________________
JUNE, 1886.]
A BANA GRANT OF SAKA 261.
173
by me which first brought the B Aşa kings to Pallavas were in possession of Kanchi and light, it was found that they claimed to be of Mahabalipura early in the 7th century A.D., the MahAbali or Mahfvali race, and we obtained and that both they and the MahAmallas or the names of B &ņa-Vidyadhara or Mab Abalis soffered defeat at the hand of the Vikramaditya, and Prabhu-Méru. The grants Chalukyas in the second half of that century. published by Mr. Foulkes added considerably That the Baņa kings continued to flourish to our knowledge by giving us the following in the east of Maisûr subsequent to their regenealogy, with certain historical references :- storation, there is abundant evidence in inscripBali.
tions. From one at Mapigatta-Gollahalli, we
find a Banarasa ruling in Saka 821 (A.D. 899Bâņa.
900); and from & fine stone at Kendatti
Madivala, we learn that he was contemporary Bảna Adhirdja,
with the Ganga king Nitimârga and with followed by many kings. Then
Nolambadhiraja. The latter, from inscriptions Jaya-Nandivarman, ruling
at Bêtma igala, was ruling in Saka 826 (A.D. territory to the west of the Andhra country. 904-5) Of Nitimârga I have obtained many
inscriptions. He was ruling in Saka 831 (A.D. Vijayaditya.
909-10), and bore the titles Kongaņi-Varma,
Dharma-mahadhiraja, Satyavákya, Râchamalla Bri-Malladdva, Jagadêkamalla. . and Permanadiga!.
The Båņas are met with down to a late Bâņa-Vidyâdbara.
period. For, my conjecture that the inscrip
tions at Srivilliputtur in Tinnivelly of A.D. Prabho-Mèru-Deva..
1453 and 1476 belonged to them, proved to
be correct, as ascertained by Mr. Sewell at the Vikramaditya.
time. Two kings of this family, styling them
selves Mahávali-Vâọa (for Bana) Adhiraju, thus Vijayaditya, Pukkala-vippuva-ganda. seem to have got possession of the Pandya
throne in the latter half of the 15th century. Vikramaditya, Vijayabáhu.
To return to our grant. The reference to Then the Chôļa king Vira-Nárayaņa the Nandi hill and the PAlir, at the commencesuddenly aprooted the Båņas; but ment, is interesting. The PÅler throughout its they were restored eventually by
course, as formerly pointed out by me, would the Ganga king Kesari or
seem to be identified with the MahÂvali or Prithivipati, in the person of
BÂņa line, from its source in Nandidurga to Hasti-Malla.
its mouth near the celebrated Mahabalipura. The present grant, so far as it goes, con- Among the titles of the restored dynasty were irms this pedigree, and is made by the king " lord of Nandi" and "having the crest of a here called Sri-Mallad êva, Jagadēkamalla, bull," and here we have Nandi on the seal of the the father of Baņa-Vidyadhara. If, as seems original line. Also, if I am not mistaken, the probable, the Ganga king wbo restorid the small coins sometimes picked up at Mahâbali. Båņas, was the predecessor of Sri-Purushapura, have a Nandi on them. who began to reign Saka 649 (A.D. 727-28), The village of Å vani, from which the grant or that king himself, this would give us a date was issued, is a celebrated place. It is said to to which the overthrow of the original line be Avantika kshetra, one of the ten must have been some time anterior. And to places of greatest sanctity in India. Here arrive at the reign in which our grant was Valmiki, it is stated, had a hermitage : here issued, we have to reckon back six generations RAma oncamped on his return from the beyond that event. We also know that the expedition against Lanka : hither Sitâ repaired
Mys. Ins. p. 904, Intro. p. xlix; onte, Vol. X. p. 86. ..See Nelson's Madura Manual, Part III. p. 83 ;
Salom Manual, Vol. II. App. p. 869; ante, Vol. XII. Sewell's Madras Antiguities, Vol. II. p. 223. Pp. 6 and 187.
ante, Vol. X. p. 88. ante, Vol. XIII. p. 190, note 10.
