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JAINA KPIGRAPHS: PART it
295 The stanzas generally run on conventional lines without much novelty. Still, a fine idea here and a nice imagery there catch the eye of the reader. For instance, we may note with appreciation how the citadel of Sõdimba is shown to be superior to Lankā in verse 18. Agreeable is the simile drawn elaborately in verse 23 between Chandirāja and Chandra (moon). The metaphor in verse 27 identifying the newly constructed bastion with the sparkling face of the lady, the town of Sõdimba, is ingenious. But this happy impression is occasionally marred by laboured constructions, ill-assorted expressions and clumsy formations. Verse 24 is the worst instance to the point. The word nirppu in l. 68 seems to be a mistake for norppu. The prefix tiru in the expressi papa-, is superfluous-(1. 70). The phrases, nitgevatta mahimīvashtambha etc. in l. 120 and vadhi-vadana-sauchádambara-sri in l. 131 are clumsily pedantic. The poet is fond of substituting b for v in Kannada as well as Sanskrit words; for instance, vraja l. 57, agurbbu l. 79. The use of kula for rala in aga?itta1. 77, aga! I. 87, imbali. 1. 91 and podalke l. 114, is technically incorrect. Attention has already been drawn elsewhere to the occurrence of the augment ? in the past tense forms of the root ir; e. g., irl dano l. 35.
Coming to the metres figuring in this inscription a new name is ushered in for the first time by our poet. It is the Kāmalatikā Vșitta. This name is unfamiliar to the students of Sankrit or Kannada literature. But an examination of the verses composed in this metre will show that except for the novelty in name, this metre is in no manner new to the Kannada literature. It is the same as the metre Utpalamālā. The metrical analysis of the metres ocurring in this record is as follows: Champakamālā: Verses 3, 10, 14, 23 ; Kāmalatikā: Verses 8, 16; Kanda : Verses 2, 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, 15, 21, 22, 26; Mahāsragdhară: Verses 11, 28; Mattēbhavikridita : Verses 4, 17, 18, 20, 24, 25, 27; Utpalamālā : Verse 19.
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First Side 1 @ Jayaty =āvishkritam Vishộor = Vāråhus kshõbhit-ārņnavam 2 dakshiņ-onnata-dańshtr-āgra-viśrānta3 bhuvanam vapuḥ @[1* ] Jay-ābhivriddhir = astu @ 4 Dharey = emb= ambujam=irppudu saradhi-saro5 varada naduve karạnikevolu Maņdaram = irppu6 d=alli Masdara-giriyimdai teṁkal = eseva Bhara7 ta-kshētram 11 [2*] A-Bharata-kshētradoļu Chāļukya-cha8 krēsvarara vaṁsāvatārado! @ @ Age nege9 v=aṁdadimd=ogeda Rāshtrakumārakaram po10 raļchi komd=agaņitav-āda permmege tavarmmaney-ā
