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170
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
JULY, 1878.
records of the Assistant Commissioner's Court 288, and the reign of Madhava, his successor in Bangalor, while removing to new premises, on the throne, ended in 425. The Sadharana in and has been placed in the local Museum. It question must evidently be one falling between consists now of four copper plates (74 in. X 24these two dates as extremes, and it will thus in.) a good deal worn, strung on a metal ring be found that we have only two years to choose as usual, but the seal is gone, and a fifth plate- from, -either S. S. 272 (A.D. 350) or S. S. 332 the last-has evidently been abstracted. The (A.D. 410). That the former is the right one inscription is very lightly engraved in thin seems to me antecedently more probable. For but distinct and well formed Hale Kannada between 288 and 425, taking it for granted we characters. The last side, however, is quite know of all the kings who ruled then, we have illegible. There is no information as to how, to allow, first, for the conclusion of the reign of when, or whence the plates found their way Hari Varmma, already for certain at least to where they were discovered.
41 years on the throne; second, for the entire In the first inscription we have the record of reign of Vishnu Gopa, which must have a gift of land in the village of Deva nûru, been a very long one, for the expression regard in Karena d, within the government of Tala- ing him in the first of the grants of this line vanapura, made by the ruler of that district, last published by me (Ind. Ant. vol. V. p. 137), a prince who was the son of Vishnu Gopa, that "his mental energy was unimpaired to the and whose name was apparently Raja Malla. end of life," seems only consistent with a career The endowment was a reward for a gallant prolonged beyond the usual limits; third, for exploit performed by Rama Deva, the son of a the reign of Madhava. Now the donor in Gavuda, a village chief or head-man, of the Yera- the present grant is the son of Vishnu Gopa, kula caste, in rescuing the prince's wife and at- and we may conclude from the way in which tendants from the hands of some enemy and con- he is mentioned that he was a provincial govducting them in safety to the capital. The date ernor under his father, who was still alive. of the transaction is given, as far as I can make Assuming that Vis hņu Gopa came to the out, according to the Saka, here written Saga, or throne about 290, he would in 350 have reigned era of Salivahana, followed by the name of the 60 years. If, on the other hand, the date 410 cycle year, which is Sadhârana. Guided by this is adopted, we must keep him on the throne I calculate that the date is S. S. 272 (A.D. 350)"; 120 years! Whether Madhava, declared in the but some of the characters used in this part various inscriptions to have been the son of are so strange and unfamiliar that I am un. Vishnu Gopa, was the same as this Raja certain whether they are numerals or letters, or Malla seems very doubtful. The Tamil chrothe latter used for the former. An old cave- nicle relating to these kings describes a break numeral occurs in the Merkara plates, but the in the succession after Vishņu Gopa, and, alcharacters here do not correspond with any of though the inscriptions hitherto found give no the old numerals that have been published. The countenance to such a break, there certainly letters nayana, which if eyes' would stand for seems room for one or more kings between him 2, alone seem plain. If the next word is gir, and Madhava, and Raja Malla may have "language, it would be 3. But, I have failed so intervened. The second of our present into decipher this sentence to my satisfaction, scriptions abstains, it will be noticed, from calland possibly it may not be a date at all. ing Madhava the son of Vishņu Gopa, but
Bat, in whatever way this may be read, there the next king is also treated in the same way, is little doubt that the date above given must be though there seems no doubt that be succeeded arrived at. For we are limited to the year his father. Sadharana, and, according to the only informa- The genealogy of the kings is not given in tion we have, Vishnu Gopa's predecessor on this inscription, which mentions only the founder the throne, Hari Varmma, was reigning in of the line, and the donor's father. The royal
. It is pretty generally agreed that the cycle of sixty plates professing to be of the reign of Pulikoki I. and dated years is a comparatively recent invention, and was not used Saka 411 ; but that grant is a forgery-probably of the tenth before the tenth centary: see Jour. As. Soc. Beng.
or eleventh century.-ED. vol. II. p. 57; Reinaud, Frag. Arab. et Pers. p. 140. The 3 Though I once thought 332 might be made of it, or samvatsara year Vibhuva is given in the British Museum
even 989 forood ont.
