Indian Antiquary Vol 18

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

Page 31

JANUARY, 1889.]
From these it appears that the inscription is on two plates, which measure about 1' 6" by 11" each, and which, to judge from the ring-holes at the bottom of the first and at the top of the second plate, are or were held together by a ring. Each plate contains 17 lines of writing. The lower half of the first plate, on the proper left side, and the upper part as well as the proper right side of the second plate, appear to be in a bad state of preservation, so that it is impossible to make out with certainty from the rubbings the proper names of localities and private individuals, contained in these parts of the inscription. The engraving appears to be good. The average size of the letters is about." The characters are Nâgari.-And the language is Sanskrit.
FOLKLORE IN WESTERN INDIA.
21
The inscription is of the time of the Paramabhaṭṭaraka, Mahárájádhirája, and Paramésvara, the illustrious Govindachandradeva of Kanyakubja. In lines 1-12 it gives the usual genealogy of the rulers of Kanyakubja, from Yasovigraha to Govindachandra; and its proper object is to record (lines 13-25), that the Mahúrája-putru, or son of the Mahárója, the illustrious Rajyapaladeva, by the consent of the lotus-feet of the illustrious Govindachandradeva endowed with all royal prerogatives (samasta-rája-prakriy-ôpéta), when encamped at a village the name of which is illegible, granted a village, the name of which also is illegible, in the [Ha ?]thaunda pattalá, to a [Brahman] Thukkura of the Vatsa gôtra, a follower of the Yajurvéda sákhá. The inscription contains the usual admonition to give to the donee whatever by this grant may be due to him (the bhagabhôgakara, pravanikara, játakara, gokara, turushkadanda, etc.), and it contains (lines 25-34) some of the customary benedictive and imprecatory verses. And it closes (in line 34) with the remark that this támra-paṭṭaka was written by the Karanika, the Thakkura the illustrious Vivika.
The date on which this donation was made, is in lines 18-19 given as follows:
(Line 18.) ...... samvatsarêshv-êkâdasa-sa (sa)têshu nava-navaty-adhikêshu Phâlgunêmi(Line 19.) si [gu]kla-pakshê êkâ[da]śyâyâm" tithau Sa(sa)ni-dine tath-ânké-pi samvat 1199 Phalguna su di 11 Sa(sa)nau .... i.e., "in eleven hundred years increased by ninetynine, in the month Phâlguna, in the bright half, on the eleventh lunar day, on a Saturday; in figures also, in the year 1199, Saturday, Phalguna su. di. 11."
Taking this date to be recorded in the Vikrama era, the possible equivalents would be,for the (northern or southern) year 1199 current: Sunday, 8 February, A. D. 1142, when the 11th tithi of the bright half ended about 11h. after mean sunrise;
for the (northern or southern) year 1199 expired: Saturday 27 February, A. D. 1143, when the same 11th tithi ended about 13 h. after mean sunrise.
The true date accordingly is Saturday, 27 February, A.D. 1143; and the year mentioned in the inscription is the Vikrama year 1199 expired.
FOLKLORE IN WESTERN INDIA.
BY PUTLIBAI D. H. WADIA.
No. XIII.-The Floating Palace, or the Three Wise Precepts.
Once upon a time there lived in a certain city a merchant who had an only son. When this son came of age, the father, with a view to put his business capacities to the test, proposed to place at his disposal a sum of money large enough to enable him to begin life as a respectable merchant, but with this proviso, that if, at the end of a certain period, the merchant found that the young man had made good use of the money entrusted to him and showed an aptitude for business, he would leave him in his will all his immense wealth, but if, on the contrary, he found that his son was wanting in that foresight and shrewdness which are the characteristics of a merchant, and launched into unprofitable speculations and thus lost money, he would disinherit him without mercy.
Read ékádalydm.