Indian Antiquary Vol 48

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

Page 149

AUGUST, 1919]
MISCELLANEA
in vain to break up this combination and that was the reason why he had to send his armies to the Godâvarî, Kalingam and even as far as the further end of Chakrakottam as the inscription has it. The triple alliance was eminently successful in its main object of frustrating the absorption of Vêngî in the Chôla empire though Vijayâditya had to return to the status quo and acknowledge Chôla sovereignty over him as of old. Thus Vikramaditya averted an impending catastrophe in the north and maintained the balance of power by eminently transforming the situation in Vêigi, Kalinganagara and Chakrakôjta by means of timely alliances with their rulers. While he was thus returning from his arduous exploits in the north he heard that his father, who had been suddenly seized with a strong fever, finding the pain unbearable and the end inevitable, had gone to the Tungabhadrâ and after performing the rites of the supreme yoga at Kuruvartti, had drowned himself amidst the din of waves and musical instruments on the 29th or 30th March, A.D. 1068,34
Résumé of Vikramaditya's work under Ahavamalla.
Thus for nearly a quarter of a century, Vikramaditya, the worthy son of a noble father associated himself with the latter in almost all his great undertakings and shared all his burdens. In his two descents on the south, in his successful intervention in the internal affairs of Malava and in his diplomatic transformation of the situation in Vêngî and the north eminently favorable to the Chalukya interests, he gave tokens of rare strategic capacity, originality of conception, boldness of resolution and rapidity of action which would have won immortal historic fame for any general. Nay, more, in these brilliant campaigns were laid the foundations of Vikramaditya's future greatness as an administrator, for, talented beyond measure as he was by nature, he had the good fortune to be thus trained under and associated with Ahavamalla, who was without doubt one of the greatest warriors and statesmen of the times.
MISCELLANEA.
145
RASHTRIYA.
According to Rudradâman's inscription on the great edict rock at Girnår in Kathiâvada, a lake called Sudarsana near the edict rock was originally made by Pushyagupta,the Vaisys, who is described as a rashtriya of the Maurya Emperor Chandragupta. In the Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. I, Part I, p. 13, the word 'rashtriya' was taken to mean a brother-in-law. Kielhorn, however, in the Epigraphia Indica, Vol. VIII, p. 46, took the term to mean a provincial governor. Neither the Arthafastra nor the edicts of Piyadasi mention any class of officials oalled råshtriyas. The Kumaras' are mentioned as, the provincial governors in Aioka's edicts. We have, however, excellent testimony to the employ. ment of råshirapala to designate certain officers
Vik. Oharita, IV, 44-68; Epi. Carn., VII, death a falzsamadhi.
whose salary was equal to that of aj Kumara (Kautilya's Arthasâstra Book V, chap. III).
If, as is probable, râshtrapâla and rashtriya are synonymous terms, it is reasonable to suggest that the Maurya governors were divided into two classes:
1. The princely viceroys who were called Kumaras.
2 Viceroys not belonging to the royal family
who were called rashtrapálas or råshtriyas.
TUSHASPHA, THE YAVANARAJA. The Sudarsana lake originally made by Pushyagupta was afterwards adorned with conduits for Ahoka Maurya by the Yavanaraja Tashaspha Dr. Vincent Smith says that the form of the name shows that the Yavanaraja must have been a
Sk. 136. Sir R. G. Bhandarkar calls this mode of