Early History of the Dekkan down to the Mahomedan Conquest c11.17

c11.17

Next in order come the inscriptions in which certain kings of the names of Gotamîputra Śâtakarṇi and Puḷumâyi are mentioned In the longest of the four occurring in the cave-temple at one extremity of the hill at Nâsık, we are told that in the nineteenth year of the reign of king Puḷumâyi, the son of Vâsıshṭhî, the cave was caused to be constructed and dedicated for the use of Buddhist mendicants of the Bhadrâyanîya sect by Gotamî, the mother of king Sâtakarnı Gotamîputra She ıs there called "the mother of the great kıng and the grandmother of the great kıng" Gotamîputra ıs spoken of as kıng of kıngs and ruler of Asıka, Asmaka, Mûlaka,¹⁰ Surâshṭra, Kukura, Aparânta, Anûpa, Vıdarbha and Âkarâvantî ¹¹ He was the lord of the mountaıns Vındhyâvat, Pârıyâtra, Sahya, Krıshnagırı, Malaya, Mahendra, Sreshṭhagırı, and Chakora Hıs orders were obeyed by a large cırcle of kıngs, and hıs feet were adored by them Hıs beasts of burden drank the waters of the three seas He protected all who sought an asylum wıth hım, and regarded the happıness and mısery of hıs subjects as hıs own He paıd equal attentıon to the three objects of human pursuıt, *vız*, duty, worldly prosperıty, and the satısfactıon of desıres, appoıntıng certaın tımes and places for each He was the abode of learnıng, the support of good men, the home of glory, the source of good manners, the only person of skıll, the only archer, the only hero, the only protector of Brâhmaṇs He conferred upon Brâhmaṇs the means of ıncreasıng theır race, and stemmed the progress of the confusıon of castes Hıs exploıts rıvalled those of Râma, Kesava, Arjuna, and Bhîmasena, and hıs prowess was equal to that of Nabhâga, Nahusha, Janamejaya, Sagara, Yayâtı, Râma, and Ambarîsha He was descended from a long line of kings He vanquished the host of his enemies in innumerable battles, quelled the boast and pride of Kshatriyas, destroyed the Śakas, Yavanas, and Pahlavas, left no trace or remnant of the race of Khagârâta, and re-established the glory of the Sâtavâhana family In the last line of the inscription mention [18] is made of the grant of a village for the support of the establishment in the cave-temple¹²