South Indian Inscriptions

RELIGION

to provide medicines for the sick among the Community of the Buddhist monks living in the vihāra on the Triraśmi hill near Nasik. Later, during the time of the Traikutakas we find an inhabitant of distant Sindh coming to Krishnagiri in North Konkan and erecting a stupa dedicated to Saradvatiputra, one of the foremost disciples of the Buddha.1 At Bagh in the former Barwani State, a private individual named Dattataka caused a cave to be excavated and decorated with beautiful paintings for use by the followers of the Maha-yana Buddhism. The ruler of the country, though himself a follower of the Vedic religion, made a liberal grant for the worship of the Buddha image, the repairs of the vihara and provision of food, clothing, medicines etc. for the Buddhist monks living there.2 Yuan Chwang, who visited India in the first half of the seventh century A.C., states that there were about 100 monasteries in Maharashtra with more than 5000 monks of the Hinayana and the Mahayana living in them. In the country of Bharukachchha (i.e., Central Gujarat) he found more than ten Buddhist monasteries with 300 monks, all adherents of the Mahayanist Sthavira school.³ Later, Buddhism seems to have gradually declined in strength for want of royal patronage.

On the other hand, Hinduism which had been lying dormant for some centuries began to assert itself with the rise of the Gupta and Vakataka dynasties in North and South India respectively. This revival of Hinduism was marked by the performance of the Srauta sacrifices which had been in abeyance for a long time. In North India Samudragupta is credited with the revival of the Asvamedha sacrifice.⁴ In South India the Ikshvaku king Santamula I and the Vakataka king Pravarasena I performed several Vedic sacrifices such as Agnishtoma Vajapeya and Asvamedha.⁵ Unfortunately we have no official records of the Abhiras wherein we could have expected positive information about their religious activities. Perhaps on account of their low social status, they were not keen on the performance of the Vedic sacrifices. The Traikutakas, who followed them, showed a greater regard for the Vedic religion. Dahrasena performed an Asvamedha sacrifice to proclaim his independent status.⁶ It is noteworthy that this is the first known mention of the performance of this sacrifice by a king of Northern Maharashtra after a lapse of nearly seven centuries The Vedic sacrifices were, however, costly and could, therefore, be performed by rich persons only. The Smritis also lay down that great Vedic sacrifices such as the Somayaga should be performed by such householders only as have in stock food-grains sufficient for the maintenance of their dependants for at least three years.⁷ Even among kings, few emulated the example of Samudragupta and Pravarasena I. The tendency to perform great Vedic sacrifices did not strike deep root, and after the sixth century A.C., we have hardly any record mentioning them.

Though the Srauta sacrifices were rarely performed, the grihya rites such as the pañchamahayajñas continued unabated in Brahmana families. The state also encouraged them. Most of the grants⁸ of the Early Kalachuris, the Sendrakas, the Gurjaras and the Chalukyas were made for the maintenance of the five great sacrifices, viz., devayajaña (offerings to gods),
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¹ No. 10.
² No. 7. For the age of the Bagh caves, see my article in Ind. Hist. Quart., Vol. XXI, pp. 79 ff.
³O. Y. C., Vol. II, pp. 239 ff.
⁴ C. I. I., Vol. III, p. 43.
⁵ Ep. Ind., Vol. XX, p.21.
⁶ No. 8, 1. 2.
⁷ MS., adhyaya XI, v. 7.
⁸ The earlier records of the Maharajas of Valkha registered only the royal consent to certain gifts made by private persons. The Barwani plate of Subandhu and the Pardi and Surat plates of the Traikutakas do not mention any specific purpose for the royal grant.