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812
JAINISM IN BOUTH INDIA
brackets. The engraver, it seems, started to incise the record on the pillar. But on account of some confusion and mistake either on the part of himself or the clerk who dictated it, he had to give it up. Then he began once more with the opening expression Svasti and carried it through. Instances of such freaks are sometimes, though rarely, met with in epigraphical documents.
The document is drafted in a businesslike manner. It does not, as usual, commence with the prasasti and the reference to the reign of the sovereign ruler who, as we know from its later portion, was the Western Chālukya king Vikramāditya VI. On the contrary it introduces rather abruptly an official of the state who was his subordinate. This was the commander of forces, Kopparasa, who is to be identified with Koppadēva of the previous record. Next come the seven members of the local mercantile community, whose names are specified. These, we are subsequently informed, took a leading part, by joining hands with the army officer Kopparasa, in erecting a temple dedicated to Lord Pārsvanātha at Adakki. The temple was named Koppa Jinālaya evidently after the military general. For the maintenance of this temple Kopparasa endowed landed property consisting of a garden and a shop. The merchant guild of the locality also made provision for burning perpetual lamps out of certain levies collected from each shop and business transactions. The inscription as usual ends with an imprecation.
The inscription is dated the Chālukya-Vikrama year 50, cyclic year Viśvāvasu, Phālguna śu. Thursday. There seems to be an omission of the tithi, which was either tritīyā or daśami, preferably the latter. The Christian equivalent of this date would be a. D. 1126, January 29 or February 4, Thursday. It may be noted here that the Western Chālukya king Vikramāditya VI, in whose regnal year the record is dated, was alive and ruling at this time.
The general-Kopparasa who is not known previously, is brought to light properly for the first time by this record, without of course overlooking the claim of the foregoing epigraph which barely mentions his name. He is styled the illustrious great minister'. He belonged to the Kāśyapa götra and was the chief of Adakki. He bore a string of titles and epithets some of which are more significant as they reflect a glimpse of the political and social life of the period. We may note in the first instance the following two titles which refer to one and the same context and need to be studied jointly. They are, the destroyer of the Chola forces' and 'the protector of the Chālukya army'. We know from history that the Chālukya sovereign of the Kannada country carried his arms against the Chõļa rulers of the Tamil land in several battles. In one or more of these fronts Kopparasa appears to have distinguished himself by his military skill and valour..
