Table Of Content00083004
Digitized with financial assistance from
Dr. Devangana J. Desai
on 14 February, 2019
00083004
00083004
CONTENTS ■
Preface age
List of Illustrations
Introduction 1—47
Pa^idavas 1, Ayodhya 4 5 S'atavahanas, 4 ; Kadambas, 6 ;
Sendrakas, 12 ; Senavaras, 12 ; Gangas 12 ;
Rashtrakajas, 16; S'antaras, 17 ; CMJukyas, 18 ;
Nolamba-Pallavas, 26 ; Pandyas; 26 ; Kajachuryas, 26 ;
Hoysalas, 30 ; Sindas, 34 ; Seva^as (or Yadavas), 36 ;
Vijayanagar, 38 ; Kudali-matha, 42; Ke}adi, 42 ;
Sante-Bennilr, 44 ; Bijapur, 44 ; Chitaldroog, 45 ;
British, 45; Mysore, 45. Architecture, 46.
List of the Inscriptions classified and in chronological order .. 1— 6
Tiext of the Inscriptions in Roman characters, ^ .. 1—345
arranged to show the composition
Translations of the Inscriptions •. . • 1—196
Text of the Inscriptions, arranged as in the original,- ..
in Kanna^a^ characters .. . ; .. 1—478
Addenda et Corrigenda .. .. . 1— 2
Alphabetical list'of Towns and Villages where the Inscriptions were found.. 1— 3
Index to Introduction .. ... .. 1— 5
the grant has not been elsewhere met. with, and his descent is not given. Bat on comparing this in
scription with that of Mrigesavaraima in the Hitpahebbagilu plates (Hs. 18), it, will at once appear
how similar they are throughout. The unusual prefix to the king’s name also occurs
there, and in both the plates are described as pattika. Mandhi,trivarmma was therefore of the same
period as .Mrigesavanama, and perhaps a near relation who may have come just before or just after him.
There are no data for fixing the exact time of either, but they no doubt belong to the 5th century.
We next aome to the Talaguada pillar (Sk. 176), than which no more important or interestir^
inscription has been discovered in Mysore, whether we regard its contents, its style, or its execution/,
and it has attracted much attention in Europe.* The pillar, which is of a very hard dark grey granite,
is standing in front of the ruined Pranamesvara temple. Its pedestal is 5 feet 4 inches high and i
foot 4 inches square at the top, a little more at the base. The shaft is Octagonal, 6 feet 4 inches
high, each face being 7 inches wide, but tapering slightly towards the top. The finial is a pear-shaped
ornament, I foot 11 inches high, with a considerable piece split off lengthwise on one side, taking off
a little bit from the end of line 10, but no letters are lost. The engr§.ving is in artistically cut
box-headed characters, and there are two lines on each face except the last, which has only half m
line. The invocation at the beginning is on the pedestal, and runs up connecting with the first line.
The inscription reads from the botto m upwards. It is mostly in excellent preservation, except on
the side exposed to the south-west monsoon, which is a good deal worn. The language is Sanskrit
throughout, and the composition is in the high-flown Ksivya style, which it is evident was in full vogue
in the South at that early period, as pointed out by Dr. Btlhler. I had gladly consented to the publication
of the inscription by him,, than whom no one was better qualified to do it justice but his lamented
death put a stop to this. The first 24 verses are in a very rare mefre, which Dr. Kielhorn has stated^
iij not described in any Hindu work on prosody, nor does it occur throughout Hindu literature.
