MARCH 1, 1872.]
A CHALUKYA GRANT.
seal are the figures, in distinct relievo, of a lion, the sun, a half moon, the palm of an expanded hand, a cobra di capella with its hood expanded, a swastika cross, a palm tree, and what appears to me to be a spear. The inscription is engraved on four of the six sides, the two outer ones be
ing left blank. This copper-plate grant was found about twelve years ago, by a Māng in tilling his field, at the village of Tidgundi, about twelve miles to the north of Bijäpur, in the district of Kalādgi. It was shown about by the Măng in hopes that it might be decyphered, being supposed by him to relate to a hidden treasure; but not finding any one who could read and explain it, though it was taken as far as Nipâni and Kolhãpur, he
pawned it to a Mārvādi at Managoli in the Bägevādi Taluka. When I accidentally heard about it,” it had changed hands several times, and I had not a little difficulty in getting posses
sion of it, by finding out the several persons through whose hands it had passed, and by satis fying the claims of all concerned. The set of plates is now in my possession. The inscription is well preserved, except in one or two places at the edge of one side, where a few letters are somewhat worn out, though they offer no diffi culty to the reader. Translation. Victory to that body of Vi.hnu, which was mani fested in the form of a Boar, that agitated the ocean, and on the tip of the right tusk of which, raised for the purpose, rested the world. Victory to that Hari,f who, when he attempted to crush the body of his enemy, and the latter crouched in the hollow of his (Hari's) nails lest he should be destroyed, looked in all directions, surprised at his disappearance—and who shook off his hand in disappointment, and then laughed, seeing the Demon,f his foe, fallen before him on the ground
like a grain of dust. HeS who has a throat re sembling a white lotus, perched upon by a line of
- The writer was then District Deputy Collector in the
Kalādgi Collectorate.
81
bees, that one, wearing a garland of human skulls —may he confer prosperity upon thee. Welfare
At the time
when the victorious
reign of Shri Tribhuvana Malla Deva, the Refuge of the whole world, the Lord of the Earth, Mahārāja among the Mahārājas, the Parameshwara, the Bhat taraka, the flower of the race of Satyāshraya, the
ornament of the dynasty of the Chālukyas is, from
the long-standing city of Shri Kalyāna, protecting the earth, six years of the era of S h r i Vik r a m a having passed, and there having commenced
the seventh by name Dundubhi, on the first day of the Shuddha fortnight of the month of Kārtika of that year, being Sunday. Dependent for his
subsistence upon his (Tribhuvana Malla's) lotus like feet, the ancestor of king Munja, the ruler
of four thousand pratyandakas of land, sprung from the race of Sinda, and of incalculable dread in the fields of battle, (is) by name Bhima. His
eldest son, by name Sindarāja, of renowned fame, dear to great victory won on battle fields.
Of his
son King Munja the series of titles is :—Prosperity (scasti), He who has obtained the fice great words] Lord of the great circle," Lord of the city of Bhoji rati, descendant of the king of the Snakes, flower
of the race of the Snakes, delight of the Sinda race, like the sun to the lotuses, destructice like the sub
marine fire to the Gunakas,” the Mandalika, adorned by a series of names that purifies the world, f Lord of the great circle.
This is a benediction on king Shri J/unja Rāja :— This king Munja is not [like] that Vāmana, who, for the purpose of entrapping king Bali, assumed poverty though for a time, but he is the crown-jewel of all kings. Nor is he [like] him that acted the Boar, when destruction from its enemies threatened the world. He, the lord of earth, victorious among numbers of resplendent kings—may he be victo rious ! It is strange O king Munja, that though the hearts of your enemies are always exceedingly heated, your Fame, who is your consort, loves to wander among them (the hearts) dreadful as the deep ocean £ But ah! yes, I see the reason. There resides in you the power of the knowledge of mak ing fire and poison harmless. $ Hence it is that she incessantly roves among your enemies living between the Himälaya and the Bridge. whether Gunuka is the name of an individual or of a people.
t Here there is a play upon the word Hari, which means both
The translation given above is a guess. f The original is Jagatpipandmävalisamálankrita, which
Vishnu and a lion, and the alusion is to the Man-lion avatara
appears to be a mistake for Jagatpácanandmiralisamálankrita.
of Wishnu. 1 This was Hiram fakashipw, to destroy whom Vishnu became incarnate as the Man-lion or half man and half lion. § This refers to Shiva, who attempted to swallow the poison
The original has clearly tadvå—mbudhibhikare. The letter omitted is clear, but I have not been able to decypher it. It may be dha.
churned out of the ocean, by which his throat was blackened
| Samadhiqatapanchamahāshahdah : It is usual to render this to mean ‘who has obtained the five great sounds, viz., 9f certain musical instruments. But it seems more pro bable that Mahā Shabda refers to certain five titles, though I am not certain what these titles were. The word Maha shabda appears to refer to five words or titles beginning with Mahā, such as Mahārāja, Mahámandaleshcara, &c.
§ Mandala is the circle of the vassals and chiefs paying tribute to a king.
- Guſukavadavánala in the original. It is not certain
§ Shikhirishſistambhádividyāhalam,_Shikhistambha means an art or magical power, whereby the effects of fire are
averted, and by the help of which one may rush into fire and come out unscathed. And so also of vishtistambha, which is applied to the magical powers supposed to be possessed by snake-charmers.
| The bridge here referred to is the bridge-like range of rocks connecting Lanka or Ceylon with India, supposed to have been built by the hero of the Rāmāyana. “From the
Himalaya to the bridge” is ordinarily used to signify “from one end of India to the other.”
