North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE CHANDELLAS OF JEJAKABHUKTI

In 1888, when sūtra-, both in l. 31 ; (3) the dental sibilant is often used for the palatal even in ordinary words like sukla-, l. 3, -sikhara-, ll. 20 and 26 and suddha-, l. 27, and vice versa is the case in a few examples like yaśaśā, l. 18 and vinyāśa- and prāśāda-, both in l. 31 ;^[1] and lastly, the anusvāra does the duty of the final m, even wrongly at the end of a stich except in a few instances in vv. 25, 27 and 35 and some others, Anusvāra is generally put for all the nasals except n which is used indiscriminately.

The record contains some grammatical errors as in prōllikhat, l. 34, niḥkriyāya, l. 1 and jyōtiḥ-paṭala, l. 5. Rules of sandhi are violated in a few instances, e.g., in ripōḥ chhēttā, l. 22, bahiḥ-kṛita, l. 14, and svachchhan cha, l. 16 ; instances of wrong spellings are to be seen, e.g., in nētru for nētra, l. 5, aṁhri-, ll. 10 and 30 ; and the dental nasal for the lingual is wrongly used in hiranmaya, l. 4 and kshunna, l. 20. And finally, one of the two similar consonants forming a conjunct is dropped by syncopation in ujjvala in ll. 5, 10, 15, 24 and 31. The mātrās above the letters in the first line are ornamentally treated.

The inscription refers itself to the reign of Jayavarmadēva of the Chandrātrēya (Chandēlla) Dynasty. The object of it is to record the renewal, in clear letters, of a praśasti which had been originally put in the temple of the glorious and illustrious Marakatēśvara (the emerald lord) at Kharjūravāhaka, by his honoured predecessor Dhaṅgadēva, in (Vikrama) Saṁvat 1059 or 1001-2 A.C. and which had become damaged or illegible (l. 33). The inscription is dated, at the end, in the year 1173 (expressed in numerical figures only), the third of the bright half of Vaiśākha when it was a Friday. The date does not work out satisfactorily, but discussing all the possible alternatives, Kielhorn, concluded that “Friday, April 6, 1117 A.D. is really the day intended by the inscription, although according to the civil reckoning that day was the 2nd of the bright half of Vaiśākha.”^[2] The year is thus to be taken as the kārttikādi Vikrama expired. The praśasti was rewritten by the Kāyastha Jayapāla of the Gauḍa country.

The record opens with a short sentence paying homage to Śiva, and it is followed by four maṅgala-ślōkas in honour of the same deity under the names Rudra, Śiva and Śambhu and then of Nāgavaktra (Gaṇapati). After two more verses, ─ one of them eulogising Bhāratī (the goddess of speech) and the other expressing the poet’s devotion to good people (old poets), the inscription says how the mundane egg came into existence, how from its two halves Brahmā made heaven and earth and also that the same god created the sages Marīchi with others (v. 8). The most eminent among these sages was Atri, from whose eye sprang the moon and the latter’s son was the pious sage Chandrātrēya (v. 9). He was the progenator of the renowned race which is called after him and which would (in the form of a prophesy) rule the earth as long as the moon shines^[3] (vv. 10-12). The poet then pays regard to the former great kings who were born in this illustrious race and ruled gloriously.

Verse 14 begins the genealogy of the Chandrātrēya (Chandēlla) house; and the first king mentioned here is Nannuka, whose valour in the battle-field reminded the gods, of Arjuna (vv. 14-15). His son was Vākpati who resembled Vākpati^[4] (i.e., Bṛihaspati, the preceptor of the gods) and excelled the mythical kings Pṛithu and Kakustha (vv. 16-17). Vākpati’s son was Vijaya, who is called Vijayaśakti in the other records of the house and whose fame was sung by semi-divine beings. He, subdued the adjacent regions and led an expedition, “in the interest of his friend,” to the south as far as the seacoast, as Rāma had done (v. 20). This statement is no doubt hyperbolical but may contain some historical truth, viz., that this prince may have helped
____________________

^[1] Kielhorn has noted that in this inscription the dental sibilant is 43 times put for the palatal and the palatal 12 times for the dental; but this number has to be taken approximate and not exact, as there are a few cases where both these sibilants cannot be distinguished from one another as I found in preparing my transcript of the record.
^[2] Op. cit., p. 139. Also see Ind. Ant., Vol. XIX, p. 362, No. 171. Here the day (Friday) appears to have been joined with the tithi which commenced on it, 2 h .16m. after mean sunrise, probably in view of the fact that the third day of the bright half of Vaiśākha (akshaya-tṛitīyā) is a holy day generally favoured for undertaking any auspicious work.
^[3] It is significant to note that Yaśōvarman’s inscription of V.S. 1011 also begins the account from the creation of the earth, though in a somewhat different way.
^[4] This simile is obviously borrowed from our No. 98, the inscription referred to above. In fact, from the account given in the present inscription it appears almost certain that the poet of this record had before him the same inscription. i.e., of Yaśōvarman.