Indian Epigraphy c16.s2.106

c16.s2.106

Some of the feudatories enjoyed the designation *Maṇḍaleśvara*, i.e. ruler of a *maṇḍala* (a district of a kingdom) sometimes modified to *Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara*.¹ The same designation is also found in the form *Māṇḍalika* or *Mahāmāṇḍalika*.² The designation *Māṇḍalika* was sometimes adopted as a personal name, though it was often spelt as *Maṇḍalika*.³ It is, in some cases, difficult to determine whether a provincial governor was a viceroy or a feudatory of an imperial ruler. There was no great difference between these two classes of rulers since a post was often held by an officer hereditarily. Thus the son and successor of a viceroy became practically a feudatory. These feudatories or viceroys very often enjoyed one or more official designations. Thus Vijayasena, a subordinate of Vainyagupta, is known from the Gunaighar plate⁴ to have enjoyed the designations *Mahārāja* and *Mahāsāmanta* as well as *Mahāpratihāra* (chief of the door-keepers of the king's chamber or the royal palace or the capital city), *Mahāpīlupati* (master of elephants),⁵ *Pañcādhikaraṇoparika* (head of five administrative offices or departments), *Pāṭyuparika* (probably, head of the accounts department) and *Purapāloparika* (chief amongst the governors of cities). It is difficult to say whether the different posts were held by Vijayasena at the same time or one after another.