the description of the city of Mālava, while verses 9-11 describe an eminent Brāhmaṇa teacher, Indrašarman by name, who was a resident of the said city. Verse 12 introduces a banker, named Nagabari, belonging to the Dharkața caste, while the following 21 stanzas (verses 13-33), deal with the members of this Dharkata family, beginning with Nāgahari, extolling their virtues and meritorious deeds. Verse 12 informs us that Nāgahari built a Vishņu temple facing the west, with the image of Vishnu duly installed therein, on the bank of the tank called Vaidya-taļāga. Verses 14-15 speak of Nāgahari's son, Vishņuhari, praising, in general terms, his generous disposition. Verses 16-17 eulogize Vishņuhari's son, Nārāyaṇa, referring, in a general way, to his having built lofty temples. Verses 18-19 describe Nārāyana's son, Ādyõtana, whose wife, Nāțyā by name, described in verses 20-21, excelled him in good qualities. Verses 22-25 are devoted to their son, Nandana, who, it is stated, acquired fame by building temples and tanks. It was he who built the temple, to record the erection of which is the chief object of the present inscription. This fact is stated in verse 26, from which we learn that the temple was dedicated to three gods : Hari (Vishņu), Sankaranārāyaṇa and Khachara (Sūrya or Sun), the deities to whom homage is paid in the beginning of the inscription (verses 1-3), and that it had a store-room and & well in front. Verse 27 further describes the same temple.
1 For an instance from literature, see tötraratnākara, Madras, 1927, Part I, p. 224 : dnandi nab puniyada ari-nalina-gada-sankha-panir Mukundah.
. See above, Vol. XXIX, pp. 136-37. Matha is clearly used for 'a temple in the Dhauli (ibid., Vol. XIX, D. 284), K&min (ibid., Vol. XXIV, p. 330, p. 334, text line 8) and Alagum (ibid., Vol. XXIX, p. 47, text line 14) inscriptions. In the present context, it stands for the whole complex of shrines dedicated to the three deities along with the store-house (or store houses) and the well (or wells), possibly also with living quarters for the priests and pilgrims within the same compound, so that the primary sense of the term matha is also there.
· Visvanatha has enumerated such conventionalities in his Sahityadarpana, Chapter VII, verses 23-25. The one about rivers and oceans is in Varde 23 : farid-udadhi-galar pankaj.Endivar-ddi.
