South Indian Inscriptions

INCRIPTIONS OF THE KALACHURIS OF TRIPURI

comprised in 11.23-46 owing to the flaking off of a large portion of the surface of the stone. In 11.28-39 especially, only a few aksharas at the right end can be read with confidence. The loss of this portion is very much to be regretted as, judging from the few preserved akshras, it contained a description of the military exploits of the kalachuris of Tripurī. As it is , we are left in doubt not only about the Kalachuri king during whose reign it was incised,¹ but also about the Śaiva ascetic who caused it to be put up.

The Chandrēhē inscription of Prabōdhaśiva. The only points that call for notice are that dh in some cases shows the left limb developed as in the Kārītalāi inscription of Lakshmaņarāja II,^³ but it is here joined to the right vertical, see –dhvast-ādhayab in 1.17. In other cases the letter does not differ from v except in the absence of the wedge at the top, and it is noteworthy that the two verticals of dhā are not joined here as is generally done in other records of the period. In one other respect^⁴ the present inscrіption shows a later stage, viz., in the use of the avagraha which appears for the first time in the records edited here; see – semadhayīō=’chchha-matayō, 1.17, tasy-āspadē=’gra-, 1.30 and Mahēndrē=’rvvudē, 1.31.

The language is Sanskrit, and except for the opening obeisance to the deity, the whole record is metrically composed. There are forty-six verses in all. The in scription is composed in an artistic Kāvya style. As regards regards orthography, the consonants preceding and following r are doubled in a few places, see – ttribhuvana-, 1.8, -Kīrttanīyab, 1.9etc; b is every where denoted by the sign for v, see e.g., -pravandha-, 1.4; the dental s is used for the palatal ś in yasō-, 1.13, and n for the anusvāra followed by the dental sibilant in –pradhvansa-, 1.23 and –vansa-, 1.24. In other repects the record is carefully written and incised.

The inscription falls into three parts. The first part, which comprises vv. 1-26, con tain the spiritual PEDIGREE OF THE Śaiva ascetic who put up the present record. After two mańgala ślokas invokingthe blessing of Śiva, the inscription mentions Madhumatī, the abode of the Śaiva Saiddhāvaśiva was invited by Yuvarājadēva (I), the son of Mug dhatuńga, and was placed in charge of a monastery which the latter had built at the cost of a large sum of money. His disciple was Praśāntaśiva who erected a temle of Śivva near another built by Yuavrājadēva, and installed in the shrines attached to it the images of Umā, Hara-Gaurī, Kārttikēya, Gaņapati and Sarasvatī. He also built a monastery on the bank of the Śōņa for the practice of Yōga, and another on the bank of the Gańgā in Vārāņasī for the performance of austerities. His disciples are said to have toured in the country, imparting right knowledge to the people and receiving homage from their rulers. Praśāntaśiva;s disciple, Ϊśānaśambhu, is next praised. He appointed his younger brother-disciles Prabōdhaśiva the head of the monastery. Verse 21 which is partly mutilated seems to refer to the construction of a temple by Prabōdhaśiva near the
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¹Banerji referred it to the reign of Gāńgēyadēva and N.P.Chakravarti to that of Kōkalla II (Ep. Ind., Vol. XXII, p. 129 and n.1). I have supported the latter view below.
² Both Banerji and Chakravarti hold that record was put up by Prabōdhaśiva. I have shown below that it belongs to the time of his successor, whose name is lost.
³ See above, No. 42.
⁴ Banerji’s remark that the record contains the later from of tb in which the upper loop has become open does not seem to be correct; for everywhere in this record the earlier from only is used.
⁵The monastery of Praśāntaśiva seems to have been mentioned here as in Chandrēhē inscription only to define the position of the temple built by Prabōdhaśiva . It does not seem to have been repaired by him as supposed by Banerji, Ep. Ind., Vol. XXII p. 129.