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162
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
(VOL. XXXIV Persons bearing the surname Dhūsara now call themselves Bhargava Brāhmaṇas though they are suspected by the people to have been originally Bäniäs. This suspicion is proved to be a faot by both the Sakral and Khandēla insoriptions. The next stanza (verse 4) speaks of Durgavardhana's son Dhangakat while vorso 5 mentions Vödda who was the son of Dhangaka. Verse 6 introduces Adityanāga as the son of Vödda and the latter's wife Nāgujā. It is interesting to note that Adityanāga's name ends with the word nāga, though his family does not claim to have belonged to the Näga lineage. It may be pointed out in this connection that similar names onding in någa are also noticed among Brāhmaṇas in early records. Thus the Bõndaka grant of king Mahāśiva Tivara (close of the sixth century A.D.) of South Kõsala mentions & Brāhmana named Bhatta Ravināgasvāmin. Such names may be classed with other Brahmanical names like Nägasarman and regarded as indicating respect for snakes rather than Näga origin.
The father of Nāgujā is also mentioned in verse 6; but his name cannot be satisfactorily deciphered owing to the initial letters being rubbed off. Verse 7 continues the description of Adityanaga as an extremely liberal person and the next stanza (verse 8) states that he built a temple for the god Siva and the latter's consort, the goddess Parvati, for the merit of his parents and himself. It is not clear whether the reference is to the composite form of Siva and his wife, which is known as Ardhanirikvara. It is, however, possible to think that such was the case rince, as we have seen above, the composite form of the god and goddess is referred to in both the stanzas (verses 1-2) in the mangala section at the beginning.
Verse 9, with which the prasasti concludes, contains a prayer for the long life of the temple. The above is followed by a few sentences in prose in the last line. It is stated that the eulogy was the composition of Dikshita Bhatta Satyaghosha and that it was engraved by a person named Mandana. Satyaghosha was no doubt a Brāhmaṇa. The record concludes with the date which has already been discussed above.
There is no geographical name in the record. The temple was built apparently at Khandelā which seems to have been the native village of the merchant Adityanāga.
TEXT
[Metres : verses 1, 6-9 Anushfubh ; verse 2 Sragdhard ; verse 3 Vasantatilaka ; versos 4-5
Arya.] 1 Siddham' [l] Sam karota Siv-āyatta-dēb-arddha[h] Sasisēkharaḥ | mahātmā võ bhav
ambhodhi-magna-lõk-ābhaya-pradaḥ || [1 ] Skandasy-akrida2 n-artban Ganapati-sahitasy-õtsavē Kaitabhārēr=yātasy=āvēkshya pārsv[@]* jaghana-kucha
bhar-ābhāga-ramyām Bhavanim (nim) | kfitvā dēh-a3 rddha-bhājam Smara-bara-vidhuras-tăm sukh-akshipta-chittaḥ pāyād=vaḥ Sūlapāņih
prakațita-pulakah' svēda-dhaut-anga-bhūtiħ || [2]
1 Ojha read this namo as Gangaka. * Soo above, pp. 113 ff.
8oo, e.g., tho Chammak plates of Vikataks Prevarasena II (CII, Vol. II, p. 243). Similarly the names Göndatarman mentionod in the same record and Kaivartašarman of the Sultanpur plato of 441 A.D. (above, Vol. XXXI, p. 64) do not appesr to indicate the God and Kaivarta origin of the Brihmapas in question.
From impressions.
Expressed by symbol. • The sign of modial & is imperfootly formed.
There is an unnecessary mars above la.
