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JULY, 1922]
DATE OF LAKSHMANASENA AND HIS PREDECESSORS
147
मीमांसानवमातलस्मृतिपरामर्शकर
वेदांगागमतत्वनिस्वपमतिं मन्येऽत्रपृथ्वीपतिः ॥ gragrafta num fæst sitear afteargeftवंशोत्तंसमहार्षरत्नमनश्रीः श्रीनिवासं व्यधात् ||
So this Srinivasa "a priceless jewel of the ornament of the Mahintapant family" can easily be identified with the celebrated author of the Suddhidipika, who is also styled in colophons as affa. His date can be definitely fixed by the following quotation in Sarvânanda's farade (Triv. Sans. Series, Pt. I, p. 91):
afemarargate (194) war
इदानीचैकाशीतिवर्षाधिकसहसैक्रपर्यन्तेन शकाइकालेन ( १०८२ ) षष्टिवर्षाधिकद्विचत्वारिंशच्छतानि förarnait-sikarar: "afkumarar: Gazanıyanaity" || The famous commentator Râyamukuta, who was himself of the Mahintapani family, leaves us in no doubt as to the identity of the author of the lost Ganitachûddmani by thus improving on the gloss of Sarvânanda 12:
तथा च गणितचूडामणी महिन्तापनीय - राजपंडित श्रीनिवासः " कलिसन्ध्यायाः
Srinivasa, therefore, wrote in 1081 Saka (1159-60 A. D.) and his patron Vallâla cannot be placed half-a-century earlier.
Lastly, Sridharadasa, author of the Saduktikarṇamrita, which was written in 1206 A.D., was the son of Vatudâsa, a friend and feudatory of Lakshmanasena. 12 This points to the latter half of the 12th century A.D. as the probable date of Lakshmanasena. The cumulative effect of these numerous literary references is, we think, enough to rebut the almost absurd position taken by Mr. R. D. Banerjea, when he remarked-"If on later enquiry these verses can be found in all the MSS. discovered, even then they cannot be accepted as basis for the construction of a chronology, so long as they are to be found in modern MSS." (The Palas of Bengal, p. 105.)
The literary evidence is definitely supported by historical evidence. In the Deopâdâ inscription there are two verses (20 and 21) recording the conquests of Vijayasena. The manner of the verses seems to indicate that Vijayasena considered himself glorious by defeating several kings, presumably of long-established reputation, especially Nânya (deva) of Mithila; who is mentioned first of all in both the verses and it may be fairly assumed that it was Vijayasena, and not Nânyadeva, who must have survived the other. The traditional date of Nanyadeva of Mithila is 1089-1125 A.D., which is remarkably verified by a known date (1097 A.D.) and the following stanza recording the date of an erection 13:
wegingewaan ayah fan graferfl
स्वाति (?) रहने करिवेरिन श्रीमान्यदेवनृपतिर्विदधीत वास्तुम् ॥
Though we are unable to trace this verse to any authoritative work, it looks like a genuine record, which quite regularly works out to be July 18, 1097 A.D., morning Sudi 7, Saturday, and Svati. On the other hand the date of Vijayasena, according to Mr. Banerjea, would be 1076-1108 A.D. at the latest, and from the recently published Barrackpur plate of Vijayasena, dated, according to Mr. Banerjea, in his 32nd year, we gather that Vallâlasena had already taken over charge (in 1108 A.D. at the latest) of royal affairs, as he finds honorable place in the metrical portion of the inscription in the right royal fashion with his viruda far: attached
11 Eggeling: I. O. Cat., p. 271.
12 Chakravarti: JASB., 1906, p. 174.
13 Vanglár Purdvritta by P. C. Banerjea, pp. 255-56 (foot-note). Also The Brahmans and Kayasthas of Bengal, by G. N. Dutt (Madras, 1906), p. 76, for the length of Nanyadeva's reign. The verse quoted is found in several other vernacular works in Bengal, none of which cite the original source. For the known date, vide Ep. Ind., Vol. I., p. 309.
