Indian Antiquary Vol 57

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 31

FRUARY, 1928
MOUNT DEVAGIRI IX KALIDASA'S MEGHADURA
A POSSIBLE IDENTIFICATION OF THE MOUNT DEVAGIRI MENTIONED
IN KALIDASA'S MEGHADUTA.'
BY A. S. BHANDARKAR, B.A., (HARVARD). ABOUT six miles due south-east of Indore there is a group of four mountains one of which is known as Devagurådå. There is a small village on its slope and two temples, one of which, the bigger one, is said to have been built by Ahalyabdi Holkar (1767-1795). It does not seem likely, however, that she should have built a new temple of such dimensions in an obscure village, and there is ample evidence to show that it must be a renovation or reconstruction of an older temple or part of it in ruins. There are, for instance, stray relics in stone in the im. mediate neighbourhood within a few hundred yards of the temple, and the photographs of three such are given herewith. One of them looks like a usindåvana, is hollow inside only at the top and has niches at the sides. Another representing one of a similar group has a Siva's pindi and his sacred bull, Nandi, sculptured on it. The nail-shaped decoration that is seen bere borders also the high plinth of the bigger temple and is likewise found on the walls of a few huts, both of which must be thus evidently built or constructed, at least partly, from the ruins of a temple, and the combination of the old and new structure can be distinctly distinguished in some cases. Still another relic has marks of two footprints in the middle, with the sun and the moon to the left and right of them ; some other murks can be discerned below, but they are indistinct. The sun and the moon may respectively be the symbols of Suryavami and Somavamki Kshatriyas who claim descent from them. To the right of the larger temple there is a much smaller one, built of uncarved stone, with two storeys, the lower of which is several feet below the ground while the upper one is partly so. There are brioks only in the roof of the upper storey, which thus shows its recent origin. This temple, too, bespeaks the existence of an ancient temple with its base below the present ground level, for, it is not likely that anybody would ever excavate, much less build a new temple below the ground. There is now a modern Siva's pindi in the temple, and four cemented pillars, possibly of comparatively recent date, are in front. They however look much older than the date of reconstruction of either of the temples, as only two of them are erect, the third buried firmly in a slanting position almost touching the ground, while the fourth is lying prostrate upon it. These pillars have two iron cores in each of them. The picture of the temple shows the upper storey and the opening of the stone stair-way leading below to the lower one. The long-prevalent custom, existing since days long before Ahilyabai of holding an annual fair at the village on the Sivaratri day also speaks of a whilom sacredness of the place in connection with the god Siva. Quarries of stone and chalk, important building materials, are found on the mountain.
Kalidasa mentions in his Mcgladůta a mountain named Devagiri (Derapirvangirim). This, according to the poetic context, must be situated somewhere between the Siprâ and the Chambal or ancient Charmanvati, which is described by the poet as the fame incarnate of Rantideva, once king of the Daśapura that has been identified with modern Dasor in the district of Mandasor. This at once puts out of court the claim for identification with it of Daulatabad, with its ancient name Devagiri, and the capital of the Yadavas from the twelfth to the fourteenth century, or the village named Devgad about sixty miles to the southwest of Jhansi mentioned by Dr. Fleet in his Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, vol. III, "Inscriptions of the Early Gupta Kings." After arriving at Vidišâ, or modern Bhilsa, and visiting the mountain named Nichais, the poot instructs the Cloud through the mouth of the Yakşa to abandon his proper course northwards for the special purpose of seeing Ujjain, and thus would make the Cloud tako a south-westerly course, more to the wast than youth. In this journey it comes across the following rivers in succe 9.00:-(1) The Nirvindhya which, one thinks, must be identical either with the Parvati, or the Pårvån, or any one of their small tributaries. (2) The Sindhu, known now as the Kali Sindh. The poet compares her scanty waters to a braid of hair, which suggests their dark colour. Mallinátha, the commentator, not being familiar with the country like the poet, was presumably ignorant of this river,