Jignasa Journal Of History Of Ideas And Culture Part 02

Author(s): Vibha Upadhyaya and Others
Publisher: University of Rajasthan

Page 27

Śärda Temple at Maihar: An Epigraphical Account / 243
of the two inscriptions from Maihar have been published in the volume XXXV of Epigraphia indica by D.C. Sircar and V.S. Subrahmanyam in 1959 4. The language of the inscriptions is Sanskrit and they are written in verse. The inscriptions are neither dated, nor mention the name of reigning king. On paleographic grounds the epigraphs have been assigned to the middle of the tenth century C.E. as the characters of both the records belong to the early Nāgarī of the tenth century.
Inscription 'A' is engraved on the pedestal of goddess Sāradā. The inscription 'A' contains a single stanza in Šārdülavikridita metre in four lines, and mentions a great scholar who was the very Vyāsa of the Kaliyuga in poetic skill and became an expert in sciences like Veda, Nyāya, Sāmkhya, Nīti and Mimansă even when he was a mere boy. This seems to refer to a young Brāhmaṇa scholar Damodara, son of Devadhara whose career is described at some length in inscription B and in whose memory the image of goddess Sāradā was apparently installed in a temple at Maihar. Inscriptions on pedestal of images generally speak of the installation or dedication of deities in question but it is quite strange that Maihar inscription No. A merely refers to Damodara son of Dēvadhara in whose memory the image was installed. Moreover, inscription No. A does not appear to be the concluding part of a record. It is possible to think that inscription A, though it is followed by marks of punctuation indicating the end of a work or a section, was continued and concluded on the left side?.
Inscription No. B has recently been fixed on the north-eastern corner of the platform on which stands modern 'Säradā temple.' It is engraved on a well-dressed slab of fine grained sandstone having raised border (about 5 cm wide), on all four sides. The space within the borders which is 86.25 cm in length and 77.30 cm broad was originally meant for engraving the epigraph. Since the space was later found inadequate to incise the whole record, the last two lines were engraved, respectively, on the upper and lower borders. These two lines are no longer visible as the record has been fixed on the platform. The inscription (B) a fairly big prasasti, contains 39 lines and 51 stanzas, composed in various meters: Sārdūlavikridita, Anustubha, Vasantatilakā, Vamsastha and Sragdhara Inscription B contains a mangala in prose at the beginning and two passages in prose referring to writer and engraver at the end'.
Verses 1-2 of the prasasti describe goddess (Sarasvati) as identical with Brāhmi, Kamlā and Gāuri and also as the daughter of Lord Brahmā, as installed on this peak of the bill. We know that the goddess of learning is variously represented in Puranic literature as the daughter or wife of Brahmä and sometimes also as identical with Durgā, the wife of Lord Siva, as the wife of Vishnu or Manu, and also as the daughter of Dakşalo.
Inscription (B) gives complete genealogy of the family of Damodara belonging to the Vatsagotra of the Brālmanas!!. It records the names of seven forefathers of Dāmodara beginning with Sonabhadra and ending with Devadhara father of Damodara. The name of the Visaya or district where Brāhmaṇa family flourished is not clear, though it may be govana. The following stanzas (6-12) mention the descendants of the said Brāhmaṇas (1) learned Vūpati was son Soņabhadra (2) Bhrigudeva, son of Vūpati (3) Gangādhara born in the family of Vūpati (4) Sivadevabhatta whose relationship with Gangādhara is not stated though he may have been a younger brother of the latter (5) Trivikrama, son of Śivadēvabhatta (6) Dēvaprasāda,sn of Trivikrama (7) Dēvadhara was probably the younger brother of Dēvaprasāda and Dāmodara son of Devadhara.
Verses 24-35 narrate a story relating to the antecedents of Damodara. It is said that he was really the son of the goddess Sarasvati and was living in Brahma-Loka, along with the preceptor of the gods