Indian Antiquary Vol 47

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 161

JUNE, 1918]
DEKKAN OF THE SATAVAHANA PERIOD
151
Åkara and the western Avanti country as has been taken by Pandit Bhagwanlal Indraji.10 The latter proposal is against the Sanskrit idiom.11 Avanti, of course, is another name for Ujjayini (Ujjain), and Akara, I think, is identical with the ancient midland town of Ågar, 40 miles NNE. of Ujjain from which the Bania caste Agarval derives its name.lu
Gautamiputra is also styled 'lord of the following mountain ranges: 1. Vijha = Vindhya, here denoting the portion of the Vindhya range oast of Bhopal.
2. Achhavata = Rikshavat "the Satpuşk Hills, and the hills oxtending through the middle of Berar and the south of Chuţia Nagpur nearly into West Bengal." 13
3. Parivata - Pariyâtra, the portion of the Vindhya ranges west of Bhopal. 4. Sahya - the Sahyadris.
5. Kanhagiri - Kțishnagiri, doubtless the mountain on which Kanhert in the Thana district is situated and from which it derives its name. It is mentioned as KapbaselaKrishnasaila in insoriptions of Kazhori Caves
6. Macha-not identified so far.
7. Sirifana - Sristana, probably the same as Bri-saila or Śrt-parvata, the name of a mountain on the river Kistna in the Karnul District."
8. Malaya--the southern portion of the Western Ghâts.
9. Mahinda = Mahendra, the great range between the Mahanadi and Goddrarti in Eastern Indis--the Eastern Ghats.
10. Setagiri-not yet identified,
11. Chakora.--The Markandeya Purana mentions it along with Sri-parvata (Sirijana). It may have been in the same locality.
The specification of the mountain ranges is apt to lead one to suppose that Gautamiputra was the lord of the whole Dakshinapatha or Southern India. Thoir mention, however, need not mean that he was the lord of each whole range. If part of any rango ran through his dominions, it would justify a panegyrist in calling him its lord. This Gautamiputra was not the master of the whole of Southern India is olearly proved by the fact that Ptolemy, while reforring to his son Pulumavi who reigned conjointly with him speaks not of one but of six kings as ruling over different parts of Dakshinapatha, along with Palumavi. Thus we have not only Polemaios (Puļumávi ) reigning at Paithan but also Baleokuros at Hippokoura, Kerolothros (Keralaputra) at Karoara (Kärdt), Pandion ( Pandya) at Modoura (Madura) and so forth. The list of the countries, however gives us a better idea of the extent of Gautamiputra's territory. It shows that he hold the whole of the country watered by the Godê vari, Berar, MAlwa, Kathilwar, Gujarat and Northern Konkan.
The object of the large inscription alluded to above (Inaoription No. 2) is to record the grant of Nasik Cave No. 3 to the Bhadrayanfya sect of Buddhist monks by Gautami,16
10 Above, vii. 259 : BG., I. i. 36 and XVI. 631. 11 See also the translation of this passage from the Junagadh insoription by Kiolhom (BI., VIII. 47). 11 BG., X. i. 70.
13 Pargiter, Markandeya Purdna, 840.. 14 Ibid, 290.
15 Above XIII. 366.8. 16 Bühler and M. Senart take Balasiri to be ths proper name of this Queen (ASWI., IV. 109; EI., VIII. 62). But this is highly improbable, because Balasiri dons not sound to be proper name, and seems to be as much an attributive me the other phrases following it. Noe is Gautam propor name. It only means that through her father she belonged to the Gotama gofra. Similar instances are Våsishthl, MAdhari and so forth. This reminds us of the unge still ourrons in Rajputand where.no Rant is known by her proper name, but only by hor olan name.