________________
APRIL, 1875.]
OLD CANARESE INSCRIPTIONS.
115
A few days ago, after representing to the water : he was alarmed at the sight, and instead Brâhmans that we were the Raja for the time of seizing it by the head he caught it by the tail, being, the Deputy Commissioner and I succeeded and the goddess took the form of a sword and was in seeing the celebrated goddess. She was kept worshipped under the name of Rân Chandi. in a small thatched house fenced in on every But the king, thinking that the taking of life side, and no one but ourselves and the pujári was the greatest sin he could commit, offered Brâhman was allowed to come near. The images no sacrifices to the goddess, and she became were brought out, and we found there was a angry with him and struck all his musical brass image of Rån Chand i and another of instruments, guns and cannons dumb, so that Shama, and two swords which were supposed their sound could not be heard, and again apto be incarnations (if such a phrase may be used) peared to him in a dream and said, "You will of the goddesses. Theswords looked very ancient; enjoy your kingdom no longer; so tomorrow one of them was pointed, and the other cut off | cause instruments to be played and guns to be straight at the point: they appeared to me to have fired in every house, and in whosoever's house been intended for sacrifices. They were entirely you hear the sound of instruments and guns, of iron, with no ornaments about them, but evi- mount him on the throne and yourself cease dently kept with great care, and painted with from reigning." So the king did as he was red and white.
ordered, and as he only found one man in whose • The story of Ran Chandî, as told me by house he could hear the sound of instruments the Kachâris, is as follows:
and guns, he made him ascend the throne, and There was once a Kachari Raja namod Nir. himself retired from the kingdom. This man, bhar Nira yan, who was renowned as a just whose name was Uday Bhim Nâ rå yan, and wise prince, but he only worshipped Vishņu pleased the goddess so much by offering her a and never offered sacrifices, till one night Rân lakh of sacrifices and continually worshipping Chandi appeared to him in a dream and said, her, that his posterity, down to the time of Raja "To-morrow morning early you must go to the Govinda Chandra, have always sat on the throne bank of the river Madma (the place is now called of Kachâr. Chandignat) and there you will see a living crea- The goddess Shama, who is supposed to be ture; seizeit fearlessly by the head and take it away embodied in the other sword, is said to have in whatever form it may assume, and worship it been captured from a king of the Dehậns, the and offer sacrifices to it: by doing this you will hereditary bondsmen of the Kacháris, by Raja become great, and your children will reign after Boulla, a king who reigned at Maibong, a place you." Next morning the king, as the goddess in the North Kachári hills near Asalu, where had commanded, went to the river-side and ruins still exist, from Khâ spur, the former there hu saw a terrible snake playing in the capital of the Dehåns. We
INSCRIPTIONS AT BAIL-HONGAL, IN THE SAMPGAUM TALUKÂ OF THE
BELGAUM DISTRICT.
BY J. F. FLEET, Bo. C. S. The temple at Bail-Hongal, standing to the inscription is in the Old Canarese characters north of the town outside the walls, is now a and language. There are traces of about 73 Linga shrine, but appears to have been originally lines averaging 46 letters each. The stone a Jain building. It has two inscriptions con- seems to be a schistose limestone, and the surnected with it :
face of it is full of small fissures and is very No. 1. The first inscription is contained on much worn away. With great labour the con
stone tablet standing on the right front of the tents of the first twenty lines or so might be semple, i. e. on the left hand of any one facing made out, but no connected transcription could the temple. The emblems at the top of the possibly be made of the remainder; only a few stone are :- In the centre, a linga and priest; letters are legible here and there. It is a Ratta on their right, the sun; and on their left, a cow inscription, that family being mentioned in it by and calf with the moon beyond them. The the older form of the name,--Rashtrakúta. In