But a minute search has resulted in his discovery of a verse in the same metre in each of two Gupta
and Vakataka inscriptions of the 4th or 5th century.® Also twb>^rses in the celebrated Bower manu-
script,^ a Buddhist work of about 400 to 450 A.D, written on birch barij obtained in Tibet, which
has been deciphered atid published with se m ieh lahoiii’ and skill by Dr, Hoetfflle. Dr. Kielhorn is
of opinion* that other specimens in ly be probably found if a search be made in old w?b^gs.* “It is
clear ' he says “that we have to do with a Mdtrdsamaka, in which each of the four pAdas of^hek.vej'se
contains 15 matras. The following is the scheme,—
X
PAdas 1 and 3 : ^
Padas 2 and 4 • —.— —* .w.. — ^
In padas 2 and 4 this scheme is followed throughout the 24 verses. In the two odd padas it
is strictly followed iu only 30 (out of 48) first and third padas; iti 14 other instances, where there
is the short for the 6th mAtrA of the pAda, a long is used, and then the following long sometimes
(altogether three times) will be substituted by two short; and in the remaining four, the existing in
stances show in place of the same short, one long and one short. The secondary form of the scheme
for pAdas 1 and 3 is therefore,—
----v_.w — w w w 16 mAtras
and w w -— w — w 17 matrAs”6
A summary of the contents was given in my Introduction toVol. IV, and X>r. BflMer directed attention to the importance of
the inscription in the of the 21st Sep. 1895.
2 . . . .
Bin unheTcamvtes Zndisches Meirum, in the Gottingen Nathriohten for 1899, Seft 2.
3 , . .
I'usdm inscription, 1. 1 and 2, (Gupto. Inscriptions, p. 270); VSk^taka inscription at AjantI, 1. 5—8, {Archssological Survey
of Western India, Vol. IV, p. 125). t t . / j- j
Part I, p. i (itt sureytm), and verse 38.
My Assistant, Mr. It. Ifarasimhachar, M.A., finds the metre in Bh}mahhatta’s Rdwi»i»r./'M«it/», (a work illustrating Panini’s
Sutras, published in the Bombay K&vyamdld). See vv. 44 (p. 68) and 58 (p. 174) for instance, and there may be others.
6
But the second matrS of the third pSda in verses iSland 21 is long.
8
After the usual expression Siddham, the inscription opens with obeisance and ascription of
Tictory to S'iva, and praise of the Bralunaus. Next follows praise of the king Kakusthavarmma, the
Kadamba Senani, the moon in the sky of a great race (hriha l-anvaya). Then commences the highly
important historical portion of the inscription. There was, it says, (at Tajagunda is implied) a family
of very devout Brahmans,> born in the poira of the Haritiputra, the chief rishi Manayya, of the path of
three rishis. An interesting account is given of their ritual and domestic habits, decidedly archaic.in
character. Their hair was constantly wet with the final ablutions after many kinds of sacrifices, they
had performed the avagdha (or bath on completion of vedic study), maintained the sacred fire, drank
sdim juice, and grew fat on sacrifical animals and offerings. They had a huiamba tree growing near
their house, from tending which they acquired its name and qualities. In this Kadamba family
there arose a distinguished and learned Brahman named MayuraSarmma, who, together with his guru
ViraAarmma, went to the city of the Pallava kings {%• e. Kafichi), and desiring to be proficient in
pravachana, entered into every ghatilcd,'^ and (thus) became a quick (or ready) debater (or disputant).
There a sharp quarrel arose in connection with the Pallava horses or stables,3 and he became
so enraged that Kshatriyas should lord it over Brahmans, that he resolved though he was a Brahman
to become a Kshatriya for the purpose of revenge- Accordingly, practising himself in the use of wea
pons,—very different from the sacrificial implements he had been accustomed to handle,—he over
came the Pallava guards at the frontier and escaped to the inaccessible forests at S'riparvvata (in
Karnul District, near the junction of the Tuugabhadra and Krishpa rivers). Here he grew to such
power that he levied tribute from the great Bana and other kings,. These proceedings made the Pal
lava kings frown, but aided him in carrying out his designs, and in making preparations for a vigorous
campaign. The kings of Kauchi (the Pallavas) now m arched against him with their ocean of an
army, resolved to put him down. But journeying in various difficult disguises, he penetrated to*
their camps at night, and smote them down like a powerful falcon. Eating the food of disaster, and
being rendered helpless, they were forced by him to carry his sword after him. They therefore
quickly resolved to make friendship with him ; and gave him a crown, at the same time conferring
upon him a territory bounded by the Amararnuava (or Western Ocean) and extending as far as Pre-
mara (Malva.), with an undertaking that it should not be entered (or invaded) by others. And having
raeditb,ted on Senapati and the Mothers, he was anointed by Shacjanana.
