Indian Antiquary Vol 17

Author(s): John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 14

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JANUARY, 1888.
maliya, which occurs in devah kusali, line 13, the illustrious A.Baţadeva; and it records that and yal ka-, line 24, and that for the Upadh- the devout worshipper of Brahman, the paramaniya, which occurs in vivah Pur drih, line mabhattáraka mahárájádhiraja paramésvara, 2, -prakritih prativasi-, line 15, and dharmah the illustrious Somavarmadova (evidently the palanát, line 25, show exactly the same forms immediate predecessor of Åsatadôva), from his as in the Śårada alphabet. The numerals residence at the glorious Chanpaka, made 1, 2, and 5 are denoted by the ordinary numeri- grants of land, etc., to certain temples of the cal figures resembling closely the figures used gods Vishņu and Siva, as will be shown below. in Särada MS$. ; but the numeral for 4 is The dúta or messenger for these grants was throughout, both when used by itself and as the mahdkshapatalika or 'great keeper of rethe latter portion of 14, denoted by a symbol cords,' the illustrious Kahuka (line 28); and resembling the symbol for 4 employed in Jaina this portion of the inscription as well as the palm-leaf MSS.-The language is Sanskrit, concluding one was written by the karanaand, excepting two verses in honour of the káyusthas or writers of legal documents' Siva gods Brahman, Vishna, Siva, his consort Bha- and Pamanna (lines 28 and 52). vânt, and Ganesa, at the beginning, one verse | In lines 3-13, Sómavarmadeva, the grantor, giving the names of the deities to whom the is described as meditating on the feet of the pagreater part of the grant was made, in lines 23 ramabhattaraka mahdrájádhiraja paraméivara, and 24, and four of the customary benedictive the illustrious Salavahanadáva, and as the son and imprecatory verses, in lines 24-27, the in- of the paramabhattariká, the maharajñi, the scription is in prose. From a grammatical illustrious Rardhadovi; and it is recorded point of view I may draw attention to the em- of him that he was born in the spotless family ployment of the Instrumental case Sukra. of the illustrious Sahilladeva, the great jewel váre na, in line 27, instead of the Locative to.adorn the Paushaņa vanéa or solar race, Sukraváre, and to the position of the numeral who had acqnired for himself such names as in Bhúmashaka-chaturnám, line 29, and in deva. SAhasanka, Nissankamalla, and Matamatadvayoh, line 30, which is not uncommon in simgha; "who was a new cloud to extinguish in Sanskrit inscriptions of the middle-ages. The a moment the mighty blazing fire of the Kira Sanskrit of the genealogical part of the inscrip- forces, fanned, as by the wind, by the Durgara tion, up to line 13, is unobjectionable.-In res. lord assisted by the Saumatika ... ; whose pect of orthography I would notice the occa- alliance was humbly sought by the ruler of sional employment of the Jihvám úliya and Trigarta, subdued by force; who was asked Upadhmániya in the passages mentioned above; the favour of bestowing royalty, in return for the use of the dental for the palatal sibilant in services rendered or to be rendered, by his Kuláté svara and sákhinah, line 5, Sivi, line 8, kinsman the lord of Kulata, anxious to render asésha-sástrartha, line 11, paramésvara, line 12, him homage; who by the weight of battle had and dandapásika, line 15; the employment of broken, like a wide-spreading tree, the large the guttural nasal instead of the anusvára in force of the Turushkas, on whom wounds had vanie, line 24; and the fact that ba is every been inflicted;" and who, by destroying in where denoted by the sign for va.
Kurukshetra the array of the elephants of The inscription may be divided into two his enemies, had acquired for himself the name parts, the first of which extends from line 1 of Karivarsha. . up to the words iti śubham in lino 28, while I may state here at once that the mention of the second comprises the short remaining por- Salavahana, the predecessor of Somavarmation up to the end.
dêva, and of Asatadêva, his successor, enables The first portion is dated, in line 27, on us to fix with certainty the approximate date Sukravara or Friday, the second lunar day of of the grant. According to the Rájatarangini, the light half of Vaisakha, in the first year in vii. 218, the Kaśmiri king Ananta uprooted the angmenting auspicious reign of victory of the king sala of Champ; and according to
• Compare e. g. hala-dasa, dróna-edrdhreapta, and satnika in the plate of Madanavarmadeva of VikramalSamvat 1190, ante, page 207. Similarly, in the Basahi
plate of Govindachandra of [Vikrama)-Samvat 1161, ante, Vol. XIV. page 103, line 8, we must clearly alter sahasaikd to sahasraiki.