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No. 22–INSCRIPTION OF THE TIME OF CHAULUKYA KARNA, V.S. 1354
(1 Plate) C. C. Das GUPTA, DARJEELING
(Received on 26.2.1959) This inscription was found on the wall of the Rāmji temple at Bhavnath Mahādēo in the former Idar State. I edit it from an inked impression supplied to me by the Government Epigraphist for India at my request.
The inscription measures 3 feet 6 inches in length and 61 inches in breadth and consists of 12 lines of writing. The characters employed are Nāgari of the 13th century A.D. The language of the record is Sanskrit and the composition is in verse excepting small sections at the beginning and end. It is dated in Vikrama Samvat 1354 (line 12) corresponding to 1297 A.D.
The inscription belongs to the time of the Vāghēla branch of the Chaulukya dynasty (line 3, verse 5). The first ruler mentioned is Anāka who is callod Arnorāja in some other inscriptions. There is no doubt that Anāka is to be identified with Arporāja as the inscription under study as well as the above-mentioned records give the name of his successor as Lavapaprasāda. The son and successor of Lavanaprasāda was Viradhavala whose son and successor was Visvala. There is no doubt that Visvala is the same as Visaladēva mentioned in some other inscriptions. His elder brother was Pratāpamalla. The late Dr. D. R. Bhandarkar regarded Pratapamalla as the younger brother of Visaladēva. From this inscription, it is quite clear that he was the elder brother of Visvala or Visaladēva. This suggests that, though Pratāpamalla was the elder son of Viradhavala, he did not reign. Probably he breathed his last during the lifetime of his father leaving behind his son Arjuna. Visvaladēva's successor is said to have been his nephew Arjunadēva who was succeeded by his son Särangadēva ; but this inscription suggests that Sarangadēva was the successor of his elder brother Rama and not of his father Arjuna. After Särangadēva, Rāma's son Karpa became the ruler. The.genealogy of the family thas stands as follows:
1 Anāka 2 Lavapaprasāda 3 Viradhavala
Pratāpamalla
4
Viévala
5
Arjuna
6 Rama
Särangadēva
8 Karna 1 Bhandarkar's List, Nos. 488, 1524.
* Ibid., Nos. 347, 549, 656, 567, 577. . Ibid., p. 385.
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