|
The Indian Analyst
|
|
North Indian Inscriptions |
INSCRIPTIONS OF THE YAJVAPALAS OF NARWAR The name of his family is not mentioned in the record, but it is known to be Yajvapāla from the Bhīmpur stone inscription.[1] Chāhaḍa’s son was Nṛivarman, who was devoted to Kṛishṇa and who also respected Śiva by worshipping the earth, which is one of his (eight) images, with lotuses in the form of the heads of his enemies (v. 5). His son was the illustrious Āsalladēva, a brave king who was a resort of multitude of merits, and his consort was Lāvaṇyadēvī (vv. 6-7). He had a son whose name was Gōpāla who succeeded him (v. 8). The record then introduces a Kshatriya family of the lunar race which was as dignified as the Brāhmaṇas (mahīdēva-sādhāraṇa-śrīḥ) and belonged to the Vatsa gōtra and of the Gauḍahara clan (v. 10). The persons born in this race were devoted to main power, Chāmuṇḍā, the goddess with her nine forms, and Gauḍaharā, their family-deity known after the clan Gauḍahara (vv. 9-12).[2] In the family was born Dāmōdara, a Minister of the king of Śūrasēna (v. 13) He had a sun of the name of Nāmadēva, who was meritorious, efficient and righteous (vv. 13-14) and who again had three sons ─ Pīthana, Jalhaṇa[3] and Mālādhara (v. 15) . Of these, Jalhaṇa, who was warlike, dexterious, well-versed in politics, a capable administrator and a man of confidence (of the king), was appointed an officer at Gwālior (Gōpa-śaila) by Hammīra himself (v. 16), whereas Pīthana, the eldest of the brothers who was devoted to the worship of Śiva (Paśupati) and whose consort was Champā, begot a son of the name of Dēvadhara, who became Chief Minister (chief among the officers) under Āsalladēva (v. 20).Dēvadhara’s consort was Nīlā (v. 21). He excavated a well at the village of Vaṭapadra, which had been (previously) donated to some Brāhmaṇas by the king Nāniṅga (?), who is otherwise unknown (vv. 22-23). The following two verses describe the well in an ornate style of poetry, containing alaṅkāras like utprēkshā and ślēsha, and it is blessed to be everlasting.
Verse 26 introduces three sons of Dēvadhara, in an incidental way, viz., Harirāja, Mahārāja and Śivarāja ; and further we are told that the praśasti was composed by Śivanābha, a son of the Treasury Officer (kōśādhipa) Lōhaṭa and a grandson of Dāmōdara who belonged to the writer’s clan (lipikṛit-kula) known as Māthura (v. 27), and that it was written (on the stone) by Vikrama, the son of Dhim(?) sūka (or Bhiṁguka ?) who too belonged to the Māthura clan of the Kāyasthas (v. 28). It is interesting to note here that the word Kāyastha is clearly mentioned in the latter of these statement, though not in the former. The last verse (No. 29)[4] embodies the name of the architect (sūtrakāra) Bhīmadēva, who incised the record, and also states that the whole work was carried on under the supervision of Sōmadēva. Here the inscription ends with the date, as already discussed above.
The names of Chāhaḍa, his son Nṛivarman, and the latter’s son Āsalladēva, are known
from the other records of the house ; but the present inscription mentions for the first time the
name of Lāvaṇyavatī, the queen of Āsalla, and also the names of some officers under the reigning house of the Yajvapālas. The king of Śūrasēna (or, the king named Śūrasēna ?) and
Nāniṅga cannot be definitely identified. Hammīra of the present record, however, in all
probability appears to have been the homonymous Chāhamāna king of Raṇathambhōr who
succeeded his father Jaitrasiṁha in 1282 A.C. We know that he was a brave and warlike
prince, who immediately after his succession defeated the Paramāra king Bhōja II and also captured parts of Rājasthān in his military exploits.[5] We have no definite evidence on the point,
but it is not unlikely that he may have held for some time Gwālior also. In his Hammīramahākāvya Nayachandra gives this king the credit of conducting a sort of digvijaya, during
which he vanquished some of the rulers of Rājasthān and Mālwā.[6] And the contemporary
history also gives some clue to solve this problem. It is well known that Iltutmish recovered
[1] Above, No. 159, v. 9. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| > |
|
>
|
