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230
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
1 DECEMBER, 1928
A NOTE ON THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE LATER PRATIHARAS.
By NIHARRANJAN RAY, M.A. THE career of Mahendrapala, one of the ablest, most powerful and best remembered of the Pratibåra kings of Kanguj, came to an end in the last years of the first decade of the tenth century A.D. Indeed, the last known date of his reign is 964 v.s., which corresponds to A.D. 907-8. He had at least two queens to whom we are introduced by the Bengal Asiatic Society's grant of the Maharaja Vinê yakapala. Queen DehanAgadevi gave her king Mahendrapala one son, the illustrious Maharaja Bhojadeva (II) and queen Mahidevi. devi (Mahd according to the Pratabgarh inscription") gave another, the illustrious Maharaja Vinayakapåladeva. The Agni inscription of v.8.974* mentions one Mahisapáladeva (Mahindapala as Kielhorn reads it) with his son Mahipala as Maharajadhirajas. Mahişa or Mahindapala has been identified with Pratibâra Mahendrapala, and so we are introduced to a third son of this monarch, namely Mahîpåla. A passage in Rajasekhara's Prachanda Pandava seems to support the information obtained from the Asni inscription. From this passage we come to know that the play was stayed before an assemblage of guests who were invited by Mahipala, born of the lineage of Raghu, son of Nirbhayanarendra, Lord of Aryavarta. The identification of this Nirbhayanarendra with Mahendrapala Pratihåra of Kanauj is also an accepted conclusion, so that there remains very little doubt as to Mahîpala's being a third Bon of Mahendrapaladeva.
Dr. Kielhorn, while editing the Khajuraho inscription of the Chandela king Yasovarman, v.s. 1011=953-54 A.D.," and the Siyadoni stone inscription, v.g. 1006 = 948-49 A.D.7, came of the opinion that the Hayapati Devapala, son of Herambapala of Yasovarman's inscription is identical with the Paramabhattáraka Maharajadhiraja Parameswara the illustrious Devapala, son of Ksitipala of the Siyadoni inscription. Kșitipala and Herambapåla must thus naturally have been the one and the same person. And as Ksiti and Mahi were synonymous. it was easy to conclude that Mahîpåla, Kșitipala and Herambapala were all identical. . While reconsidering the dates and the genealogical data of the Dighwa Dubauli Plate of Mahendrapala and Bengal Asiatic Society's grant of Vinayakapala, Prof. D. R. Bhandarkar pointed out that, Heramba and Vinayaka being synonymous, Herambapâla should be identified with Vinayakapala.8 Kielhorn's chronology, therefore, stood thus :
DehanAgádevi = Mahendrapala = Mahîdevidevi.
Bhojadeva (II)
Mahipala
(alias Kşitipala (Kielhorn) alias Herambapála (Bhandarkar)..
alias Vinayakapila After the discovery of the Prat&bgarh inscription of the time of Mahendrapaladeva (II) of Mahodaya, v.s. 1003=945-46 A.D., Pandit G. H. Ojha reconsidered the genealogical arrangement. He accepted the identification of Mahipala and Kșitipala, but rejected that of Vinayakapala and Herambapala on the grounds (1) that Hayapati Devapala could not be the same as Devapala of Mahodaya 'on the casual mention of the former in an inscription
1 Siyadoni Inscriptions, line 4, Ep. Ind., vol. 1, p. 162 ff., Kielhorn. 3 Bengal Asiatic Society's grant of Vinayakapala, Ind. Ant., vol. XV, p. 140. Fleet. 3 Pratabgarh Inscription, Ep. Ind., vol. XIV, p. 178. G. H. Ojha. • The Agni Inscription, Ep. Ind., vol. I, pp. 170-71. 0 The Date of Poet Rajasekhara, Ind. Ant., vol. XVI, p. 177. Fleet. 6 Khajuraho Inscription of Yasovarman, Ep. Ind., vol. I, p. 172. Kielhorn. ? Op.cit. For the views of Kielhorn, see Ep. Ind., vol. I, p. 122 ff. and p. 162 8 Bo. Br. R. A.S., vol. XXI, pp. 406-7. Bhandarkar.
