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APRIL, 1918)
THE PRATIHARA OCCUPATION OF MAGADHA
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3. The Bhagalpur grant of Nârâyaņapala of the year 17. This proves that Mudgagiri or Munger was in the possession of Narayanapala up to the 17th year of his reign.
4. The Bihar image inscription of the year 54. Though the find pot of this image is uncertain the mention of Uddandapura in the record proves that the city was included in the dominions of Narayanapala in that year. There is a blank between the years 17 and 54 and in these thirty-seven years the Gurjaras may have temporarily occupied Eastern Magadha. Such occupation could not have been of a permanent nature as Eastern Magadha was in the occupation of Narayanapala in his 54th year.
5. No records of the reign of Rajyapala, son of Narayana pala, were known when my monograph on the Palas was published. Two or three years ago Mr. Puran Chand Nahar, M.A., B.L., Zamindar of Azimganj, Murshidabad, discovered an inscription of Rajyapâla in the Jain temple at Bargaon near Bihar in the Patna District of Bihar and Orissa. Bargaon is the site of the ancient Nalanda. A Jain temple, amidst the ruins, is the oldest temple at that place. Mr. Nahar informs me that there are four stone pillars at this place, all of the same design. The record is incised on one of these pillars. Mr. Nahar has kindly supplied me with four inked impressions of this record from which I edit it. It consists of five lines; the language is incorrect Sanskrit verging on Prakrit. The object of the inscription is to record the visit (?) of one Vaidanatha (Vaidyanatha), son of Manoratha of the merchant family, to the temple in the month of Mârgga (kirsa), in the 24th year of the reign of the illustrious Råja pala (Rajyapala).
Text. 1. Om Samvat 24 Margga dine. 2. Sri-Rajapala-cleva-ra3. je Vanika-kule Manora4. -tha-sutena Sri-Váidanatha 3 5. Devathane paranavata
Translation. " In the year 24, the--day of Mârgga (sirsha), in the reign of the illustrious Rajapala (Raivapala) the illustrious Vaida-natha (Vaidyanatha) son of Manoratha of the merchant family, bows in the temple."
This inscription proves that Rajyapâla reigned for at least 24 years and in that year Nålanda, and most probably the whole of South Bihar belonged to him. This is the first inscription of Rajyapala that has been discovered as yet. Two inscriptions of Gopala II., the son and successor of Rajyapåla has been discovered ; one at Bargaon and the other at Bodh Gaya. These prove that Gopala II. recovered the whole of Bihar from the Gurjaras. Only one record of Vigrahapala II. has been discovered as yet. It is the colophon of a MS. copied in the 26th year of his reign. But this does not help us in determining the western limit of the Pala kingdom. Mahipala I., the son of Vigrahapala II., possessed the whole of Bihar and & series of records prove that Mahipala I., Nayapala, Vigrahapala III. and Râmapåla ruled over Eastern Magadha.
* Read Vaidyandtha.
4 Read Pranavati. The form pranavati for pranamat is to be found in one of the Bacabar cavo inscriptions where we have : Acarya-Srt-Desanan da pranavati Siddhasnara.
