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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[DROEMBER, 1928
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Atharvanacharya, who lived about the end of the eleventh century or the beginning of the twelfth, says in his Tirilinga Sabdanusasanam,
'जयति प्रसिद्ध लोके सर्वलक्षण लक्षितम् । शब्दं त्रिलिङ्ग शब्दाना मधर्वण कवेः कृतिः ॥ करोमि शब्द शब्दानानां त्रिलिशाना सलक्षणम् ।
बार्हस्पत्यानि सूत्राणि काण्वं व्याकरणं विदन् । "May the grammar of Trilinga words, including the science of lakshana, composed by the poet Atharvana find fame in the world. Having studied the rules of Bphaspati and the gram. • mar of Kanva, I shall write a grammar, including lakshana, of the language of the people of Trilinga." Here Trilinga is used in the plural to denote the people. So also in Andhra Kaumudi,
कर्णाटाश्चैव लिङ्ग गूर्जरा राष्ट्रवासिनः ।
द्राविडा द्राविडाः पञ्च विन्ध्य दक्षिण वासिनः ॥ " Karnatas, Trilingas, Gurjaras, the inhabitants of the Rashtra country, (and) Dravidas are the five Dravida (sects) living to the south of the Vindhya (mountains). Karnatas are the people speaking the Kannada language ; Dravidas are the people speaking Tamil; the people of Gujarat are the Gurjaras, and Maharattas are the people of Rashtra. Therefore Trilingas are the people living in the country to the north of the Krishna. In Brahmanda Purana more precise limits of this country are given :
श्रीशैल भीम कालेश महेन्द्रगिरि संयुतम् । प्राकारन्तु महत्कृत्वा त्रीणि द्वारानु चाकरोत् ।। त्रिलोचनो महेश स्स त्रिशूलच्च करे वहन् ॥ त्रिलिङ्गरूपी न्यवसन्त्रि द्वारेषु गणैर्वृतः । अन्नविष्णु स्सुरयुतो दनुजेन निशम्भुना ॥ युद्धवा त्रयोदश युगान् हत्वातु राक्षसोत्तमम् ।। अवस तत्र ऋषिभिर्युतो गोदवरी तटे ।
तत्काल प्रभृति क्षेत्रं त्रिलिजामिति विशतम् ॥ "Designing an extensive frontier comprising Sri Saila, Bheemesvara, (DAksharama) Kalaga and Mahendra mountain, (he) made three gates (in it). The three-eyed god, Mahesa, holding the trident in his hand and attended by his followers, posted himself at the three gates in the form of three lingas. Andhra Vishnu, helped by the gods, fought for thirteen ages with the giant Nisambhu and killed that best of the rakshasds. He then took up his residence on the banks of the Godavari ; since then the country is known as Trilinga."
Whatever be the extent of the country, the central seat was on the banks of the Godavari, and that was Trilinga. The region of which Trilinga was the capital was known by the same name. Regions under the control of a government are called after the place where that government is located Kingdoms in vaded by Samudragupta are indicated by their capital towns. The nadus, regions, take their name from the chief city in them; e.g., Vêgi-nadu is the country under the sway of Vengi.
The various sects amongst the Brahmans of Southern India adopt the name of the region from which they originally came. Vegi-nadu Brahmans were the natives of the region around Veigi%3; so were the Kosala-nadus and Vela-nadus. The sect of Brahmans called Telaganyulu must have been at one time, the natives of the region of Telanga; for TelagAnyulu is a modification of Telanga-nadulu.
This sectarian division on the regional basis was not confined to the Brahmans alone. Amongst the sadras is a class known as the Telagas, which is merely a corruption of Telanga. The Sadras of Kalinga are known as the Kalingas; those of the country around
