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INTRODUCTION (2) According to Mallișeņa Prasasti, Malliśeņamuni expired in Saka 1050 (1128 A.D.) and the said inscription is engraved to commemorate the saint. This inscription refers to 'Rājan Sāhasatunga'; it gives a chronological list of teachers such as: Mahāvādi Samantabhadra, Mahadhyāni Simhanandi, şanmāsavādi Vakragriva, navastotrakāri Vajranandi, Pātrakesari the author of Trilaksanakadarthana, Sumatideva the author of Sumatisaptaka, Kumārasena, Cintāmani, Kavicūdāmani Srivardhadeva praised by Dandi, mahāvādavijeta Maheśvara and Akalanka-destroyer of Tārā installed in an earthen pot. Further, some verses are put in the mouth of Akalarkal. The Praśastikāra quotes these verses in the Praśasti, not as composed by himself but he accepted them as they were prevalent traditionally. This shows that they were composed in the remote past.
Further, it refers to Akalanka's debates in the court of Sāhasatunga and his effort to invite Paravādimalla to the court of Subhatunga for explanation, signifying that Sāhasatunga and Subhatunga were two different kings; of course, before this Praśasti (1128 A.D) Prabhacandra (980-1065 A.D.) refers to Akalanka's debate in the court of Himaśitala but is silent in regard to his narration at the court of Sähasatunga.
So far as we know the history of Rāştrakūtas, it is the rulers of this dynasty who only bear the birudas of the type-subhaturga, Nrpatunga, Jagattunga, i.e., the birudas necessarily have the suffix-tunga. That Krsnarāja I had the biruda Subhatunga is sufficiently proved by several inscriptions ; there is nothing to prove the travesty of the contents of the said Prasasti. The reference to ‘Rājan Sāhasatunga......etc. (v. 21) glorifies the qualities of a king with several adjectives. It is a vivid fact of history to note that Dantidurg had conquered the northern part of the kingdom of Kirtivarmā II belonging to Solanki Chalukyas in the middle of 748-753 A.D. and had reestablished the sovereignty of the Rāștrakūtas3. The Sāmngada (Dist. Kolhapur) inscription, dated Saka 675 (753 A.D.) records the magnificent victorious career of Dantidurga4. The glowing tributes of this inscriptions prove that this «Sāhasatunga was prior to Subhatunga, who defeated the Chalukyas; and this Sāhasatunga is shown to be identical with Dantidurga. Dr. Altekar also upholds the same conclusion. It will be seen in the sequel, it is but definite that Sähasatunga was the biruda of only Dantidurga II.
1 Vide Hindi Intro. Pp. 46-47 for the text of Praśasti. 2 EI, vol. III, p. 106 and vol. XVI, p. 125. 3 Bhāratake Prācina Rājāvamsa, vol. III, p. 26. 4 IA, vol. XI, p. 111. 5 Vide Hindi Intro. p. 48, for the text of Inscr. 6 BPRV, vol. III.
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