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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
PART-I SANSKRIT INSCRIPTIONS No.36. A GRANT OF AMMA I The original of the subjoined inscription belong to the Government Central Museum, Madras. According to Mr. Sewell,[1] it âwas found at the close of the year 1871 buries in the ground in a field in t he village of Ederu near Akiripalle in the Kistna District, 15 miles north-east of Bezava, a village belonging to the present Zamindari of Nuzividu. The plates were presented to the Madras Museum by the then Zamindar.â A rough transcript and paraphrace of the inscription were published by S. M. Natesa Sastri.[2] As the inscription deserves to be published more carefully owing to its bearing on a part of the history of the Eastern Chalukyas, I now edit it from the original plates, the use of which I owe to the kindness of Dr. E. Thurston, Superintendent, Government Central Museum. The document is engraved on five copper-plates with raised rims, which are not less then ¼ inch thick. Each plate measures 9 ¼ by 4 ¼ inches. The first and fifth plates are inscribed only on their inner sides, while the three middle ones bear writing on both sides. The characters are extremely elegant and must have been engraved by an accomplished measures about 5 inches in diameter. The well-cut circular seal, which is attached to the ring, rests on an expanded lotus-flower and measures 3 ¼ inches in diameter. It bears, at the top, a recumbent boar, which faces the right and is surmounted by the moon and the sun, two chamaras, an elephant-goad and a symbol which I cannot make out ; across the centre, the legend ; and at the bottom, an expended lotus-flower (side view) , - all in relief, on a counter-sunk surface. Both the plates and the seal are in excellent preservation.
The inscription opens with a mangala, and then notices in prose and in verse the ancestors of the Eastern Chalukya king Amma I. Of the kings from Kubja-Vishnu-vardhana to Vishnuvardhana IV. Nothing but the names and the length of reigns is mentioned. The next king was Vijayaditya II., who is called Narendra-mrigaraja in other inscriptions. He fought 108 battles during 12 years with the armies of the Gangas and Rattas, built 108 temples of Siva in commemoration of his victories and rules over Vengi for 44 years (verses 2 to 4). As Mr. Fleet has pointed out,[3] â the Gangas here referred to were mahamandalesvaras, feudatories of the Rashtrakutas, whose inscriptions are found in the Belgaum and Dharwad Districts.â The Rattas mentioned in the grant were the Rashtrakutas themselves. If we deduct the sum of the reigns of the Eastern Chalukya king from Kali-Vishnuvardhana to Chalukya-Bhima II. from the date of death of his predecessor Vijayaditya II. would fall in Saka 764. Most inscriptions assign to the latter a reign of 44 years. Accordingly, his accession would fall in Saka 716, 724 or 720. Hence the war between Vijayaditya II. and the Rattas â as suggested by Mr. Fleetâmay have taken place during the reigns of the two Rashtrakhuta kings Govinda III. and Sarva Amonghavarsha, who ruled at least from Saka 726[4] to 737 and from 737[5] till at least 800[6] respectively. As, in a grant of Saka 730,[7] as the servant of Govinda III., and as in a grant of Saka 789[8] it is stated, that Amoghavarsha was worshipped by the lord of Vengi, it seems that each party claimed the victory over the other. The fact, that Vijayaditya II. built 108 temples of Narendresvara, i.e., temple of Siva called after his surname Narendra[9]. Nothing of importance seems to have happened during the short reign of Kali-Vishnuvardhana. His successor Vijayaditya III., who reigned from Saka 765-66 to 809-10, âhaving been challenged by the lord of the Rattas, conquered the unequalled Gangas, cut off the head of Mangi in battle, frightened the fire-brand Krishna and burnt his city completelyâ (Verse 10.) The killing of Mangi and the burning of the city of Krishna is also reported in another inscription.[10] The Krishna, whom Vijayaditya III. defeated, is probably identifical with the lord of the Rattas, who challenged him, and with the Rashtrakuta king Krishna II., whose earliest known date is Saka 825.[11] After the death of Vijayaditya III., the Rashtrakutas, as noticed by Mr. Fleet, seem to have been victorious ; for his nephew Chalukya-Bhima I., alias Droharjuna, who rulled from Saka 809-10 to 839-40, had to reconquer âthe country of Vengi, which ahd been overrun by the army of Ratta claimantsâ (line 28 f.) The length of the reign of Vijayaditya IV., the successor of Chalukya-Bhima I., is not mentioned in the subjoined inscription ; according to other grants he ruled six months. There followed the king, who issued the grant, Amma I., alias Rajamahendra or Vishnuvardhana VI. He, âhaving drawn his sword, wich broke the dishonest hearts of his feudatory relatives, who had joined the party of his natural adversaries, won the affection of the subjects and of the army of his father (Vijayadita IV.) and of his grandfather (Chalukya-Bhima I.)â (line 39 ff.) The natural adversaries of Amma I. Were probably the Rashtrakutas under Prabhutavarsha III., whose inscription is dated in Saka 842.[12] The grant proper, which takes up the remainder of the inscription, is an order, which Amma I. Addressed to the inhabitants of the Kanderuvadi-vishaya, and by which he granted the village of Gonturu[13] together with twelve hamlets to Bhandanaditya, alias Kundaditya, one of his military officers. The donee belonged to the Pattavardhini-vamsa. His ancestor Kalakampa had been in the service of Kubja-Vishnuvardhana, the first of the Eastern Chalukya kings, and had killed a certain Daddara in battle. Bhandanaditya himself had already served the donorâs father, who is here called Vijayaditya-Kaliyarttyanka. The second part of this name corresponds to the Kollabhiganda or Kollabiganda of their inscriptions. The grant closes with the enumeration of the four boundaries of the village granted and of the names of the twelve hamlets included in it, and with two of the customary imprecatory verses. TRANSLATION (Verse 1.) Let there be prosperity of all kinds for ever to the whole world, prosperity for ever to cows, brahmanas and princes !
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