His successors were his son Kahguvarmma ; whose son was Bhagiratha; whose soti was Raghu ;
whose brother was Bhagirathi or Kakustha. A glowing account is given of the prosperity of the
kingdom under the latter ; and his daughters, it is implied, were given in marriage to the Gupta
The punctilious enumeration of details savours somewhat of the perfervour of new converts.
2
The meaning of ghatikd-sthdna is not accurately known. Mr. Pathak has translated it ‘religious centre’ ("Ind. Ant. XIV, 24).
Dr. Kielhorn has published an article on the subject (Gottingen Nachriokteu tor 1900, Seft 3), with special reference to
the use of the word in this inscription, and gives quotations in support of his view that it means something like irahma-
puri. At the same time I met with the following inscriptions in Mysore. In On. 178, (Vol. V), we have
Dundubhau hSyan® Bhadrapade mSsS s'ubhe dinS I
DttaikSktyfl SSma-v3de vyadhattSm ghatika[s'ra]matp il (or ghatika [krajmaip || )
A
I have been unable to obtain information as to what Dttahka says in the Sima-vSda, but the Adi-parva of the Mahl-BhSrata
contains some weird stories about Utahka. He paid a visit to the serpent world to recover certain earrings which the
serpent king had stolen. He it was who urged the emperor JanamSjaya to perform the serpent sacrifice. Observing some
women wsaving, it suggested to him a method of reckoning time.
On the other hand, in Sk. 197 in the present volume, in the description of the beauties and attractions of Kunta'la, we are
told that it contsinedi~dharmmaTcJce-nermmamum ihSgahk-agaramum dda ghatikS-sthdnas that were
supports of piety and mines of enjoyment. The latter clause seems to convey an idea quite opposed to the former, but we
here certainly have the mention of some kind of institution.
3 .
All that we are told as to the cause of a quarrel that led to such dire results is,—tatra Pallavds'ra-tatHsthSna ialahina
Hvrtna roshitdh.
9
and other kings. This king, Kakusthavarmnal, caused a tank to be made for the celebrated temple
here at which Satakaruioi and other great kings had worshipped. The king’s son S’&ntivarmma, who
it appears had acquired three c?0wns, commissioned Kubja (the hunClibaok), who had composed this
poem (Mvyam), to have it inscribed on the stone. The inscription closes with a benediction on
Stbanakundhr (now Tiliagunda), which was the resort of people from all quarters.
This learned inscription is full of interesting and important matter from beginning to end.
It gives what appears to be a realistic and true account of the origin of the Kadamba line of kings,
■free from the numerous legends that are current regarding it,i and MaydrasarmniS. is no doubt the
Hayhravarmml who is always represented as the progenitor of the line (see Sk, H7). The inform*
ation about the Pallavas, Kadchi, Ba^a and S' riparvvata are highly imp >rtaut, as well as the
references to the Premara country, the Guptas, and Satakarnni. In fact, the various lines of inquiry
it suggests are well nigh iiv.'xh uastible. It is ranch to be regretted that Dr. Buhl'r was not spared
to elucidate, as no one conld so well do, the different questions it offers for investigation. The
inscription is mot dated, but every thing points to the 5th century as the periotl to which it belongs.
Another ancient Kadamba inscription is Sk. 68, on a stone at Taijagani, in front of the Rdm4-
ivara temple. In it we have the king Madbuvarmmd of the Kadamba family,—who were purihed by
meditation on Svami MahasSna and the group of Mothers, of the MS.navya-g6tra and Hariiiputras,—
making grants in the villages of S'atdmahila (which means the hundred women) and Ketakapa^u*
There is no d.ate, but from the style it may be assigned to about 500.
' HI. 13 is a dating in 870 A.D. Unfjrtunattfly, of the name of the paramount sovereign
only ■. r.tsa M.vrasatya remains. From ths da'e the inscription falls in the reign of the Hashtra.*
kuta king Nripatuftga or Ainoghavarsha, but I am unable to identify Marasatya, unless it was th^t
king's name. In any case, Indra is said to be ruling the Banavdsi Twelve Thousand, which is the
reason for placing this under the Kadambas.
