North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE CHANDELLAS OF JEJAKABHUKTI

AJAYAGAḌH SATĪ STONE INSCRIPTION OF THE TIME OF HAMMĪRAVARMAN

The only geographical name mentioned in the inscription is that of V(B)rāhmaṇi-grāma, in l. 5, which is, evidently the village Bamhnī where the record was found.

TEXT¹

No. 153 ; PLATE CXXXX

AJAYAGAḌH SATĪ STONE INSCRIPTION OF THE TIME OF HAMMĪRAVARMAN

[ Vikrama ] Year 1368

THIS inscription was discovered by R. B. Hiralal in his visit to the fort of Ajayagaḍh in the Pannā District of the Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh. He also transcribed the record in a foot-note to his edition of the Charkhārī copper-plate grant of Hammīravarman, published in the Epigraphia Indica, Vol. XX, pp. 125 ff. The exact spot where he found the inscription is not mentioned ; nor is it now possible to know it so as to prepare an impression of the record. It is therefore edited here from Hiralal’s transcript referred to above.

The record consists of four lines of writing. The last line consists of only four aksharas. The dimensions of the writing and the palaeographical and orthographical peculiarities are not recorded.

The inscription refers itself to the Mahārāja, the illustrious Hammiravarmadēva, but it does not mention any of his predecessors or even the royal family to which he belonged. The provenance of the record, however, shows that it undoubtedly belongs to the time of the Chandēlla ruler bearing this name.

______________________________
¹ From impressions.
² Denoted by a variant of the symbol.
³ Hiralal read bhē ; but what he took to be the sign of the medial ē may have been an original fault of the stone.

⁴ Hiralal read this and the preceding aksharas as given here, but while editing the Charkhārī grant of Hammīravarman he stated that the correct reading of these letters is sāhi (Ep. Ind., Vol. XX, p. 134, .n. 4). The bracketed akshara is now totally lost, leaving only a trace ; but from the sign of the medial ā attached to its preceding akshara, what appears to have been incised is adhi.
⁵ Hiralal read this akshara as jya. Read .
⁶ The vertical is joined to the letter by a horizontal stroke as in the case of dhā.
⁷ Read .
⁸ This akshara in rectangular brackets has now disappeared.
⁹ The reading of the bracketed akshara is not certain. It appears somewhat like sū also. I am unable to explain the meaning of bhūmi-putra which signifies the planet Mars. Here it may have been a title, or the first two aksharas may have constituted a name. It may also be observed that the consonant of the first two akshara may have been a s as well.
¹⁰ The reading of the consonant of the first akshara is doubtful. It may have been a p as well.
¹¹ The portion from saṁtama- in the preceding line up to here is unintelligible to me. It may perhaps denote some names ending with putrāḥ, as
the reading of kva is uncertain. ¹² Read . The bracketed akshara is damaged.