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SEPTEMBER, 1911.)
EPIGRAPHIC NOTES AND QUESTIONS
237
EPIGRAPHIC NOTES AND QUESTIONS.
BY D. B. BHANDARKAR, M.A., POONA. (Continued from Jour. Bomb. ds. Soc., Vol. XXIIT., p. 106.)
VIII.-The Kailasa Temple at Elart. DR. R. G. BHANDARKAR was the first to show from two verses in the Baroda grant of the
Gujarat king Kakkaraja that the temple of Kailasa at Elûra was built by Krishnaraja I of the Râshtrakūta dynasty, 1 The verses are -
एलापुराचलगताडुतसनिवेशं
बहीवविस्मितविमानचरामरेन्द्राः। GET(TPT) OTTA Teraw
दृष्टे इतीति सततं बहु चर्चवन्ति ।। भूयस्तथाविधकृती बवसायहा[ ने.
रेसन्मवा कथमही कृतमित्यकस्मात् । कर्नापि वस्व खलु विस्मबमाप शिल्पी (1)
TO 4 CET [] His translation is :
"That king), by whom, verily, was caused to be constructed a temple on the hill at Elâpara, of a wonderful structure-on seeing which the best of immortals who move in celestial cars, struck with astonishment, think much constantly, saying, .This temple of Siva is self-existent; in a thing made by art such beauty is not seen', a temple the architect-builder of which, in consequence of the failure of his energy as regards the construction of another such work, was himself suddenly #truck with astonishment, saying, Ob, how was it that I built it!"
Here the points involved are two: (1) that Eläpura is identical with Elära; and (2) that Kailasa can by its stupendous nature be the only temple referred to as striking one with astonishment. Both these conclusions are correct. For, in the first place, Eläpura can easily run into Eldra or Verů). But if any further proof is needed, it is supplied by a local mahatmya, professing to be part of the Padmapurúņa. Verse 38 of the first chapter is: -
शिवालयं कृते माम शिवस्थान परे बुगे ।
तस्मादेलापुरं नाम नागस्थानं कलो युगे। From this it appears that Elûrê was known as Sivalaya, Sivasthana, Elậpura and Nagasthâna in the Kpita, Treta, Dvâpara and Kali yugas, respectively. We thus find that Elûrai has been actually called Elậpara in the local máhátmya. As regards the second point, Kailâga is a Siva temple and is the most extensive and elaborate of all the cave structures at Elúra, and can alone be taken to answer to the description given in the verses quoted above. This conclusion receives confirmation from another source. On the ceiling and architraves of the front porch of the Kailasa temple are some remains of old paintings. In one of them, "a râjâ is represented seated with a chhatra held over him; to the left some people are paying respects to him, and to the right are two bearded men seated with chhatras. Over the râja is written-Svasti Kannuradevardya." Kannuradeva here, according to Pandit Bhagwanlal Indraji, is "Krishnadeva or Kannaradeva II., of the Nikumbhavamsa who ruled at Patna, probably as feudatories of the Devagiri râjas." But, I think, there cannot be even the shadow of a doubt as to this Kannuradevaraya being the Rashtrakůta sovereign Ksigbộarajadeva I., especially if we remember that he is the only prince of the name Kannaradeva who is represented to have built a colossal temple at Elậpara. The Kailasa temple must, therefore, be supposed to have been built by this Rashtrakūta king, and this explains why his painting
1 Above, VOL XII, pp. 228-30. Archæological Survey of India by Dr. Barges, No. 10, p. 97.
