North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE CHANDELLAS OF JEJAKABHUKTI

AJAYGAḌH STONE INSCRIPTION OF THE TIME OF BHŌJAVARMAN

This is the first known record of the reign of Bhōjavarman of the Chandēlla house of kings, though his exact relationship with any of them is not mentioned in it. The latest known date of his predecessor Vīravarman is V.S. 1342, or 1284 A.C., and from this it is evident that Bhōjavarman succeeded Vīravarman sometime between these two years. It is not possible to know the exact relationship between the two rulers from this or from any other record known so far, though he appears to have been the son or a younger brother of Vīravarman.¹

Of the geographical names mentioned in the inscription, Kauśāmyapura (l. 8) cannot be identified for want of details, though the name suggests its identification with the modern Kauśāmbī or Kōsam, on the Yamunā, near Allahabad, as stated above. Jayadurga (l. 17), which is also mentioned as Jayapuradurga in l. 20, is evidently the fort of Ajayagaḍh, as seen so often.

TEXT²

[Metres: Verses 1 and 23 Sragdharā ; vv. 2-4 and 35 Vasantatilakā; vv. 5, 8, 13-16, 18, 25-28, 30, 31 and 32 Upajāti; v. 6 Śārdūlavikrīḍita; vv. 7, 10 and 29 Upēndravajrā; vv. 9 and 12 Drutavilambita; v. 11 Indravajrā; vv. 17, 33 and 36 Mālinī v. 19 Viyōginī; vv. 20-22, 24, 34 and 37 Anushṭubh; and v. 39 Vaṁśasthavila ].

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¹ As already noted by N. P. Chakravarti, who also conjectured that Bhōjavarman reigned only during the minority of Hammīravarman. See A. S. I., A. R., 1935-36, p. 92.
² From an impression.
³ The letters in the brackets are totally lost and the next two letters are mutilated. Originally engraved , corrected later on to.
⁴ The consonant of the superscript of rvi is so formed as to resemble sh.
⁵ The akshara in the brackets has totally disappeared.
⁶ These two letters are lost, leaving only the verticals of the second.
⁷ Read .
⁸ Originally , later on corrected to .
⁹ An attempt appears to have been made to correct the consonant of this letter to s.
¹⁰ By a wrong stroke this akshara appears as gaḥ or vāḥ.
¹¹ There is a kāka-pāda sign at the end of this line.
¹² Probably -, meaning ‘magnanimous’, is intended.