The next inscription (Sk. 45 which icon a stone at the Gaatam§svara temt>Ie in the Gauj
agrahara, is filled with somewhat confused lists of donations, principally sdle, to that god, and to
the Brahmans of a number of villages, first among whom come the thousand of Gautama-grama, At
one point we have mention of Kannarasa ns ruling the kingdom o ' th^ world. This was the R&sh(ra-
kuta king, and fi.xes the date at about 890. And Ajavarmmarasa, son of the Kadambas, is mentioned*
Again, when S'antarasa was ruling, the Kadamba Ajammarasa, no doubt the same, made a grant
From Sb,' 122 we only get the nameKuvara (or the prince) Taila (see Sk. 117). Its date may
be about 1030. Sk. 151 gives us Ch.^vun^ ruling Banavase, Saiitalige and Hayve, as far as the
Western Ocean, under the Ghalukyas, in 1047. He is described as making sport of Kofikapa, as Ahava*
malla’s Hanuman, a wild-fire to Kat.iagila-vada, and thruster aside of Kannama. The Ourjjara*
ChSra, Choja and other kings were moved at the grandeur of H&ya. He set up the fine
ihSmnda pillar at B.illigave, on which this inscription is engraved, and made a grant for the Bher-
undesvara (? at the top). Sk. 120 shows him making a grant in 1048 for a Jain basndi in Balligaye*
By his order Nagavanuma erected habitations (ni/atira) for the different sects.2 He recurs in Sk. 11,
dated 1C63, in which he is called Ghamnnda-Niiyaka In Sk. 152: we have a Kadamba Satyiiray^*
Deva ruling Kapanfif, also under the Chilukyas, .and making a grant. This singular inscription,
which is on what is called the iidki-Brahma stone, will be noticed m another place farther on.. In
Sk. 191 we have a vira-Kadamba ... rjjuna-DSya in, ? lO ti
^Bat there i» an evident desiin to exalt the Brahmans at.the of (he Kshatriyas. ,
There was aho a famous ChSmnnda-Riya connected with S'rava^a Belgoja in the l®th century, who had s younger hrothep
RagaTarmmt.
10
Sk, 117 is on copper plates at the Virakta-matha in Balgami. It contains a gt nealogy of the
Kadambas, and records a grant in 1118 by the king Soma for the establishment of an agiahara for
.67 Brahmans. In accordance with the usual legend, Kadamba is said to have sprung from a drop of
.sweat which fell from the brow of S'iva under a kadamba tree, and he was born with four long arms
• and an eye in his forehead. He begat Mayuravarma, who begat liavivarma, whose son was Nriga-
warma, and he begat Kiitivarma. In his line arose Vikrama-Tailapa, who destroyed his enemies,
watching for them with the sword in his hand like a black serpent with hood expanded, and who
per'ormcd from his birth numeious sacrifices for the promotion of ciharma, which, as a four-footed
bull, still wanders about at will in the shade of his sacrificial po^'ts, rejoicing in the streams of the
final ablutions. In his line was born the king Tailama, who won the earth by his courteous maimers.
His son was Kama-Deva, whose bounty was proclaimed by heralds from road to road, from city to city,
mud from village to village, in all directions. His son was Malla, whose queen w'as Padmavati. But
he also had a favourite queen Basavala-Devi, who was the mother of Soma, at the soupd of whose
kettle-drums his enemies swooned away. Though some of these names occur in other granfs,i this
genealogy as a whole appears to be new.
Sk, 100 is an elaborate account of the Chalukya kihgs.'^^ln the reign of jSomesvara Bhu-
l&kamalla, when he had come on an expedition to the South,—the Kadamba king Taila, whose
.abode was at ViraU-n.agari- (llanugal), delivered a very long spe(ch praising Baljigave and its
temples in the highest terms, expecially the Kedara temple and matha, and the gurus of the latter.
