गुप्त अभिलेख संग्रह (जे. एफ. फ्लीट - गुप्त सम्राटों एवं परवर्ती नरेशों के ऐतिहासिक पाषाण व ताम्रलेख)

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 1, PLATE I. 7
18 bhindipâla-n[â]râcha - vaitastik - âdy - anêka - praharaṇa - virûḍh - âkula - vraṇa - śat - âṅka -
śôbhâ-samuday-ôpachita-kântatara-varshmaṇaḥ
19 Kausalaka-Mahêndra-Mâh[â*]kântâraka-Vyâghrarâja-Kaurâḷaka¹ - Maṇ-
ṭarâja-Paishṭapuraka-Mahêndra-giriKauṭṭûraka-Svâmidatt²-Airaṇḍa-
pallaka-Damana-Kâñchêyaka-Vishṇugôp-Âvamuktaka-
20 Nîlarâja-Vaiṅgêyaka-Hastivarmma-Pâlakkak-Ôgrasêna - Daivarâshṭraka-
Kubêra-Kausthalapuraka-Dhanañjaya - prabhṛiti-sarvva - dakshiṇâpatha-
râja-grahaṇa - môksh - ânugraha-janita-pratâp-ônmiśra-mahâbhagyasya
21 Rudradêva-Matila-Nâgadatta-Chandravarmma - Gaṇapatinâga - Nâgasên-
Âchyuta-Nandi-Balavarmm-âdy-anêk-Âryyâvartta-râja - prasabh - ôddharaṇ-
ôdvritta-prabhâva-mahataḥ parichârakîkṛita-sarvv-âṭavika-râjasya

¹ Read kairaḷaka, for which the word in the text is obviously a mistake.—The text, as it stands,
would give "the country, or city, of Kurâḷa;" but, though kurâla occurs in the sense of 'a light bay horse
with black legs,' it is not known as the name of a country or a city. Kêraḷa, on the other hand, is
so well known as one of the countries in the south of India, that it would be strange if it were omitted
in a passage like the present one; and it is easy to see how the engraver, or perhaps the writer from
whose draft he engraved, formed kaurâḷaka, by mistake for kairaḷaka, through a stroke on the right
of the top of the k in kai and of the ra.
² This is not altogether an easy passage to deal with. In the first instance,—coming imme-
diately after the mention of the city of Pishṭapura, which is the modern Piṭṭâpuram (the 'Pittapooram'
of the Indian Atlas, Sheet No. 94; Lat. 17° 6'; Long. 82° 18'), the chief town of the Piṭṭâpuram
Zamîndârî or Estate, twelve miles north by east of 'Cocanada' in the Gôdâvarî District in the Madras
Presidency,—the syllables mahêndragiri suggest at once a reference to the famous Mahêndra moun-
tain in the Gañjâm District, among the Eastern Ghauts, the 'Mahendrogiri' of maps (Indian Atlas,
Sheet No. 108; Lat. 18° 58' N.; Long. 84° 26' E.), which is mentioned in other early inscrip-
tions; for instance, as Mahêndrâchala, in lines 1 and 3 of the two 'Chicacole' grants of the Mahârâja
Indravarman (Ind. Ant. Vol. XIII. pp. 120, 123). And this tempts us to divide the passage thus,
Paishṭapuraka-MahêndragiriKauṭṭûraka-Svâmidatta, and to translate "Svâmidatta of Pishṭapura
and of Koṭṭûra on Mahêndragiri."—Another rendering that might suggest itself is "Svâmidatta of
Pishṭapura, Mahêndragiri, and Koṭṭûra:" which, in fact, except in respect of his mistake of Kudura, for
Koṭṭûra, was adopted by Dr. Bhau Daji (Jour. Bo. Br. R. As. Soc. Vol. IX. p. cxcviii.) But this is
not admissible, because it would require mahêndragirika in the text, instead of mahêndragiri; and,
though it is possible to find the final ka in the text as it stands, yet this would give us as the next
word, instead of Koṭṭûra (Koṭṭûr), which is a Drâviḍian name of frequent occurrence, Oṭṭûr, for which
I can find no authority at all, or Hoṭṭûr (if we assume an omission of the initial h), which occurs,
but not in connection with any place of importance.—If mahêndragiri is to be taken as one
word, and as denoting the mountain, the translation that I have noted above is the one that must be
adopted. And it might be supported by the fact that we have a Koṭṭûr on almost the same range of
hills as that to which the Mahêndragiri belongs; viz. the 'Kailaskotta and Kylascottah' of the map
(Indian Atlas, Sheet No. 107: Lat. 19° 14'; Long. 83° 36' E.), which represents Kailâsa-Koṭṭa or Kailâsa-
[