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210
• THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JULY, 1889.
The inscription was composed by Prithvidhara, the son of Dharanidhara, and engraved by Mahîdhara? (lines 17-20); and its proper object is to record (in lines 5-17) the erection of a temple of 'Siva by a Pasupata (or pánchárthika) ascetic, named Bhavabrahman, a disciple of the ascetic Bhavatējas of the Ananta gótra. There is nothing of special interest in this part of the inscription, excepting the name Gåhunda in line 15, which appears to be a local designation of Siva.
By way of introduction it is stated in lines 3-4) that in the gôtra of Atri there was the king Karnadeva, whose son was the king Yasaḥkarna, from whom again sprang the ruling king Gayakarnadeva ; and (in lines 4-5) the wish is expressed that this Gayåkarna, together with his son, the Yuvarája or heir apparent, Narasimha, may rule the earth for ever. And Gayakarnadeva is mentioned again in the date, in the concluding lines 20 22, according to which this eulogy was put up " on Arkavåra or Sunday, on the first lunar day in the bright half of the month 'Sachi (or Ashadha), while the illustrious Gayákarnadeva was protecting the country, when the Chedi time had gone on increasing to nine hundred and a couple of years ;" i. e, in the Chidi year 902, on Sunday, the first of the bright half of Ashadha.
In the original, the first portion of the date (nava-sata-yugal-abel-athilya-ge Chedi-disht) is oddly expressed; but as, with the exception of the first akshara in line 21, which might possibly be nká, every letter of the original is perfectly clear, and since nava-sata is 900 and yugala
a pair' or 'couple' or 'two,' I do not see how nava-sata-ywala could mean anything but 902. Nor have I any doubt about the meaning of Chedi-dishte; for according to the lexicographers dishta is one of the synonyms of kúla, and Chéli-dishta therefore is equivalent to Chédi. kála, with which may be compared the well-known Málava-kala, used to indicate another era. I need hardly point out that, even if it had not been dated, the present inscription, in which Narasimba is described as Yuarája, would necessarily have had to be placed before the Chedi year 907, the date of Alhaņadevi's inscription in which the same Narasimhadêva is spoken of as ruling prince.
As regards the European equivalent of the date, I have shown ante, Vol. XVII. p. 216, No. 5, that, with my epoch of the Chedi era, it is Sunday, 17th June, A. D. 1151 ; and having convinced myself that Sir A. Cunningham's latest statements regarding the original date are substantially correct, I now attach to the date its due value for helping to fix the epoch of the Chedi era.
TEXT.5
1 Om namah Sivaya | Trailokya-saudha-silpiyasetrivedi-vakya-satkavih nitya
prayatna vô(bô)dh-chchhah sô=shţamârttih śriyemstu vah 11 2 Kaladhauta7.saktir=iva chandra-kala jayati Smarinta ka-sirô-vidhřitâ alik-Akshi
vahni-janit-ôgra-trisha sutayî gi3 rêh surasarit-payasê !! Atrêya-gotre Skhila-râja-chakra-jigishu-rajó-jani Karnna
dovaḥ | tasmad Yasahkarnna-narêsva(sva). 4 rô-bhůt=tasy=âtmajô=yam Gaya karnnadevah | A-kalpamo prithivi sastu erit
Gayakarnna-partthivah sangatô Narasimhêna yu
2 The same persons are mentioned in lines 26-29 of the inscription of Alhamadevi of the Chedi year 907; Journal Americ. Or. Soc. Vol. VI. p. 508, and Archæol. Survey of Western India, No. 10, p. 109. And, as was first pointed ont by Dr. Hall, in Jour. Am. Or. Soc. Vol. VI. p. 533, Námadiva, the son of Mahidhara, engraved an inscription (unpublished) of the year 926, which is now in the Nagpur Museum.
- The dictionaries have no quotation for this word from the actual literature. Ita meaning is evident from the Sarvaduriand-authgraha; see translation by Cowell and Gough, p. 103.
• Compare, e. 9., Amarakása, Bo. Ed., p. 92, l. 8, k disht apy-anh-pi.The word dishta does not appear to have been met with before, in this sense, in actual literature. Our writer, in my opinion, preferred it to the ordi. nary word kala, because it begins with the same syllable with which the word Chidi ends. 5 From the rubbing.
6 Metre, Slöka (Anushtubh). 1 Metre, PramitAkshara; the second half of this verse does not admit of a proper construction. • Metre, Upajati.
9 Metre, Sloka (Anushțubh).
