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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
INSCRIPTIONS OF THE EARLY GURJARAS is to record the grant, by Jayabhata, of a field measuring sixty nivartanas on the north-east boundary of the village Śamīpadraka situated in the Kōrillā pathaka (sub-division). Two villages Golikā and Dhāhaddha are mentioned in connection with the boundaries of the field. The purpose of the gift was, as usual, to provide for the maintenance of the religious rites such as bali, charu, vaiśvadēva, agnihōtra, (the reception of) guests etc. The donee was the Brāhmana Dēvasvāmin of the Prāgāyana1 gōtra, a student of the Mādhyandina śākhā of the White Yajurvēda, who had emigrated from Girinagara and was at the time of the grant residing at the agrahāra village Śraddhikā. The grant was made on the occasion of a lunar eclipse on the fifteenth (tithi) of the bright half of Māgha. It was written by the Mahābalādhikrita Kēśava, the son of a Bhōgika whose name is lost. The dūtaka was the Balādhikrita Bāvulla2 .
The plates give the following genealogy of the donor─ The record does not furnish much historical information about these princes. The last two─the second Dadda and the second Jayabhata─were devout worshippers of Mahēśvara and had attained the pañchamahāśabda. The former is also said to have attained the biruda of Bāhusahāya (he whose arm is the sole helper) by the might of his arm, which he exhibited in the wars with the eastern and western supreme rulers. As these rulers are not mentioned by name, it is not possible to identify them definitely, but the former may be the ruler of Valabhī and the latter the king of Malwa. In connection with the first Dadda in the above list, we have the interesting information, which is supplied for the first time by the present grant, that he attained great fame by giving protection to the lord of Valabhī when he was attacked by the Emperor, the illustrious Harshadēva. Though the present grant does not specify the dynasty to which these princes belonged, there is no doubt that they belonged to the Gurjara lineage; for as Pandit Bhagvanlal pointed out, these names do not occur in any other dynasty.3 In the present record their family is, for the first time, said to have descended from the Mahārāja Karna. This is evidently in accordance with the tendency of the age to trace the origin of royal families to some mythical or legendary eponymous hero. This Mahārāja Karna is, therefore, probably identical with the epic hero of that name, the staunch supporter and friend of Duryōdhana, who distinguished himself in the Mahābhārata war. As shown below, the present grant was made in the Kalachuri year 456. Dadda,
the first prince mentioned in it who was the great-grand-father of the donor Jayabhata, was,
therefore, probably ruling in the Kalachuri year 381. He is consequently identical with
Dadda II─Praśāntarāga whose known dates range from K. 380 to K. 392, i.e., from 629-30
A.C. to 641-42 A.C. This is again confirmed by the statement in the present plates
that he was a contemporary of the Emperor Harshadēva who is none other than
Harshavardhana of Kanauj (606-647 A.C.). The Gurjara princes mentioned in the present 1See below, p. 86, n. 3. |
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