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DECEMBER, 1928)
CHRONOLOGY OF THE LATER PRATIHARAS
233
A.D., son of Kşitipala, alias Mahipala, alias Bhoja (II) of the Siyadoni inscription. We thus see that Vinayakapala (I) of date 931 A.D. was followed by his son Mahendrapala (II) of date 946 A.D.; Mahendra pâla (II) was followed by Devapala of date 947-48 A.D. and Devapala by Vinayakapala (II) of date 953-54 A.D.
Here we are introduced to another Gurjara-Pratihara king by the Byâna Utkha Mandir inscription of Chitralekha, noticed by Mr. R. D. Banerjee in the Pro. Report of the Arch. Survey of India, Western Circle, 1919.14 The inscription, to which my attention was drawn by Prof. Bhandarkar, was incised in the month of Magh, v.s. 1012=957-58 A.D., and records the erection of a temple of Vişnu by a queen named Chitralekha during the reign of an emperor Maharajadhiraja Mahipala. Mr. R. D. Banerjee has shown that this Maharajadhiraja Mahîpåla was certainly a later Pratibâra king and that he must have come after Devapala of date 947-48 A.D. As Vinayaka påla of date 953-54 A.D., is earlier than this Mahipala (whom it is convenient to designate as Mahipala II) of date 957-58 A.D. we may assume that Devapala was succeeded by Vinayaka påla (II) and Vinayakapala (II) by Mahipala (II).
The Rajor-gadh inscription of Mathanadeva of date 960 A.D.15 introduces us to a Prati hara king named Vijayapala, who is said to have meditated at the feet of an emperor called Kgitipala. Whether this Kșitipala had been the same as the father of Devapala of the Siyadoni inscription (alias Mahipala, alias Bhoja II) or whether Ksitipala was, as is probable, a synonym and only another name of Mahipala (II) of the Byånå inscription of Chitralekha, it is difficult at present to ascertain. As the latter one is highly probable, there is also no strong ground against the former assumption, for the son of the father who had been reigning in 917 A.D. might well have reigned in 960 A.D.
Vijayapála was probably succeeded by Rajyapala and Rajyapala by Trilochanapala, for all these three kings are said to have reigned in succession in the Bengal Asiatic Society's grant of Trilochanapala of date 1027 A.D.16
It is true that the mutual relations of these kings cannot definitely be ascertained, but the order of succession, as given below, seems to be vouchsafed by the respective dates assigned to them.
To make a possible and convenient suggestion, it is probable that the 5th king Vinayakapåla was the son of the 3rd king Mahendrapala (II), for it was natural for him to take the name of his grandfather, as had so often been the case in ancient Indian royal dynasties. In the same way, it is also probable that the 6th king Mahîpala (II) was the son of the 4th king Devapala, whose father was again Mahîpala (I). And as Mahîpala (I) had another name, Kşitipala, so also Mahîpåla (II) might possibly have another name (like his grandfather), namely Kșitipala, who according to Mathanadeva's inscription was the immediate predecessor and probably the father of Vijayapala.
According to the arrangement made below we have four kings, Nos. 3-6, i.e., from Mahendrapala (II) to Mahipala (II) reigning in succession within the short span of less than ten years i.e., from 945-46 to 954-55 A.D. But such instances are not at all rare in history, 17 and there is nothing to be surprised at in this, especially when we remember that with Mahîpåla (1) alias Bhoja (II) the glorious days of the Pratihara empire were gone, and the disruption had begun. Nearer home feudatories were daily declaring independence and striking their blows at the
14 Byânâ inscription of Chitralokha. Pro. R.A.S., Western Circle, 1919, pp. 43-44. R.D.B. 15 Rajor Inecription of Mathanadeva. Ep. Ind., vol. III, p. 265.
10 Bengal A. S. grant of Trilochanapala, Ind. Ant., vol. XVIIT, pp. 33 ff., in which is mentioned the Rames of three kings Vijayapala, Rajyapala and Trilochanapala who reigned in succession.
19 "In Vengi three Eastern Chalukya monarchs, viz., Vijay Aditya IV, his son Ammer&js I and Ammaraja's son, another Vijay Aditya, ruled only for seven years, six and a half months. In Kasmira five kings, viz., Suravárman I, Parth, Samkaravardhana, Unmattavanti and Suravarman II, ruled within six years (A.D. 933-39); and three generations of kings, viz., Yasaskara, his uncle Varpaa, and his son Samgr. madeva, ruled for ten years (A.D. 039-919)." Political History, p. 365, 2nd ed. Raychaudhuri. Other instances might also be cited.
