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MAY, 1892.)
BHADRABAHU AND. CHANDRAGUPTA.
159
is not dated. But the lithographic Plate which is given by Mr. Rice, shows that the engraving of it is to be allotted to approximately the seventh century A. D.: it may possibly be
trife earlier; and equally, it may possibly be somewhat later. And, interpreting the record in the customary manner, viz. as referring to an event almost exactly synchronous with the engraving of it, we can only take it as commemorating the death of #Jain teacher named Prabhachandra, in or very near to the period A.D. 600 to 700. Who this Prabhachandra was, I am not at present able to say. But he cannot be Prabhachandra L. of the paljávali of the Sarasvati-Gachchha (ante, Vol. XX. p. 351), unless the chronological details of that record, -20cording to which Prabhachandra I., became pontiff in A. D. 396, - are open to very considerable rectification. And I should think that he must be a different person, for whose identification we have to look to southern records not as yet available.
As regards Bhadrabshusvåmin, all that should have been of necessity plain at the time when Mr. Rice dealt finally with this inscription, is, that he is not the Sruta-Kavalin Bhadrabahu. Now that Dr. Hoernle has published the pattávali of the Sarasvati-Gachchha, he is easily capable of identification. He is andoubtedly Bhadrabahu II., the last but ono of the Minor-Argins who is represented as becoming pontiff in B. C. 53 (ante, Vol. XX. pp. 349-51.)
The same pallávali enables us to looate properly the Chandragupta of the Sravana-Belgola traditions and inscriptions. Sach of them as make him & disciple of the Sruta-Kévalin Bhadrabaho, are plainly mistaken. He is evidently Guptigupta, the disciple of Bhadrabahu II., - otherwise named Arhadbalin and Visakhâcharya, - who, according to the same record, became pontiff in B. C. 31 (ante, Vol. XX. pp. 350, 351). And this brings us to a point in which the local traditions are possibly more correct than the northern records. The pafiávali in question tells us that one of Guptigupta's disciples, Maghanandin, established the NandiSangha or Balatkara-Gana, as a division of the Mala-Satgha itself. Both names of the gana, as well as that of the Mula-Samgha, are of frequent occurrence, in connection with teachers belonging to it, in inscriptions in the Kanarese country; where, however, the gana is perhaps mentioned most often as the Balatkara-Gapa. This appellation for it is attributed by Dr. Hoernle to Guptigupta's name of Arhadbalin. Agana of his own is allotted to Chandragupta, i. e. to Guptigupta, by inscription No. 40 at Sravana-Belgoļa (see the words quoted from it, on page 156 above), which ultimately deals with the Dest-Gaņa as a division of the Nandi-Gana in the Mala-Sangha, placing it in the lineage (anvaya) of Kondakanda, just as the lineage of the latter is placed in the lineage of Chandragupta, i. e. of Gaptigupta. And the fact that the inscription with which we have been dealing, and others on the Chandragiri hill which similarly record the deaths of Jain ascetics, lie in such & position that they have to be read with the face directed towards the front of the so-called Chandragupta-basti, indicates plainly that gime peculiar sanctity or reverence attached to the person commemorated by that shrine. There can be little doubt that the ascetics in question belonged to the same sect with that person; that he was the traditional foonder of the sect; and that the tradition at SravansBelgola was that the Balatkara-Ghans was really founded by the Chandragupts of the inscriptions, i. e. by Guptigupta, the disciple of Bhadrababu II.8
Wbile recognising, approximately, the period to which the characters really belong, Mr. Rice (loc. cit. p. 15) arrived at the conclusion that, "il this interesting inscription did not provode the Christian era, it unyuestionably belongs to the earliest part of that ora and is cortainly not later than about 100 A.D." But there are no substantial grounds for this view, which depends chiefly apyn Mr. Rice's acceptance as genuine, of the spurious Western Gaiga grants. Unfortanately, much of what would otherwise be valuable work by him, is always vitiated in the same way.
• In connection with division of the Nandi-Barghs, the body of saints of Guptigupta" is mentioned in the Kadab grant, which purports to be dated in Baka-Sat vat 735 (ante, Vol. XII. p. 11.). Ard inscription No. 105 ia Mr. Rioo's book, dated Saku Sath vat 1820, speaks o! Achadbalin, apparentiy establishing a four-fold division of the sathgh.