The emperor was overcome by his eloquence, and wished to perforin some work of merit in so aus
picious a place, on which Taila skilfully brought to hi's notice a grant he had himself already made,
'and procured confirmation ftir it. The date is 112^. HI. 4 7,'which'fe one'year later, records the
death of Tiiilapa, on account of which event a man narned ‘Boppaha Tiiade- §ood the vowf'he had
taken for the occasion (vSle vdhjamy, and went to sveirggd With'Tailuha-Deva..’ Anil Mayftrava'rtna-
Deva with all his ofiicials made a grant for the family, in coiisidefatioiv bf Btippa’s having fulfilled
'Ms time vow (simeya-joto). We have had instances of similar_;Sel&saci-ifieos-pp the. deathf of the
‘-Gahga king KitimS.-gga in about.915 (see Ag i 5 and 27, Vol. V>);, juid on the death of. the Hoj sala
;king Ballala in 122.) (see Bl. 112, Vol. V), Thsue-was apparently the same thing on the.dp'jithpf
*Bainmarasa-Deva, the Ganga king of" Asandi, in about-14M) (see KS. 146^ Vol. VI). .Sk.:249
■records another niost determined caseof the kind % 1185, oh the deatii;of Laicbchala-Devi. ..•.vi
The next grant is Sll. 79, on a copper plate' belonging tb-llie'Tv&3hH ’Srifagfen mSiha.^'-It'is
^engraved in a most confiiSSd find'irregular marinei’j on small and Magk.Nagarl chjarapfcers.ostfid it is
'•difficuit to read or make any sense out of sofiae paits; It professes to he a grant of viHag'rSorigin-
A
■•ally made by a Kadamba i kiiig Piirandara-Raya (also apparently- called Aditya-Sindbm iaisnother
■ place), in 1154, to VidyasMkam-Bharati, the STingeri gurui? and-confirmed by the‘Vijayatiagar
ki ng Harih u’fi-Raya, presumably at the instance hf his minister-Vidyafanya.^ Near .the h^innirig
-are a mirabcr of profebssd quotations from'the S’anhara-vijaga, giving-only the first-and last-.jvch d's.
But they have not been found in the copies of -that work th-it have .beeri'coiisulted. cA^goadfid'eal of
• the inscription is ta'ken-up with the titles and- pretensions .of: the :gmms,i-the. countiies-overi.lvhi'ch
'they claim to h;ive travelled, thb-language^they knw,aind Hue various-bcanphpsjrf.,learni,^ ire',wi^h
•they were proficient, "one of-which-«§6'msWfery like hy phot ism. -cSki 80'?if;-an<rthei-,predS:Cjjt §ipiit'P
As the Karguda-ri grant of 1108 (ZTMi. 249). . . . - - - ' ’ ' m jl-'ii-'*'
It is menlionetrby .Buchanan in 1801 in his Travels (II, btt't'l! bail -neTefife?ii'"bft('iie§sMl ifi ^ttsUg'Asi gkt^if iUtid Sb
few years ago, when it had been produced before the Bombay High "Court in connection with some law suit aiiH traii^
laded by a committee appointed for the purpo^, wEiovhowever, tw judge TrbSi a vdislori sho-wn to mej wWvH)tt!l>ery Sectt-
' !( rate-in their interpretation".
