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THE DYNASTIES OF CENTRAL INDIA
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concluded that he came to the throne in c. 1010 A.D. or even somewhat later.1 Uptill now this theory, however, held the ground. But the discovery of the Modesā-grant sets aside all the previous assumptions. This grant is important in many respects: (1) It gives the earliest known date of king Bhoja's reign; (2) it refers to a new prince of Bhoja named Vatsarāja; (3) it shows that Mohadavāsaka district was under the Paramāras even as late as the time of king Bhoja. This grant refers to V.E. 1067 when paramabhattāraka, mahārājādhirāja parameśvara Bhojadeva was ruling. It begins with Siyaka II who was the real founder of the dynasty.
This newly discovered grant, however, settles many problems. Firstly, it denotes that Vatsarāja, the son of Bhoja, who was in charge of the administration in the year of V.E. 1067 (A.D. 1010) must have been at least of the age of eighteen or sixteen. Secondly, Bhoja at that time must have reached the age of 36 or 34, for his son who may be about 16 or 18 years old, might have been born from him at the age of 18 which is an approximate Indian age to beget a child. Thirdly, it denotes that Bhoja must have been crowned king as early as five or six years. His full-fledged titles denote this fact. If we reconcile, at the present state of our knowledge, our assumptions with that of Bühler who gives probable date to Padmagupta's composition 1005 A.D., wherein Bhoja has not been referred to, we may deduce easily that Bhoja's accession may have taken place by the year 1005 A.D. Fourthly, it gives more probability to the period assigned by the Jain author Merutunga to the reign of Bhoja stated above and which concerns us here more.
According to the Jain Subhasila, the author of the Bhoja-prabandha, the earliest limit of Bhoja's reign is V.E. 10782 (1021 A.D.), which is obviously wrong without having any support.
As regards the lower limit of the reign of Bhoja his successor Jayasimha's grant known as the Māndhātā-grant shows that Bhoja must have died in or before V.E. 1112 (A.D. 1055-56). Bühler, on the other hand, mainly relying on the statement of Bilhana that on his journey from Kashmir to various places in Northern India, Dhārā cried to him "Bhoja is my king,"4 assumes the death of Bhoja must have occurred some time after the year 1062 A.D. It may be said here in this connection that
1 EI, I, pp. 232-33 ; See also DHNI., II, p. 866. 2 Bhoja-prabandha, V. 8: ATTUTTET
I वर्षे मुंजपदे भोजभूपः पट्टे निवेशितः।। 3 EI., III, pp. 46-50. 4 Vikramānkadeva-carita, XVIII, 96. 5 EI., I, p. 233.
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