J*r-
11
•copper plate in the same matha. It prol'esses to be a gcant, to the guru Vidyaiankai’a-Bharati, of
the Sringapuri and two other agraharas, each containing 360 shares, also other villages yielding
altogether a revenue of 12000 nislikas, hy a. Kadamba-Raya, on a date expressed in a peculiar
‘ manner*, meant apparently as equivalent to 1235, Then follow lists of the insignia and symbols of
the guru, and of the countries between Setu and Himanin which the S’ankararya-guru is worshipped
by 2032 great Brahmans. ^
In Sk. 236, of date 117-t, we have an altogether new and different account.of the; origin of
the Kadambas, which is deduced from the Nandas. When Parasurama was destroying all theiKsba-
. triyas, a king of the Ltimar race named Soma, from whom, the Kalachuryya family arosej was
preserved by his guru ASvatthhma or Kvaramsa, who disguised him by letting his mustaches and
beard grow thick, and instructed him in the use of weapons. Rejoiced at their escape, thoking and his
■guru went to the Kailasa mountain to offer thanks to the lord of Parvvati, and tl|«te they saw the
honoured king Nanda worshipping Siva with flowers. He had been so engaged? tor many days,
supplicating S'iva for a son, and was turning awhy ip despair that no response had been vouchsafed
to him, when, -as if saying,“*Do not he distressed,some hadamta fell before hil»< • Accepting
them as a sign, he worshipped S'iva with these flowers, and obtained from him the boon, the god
announcing to Isvaram^a that two brilliant sons would be born to the king under the name of the
Kadamba-kula, and that he was to teach them the use of weapons. Accordingly, Kirttivarmma and
Maytavarmma were born. The latter had a son Tayta, whose son was S'Auta, whose sen was
; Mailu. After he and many others of the line had ruled, there was Boppa, the husband of S'ri-Deyi.
Bopparasa, lamenting that since the Kadamba Taila no one had arisen in the family worthy,to
■ protect the whole world, together with his wife supplicated Dakshi^a Somanktha for a son. ;4Ud
A
Kvara granted the boon that they should have aeon equal in bodily strength to Rayamur&ri-S6ma,-vvho
i should transfer the glory of the Kalachuryyas to the Kadambas. And after his birth, in order that .he
’ ■; might be recognized as the Kadamba Rudra, the god appeared to the wife in a dream,—clad in whita
ganvrents, mounted on Nandi,—and marking the child’s forehead with vihMti (or ashes j, gave him the
name Soma. A long account follows of his growth;, and distinction. An officer under him, named
Machi-Nayaka, erected in Bandanike inNagarhkhanda the Boppelvara temple, which the king Soma,
his wife Lachchala-Pevi, _and others endowed. And the Kalachuryya ting iUya^iBKi'|.ii-Spvid)eya*s
minister Nacharasa granted certain taxes for it in 1174. Sk. 197 the fafthef inforiualm^
■that the Kadambas were the rulers of Nagara-kbanda, and that Boppa was the son of Braiima Viid
'€hattala-Devi. His son was Soma, praised as in thte former inscription, to whom and to Laibchala-
, Dev’i was born Boppa,. who is said to have had an army of 18 afoho/M'^ijand whose capital {rnfulMni)
, was Bandhava-pura (Bandanike).::-A list of Jain gurus is .tbe.n given,: ending • with k’ayakiriiij^sjho
. .-was the preceptor of ;S'ankar%sam.auta, Boppa-Deva’s ^hief suppoTr,ter,:his, decent..,being framed
, fro m the Naiidn-vamla. He Jjuilt a splendid Jina tenpiple for S.'antinAtha in Magudi,. which gained
such approval even f rom Snryyabharanaj. the priest of i TrjjsuraRtalcai m Balipura (Balgami), that he
granted an endowment for^t. S'ankama-Deva now distributed all his wealth, and marched away to
join the king Ballala, in whose service he Came willi .Tiim to .Tanagunda. While they were
there, Recharasa, the Kajachuryya minister, came to Magiidi to worship at the,^ temple, which be
•did along with Boppa and S'ankara, and was so pleased with it> that ho made a graut for it. Tbia
‘ was'in 1182. The merchants and •others also g^hted dues for it. ,
' ■ ' ' Sk. 183’of 1200 gives ah account of the establishment; of the Sthahhgfidh^or!^^
Mqkkapjia-Iiadamba; .rnhng tH^^iintala.. OQlTOt^, ,he ,B0Ug%4ilig8Utly
the region of the South for any Brahmans, but found none. He therefore without ’delay W»nfc forth.
12
and doing vorsl) p to the Aliiclicliatra figraliArd, succeeded in obtaining ihirty-two rialiman families,,
purified by 12000 agnihotias. These he sent btfoiahim, and settled them in the outskirts of the
city (BalligrSme), in tl:e gnat agiahara (f Sih/nugudtm, wliidi he founded in a tiact he had noted^.
where ware the g< d Pia^un esvara, fatnois tlnoughout the four yugus as set up by Brahma, and the
tirtfha encircUd by the five Lingas set up by tliat and other gods. Verses follow, praising Tanagun-
dur, its vegetation, and the learning of its Biahntans. Each couple of the gods congratulated
themselves thr ughoat the night on the abundance of the offerings rfhey obtained there. Tiilocbana-
deva, a Brahman of tlie Chakra-vamla in it, set up the god Madhava, in consequence of a dream in-
which that god appeared to him, and be and his brothers made grantsffor it. Though well acquaint
ed with all learning, Trildchana-deva in the presence of learned men pretended ignorance of even
how to read ; one thing he had not ’earnt, namely to say the two letters i Jla fno) to beggais. In Sk,
225 wre have Brahma, son of Boppa-Deva, as ruler of Nag ira-khanda, under the Hoysala king,
Ballala, in 1204.
Sendrakas
Ot these kings there is one inscription, Sk, l54,' in which we liave Pogilli-Sendraka-n ahaiaja
ruling the Nayarkhavda (that i^, Kagaiaklu nda) ai d Jedugur, under the (haluk^a crnpeior V/naya-
ditya RajSiraya, in about 685.
The Sendrakas are a line of subordinate kings nantioned in early inscriptions, who seem to have
much in common with the Sindas, (sec the section on these farther on) and to occupy contiguous
parts of the Bo.nbiy and Mysore countries. They claim to be of the Bhujagendranvaya or lineage o£
the snake king^ just as the Sindas claim to be of the Phapiraja-vamia, which has the same meaning.
They were thus both of Naga race. The Sendraka-visliaya is mentioned in the Beppur plates, containing
a Kadaraba grant of the 5th century. (Bl< 245* Vol. V). One of the witnesses in the Mon ara plates, of
the same period, (Cg. 1, Vo), I) is.a Sendrika, but tins may perhaps not be the same name. In Ci. 43-
the country south of Basavapattana seems to be called the Sendra country so late as the 17th century,
and this must have adjoined, the Sin la, country, as appears from their inscriptions in this volume.
A A
Senavaras
The SSnavara kings were brought to notice in Vol. VI. 1 here is only one inscriptioc here (Sk,
278) nferring to them, in which we find the priihuvi-vallabha Senavara-bhftvara under the Chaju^
kya king Vijayaditya-Satyasraya, in abot 700, It is too much defaced to supply any information.
The earliest Gahga insreiption in this volume is Sk. 52, engraved on copper plates which
apparently belong to the Tagarti agrahara.3 A peculiar feature is that they are inscribed in an
ejrfraordinaiy mixture of alphabets, of which there are at least three, used indiscriminately. The
oldest has not been met with elsewhere, and in certain respects bears some resemblance to tlie AAoka
char-acters ; another is Hala-K inna la, and the thh'd is a form of Nagarl.'* Commencing in
A faCrsimile ispaUished in /<«<. Avt. XIX, Mi, Ind.Ant., VII, 108.
Originally published by me in 1878 (Jnd. Ant. Vf I, 172) as the Harihara plates, as they were sent to roe by the Superin-
teiident ot Znam SeMlem’int.tfrom that plac?, to which it was understood they belonged.
Similarly, the Parli-lCiihedi plates of the Eajinga Ganga king Vajraliasta (published by Pr. Kielhorn in Ep. InS. Ill, 220),
and the Chicaeole plates of Satyavarmmi of the same dynasty (published by Or. Fleet in Ind, Ant. XIV, 10), arein a
mixture of alphabets. Of the former. Dr. Kielhorn says,—“ The characters present a curious mixture of the N8gart
alphabet a»'written ip Southern India, and of several TOuthem^ alphabets properly so called ... -The writer has not ,
merely shoivn his f,»m(li»rity with sereral kinds,of writing, hat luvs ■"'•Iso displayed some skill in the .arrangement of the
different characters .w Every letter appears 'ih at least two forms, and tor some we have bo less than four (or even
more) different forms."
