Ancient History of the Deccan c3.s4.26

c3.s4.26

As the same text is reproduced in many inscriptions, it must be considered correct and there is no room to think that a fragment of it has either been lost or accidentally omitted by the engraver. Since we know from various documents that Jayadâman was the son of Châshtana, the meaning of this text is certainly the following: "In the 52nd year, in the reign of Rudradâman, son of Jayadâman, grandson of Châshtana and great-grandson of Ysâmotika". This meaning has been accepted for the last 15 years. Very recently, however, Professor Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar (Dekkan of the Śātavāhana period, Ind. Ant., Vol. XLVII, part DXCVI., June 1918, page 154, footnote 26) has proposed a new interpretation. According to him the inscriptions will be dated in the common reign of Chashṭana and Rudradāman who would have reigned conjointly: "at first, I was inclined to supply "pautrasa" after Ysāmotikaputrasa and refer the date to the reign of Rudradāman (J. B. B. R. A. S., Vol. XXIII., page 68) Mr. R. C. Majumdar of the Calcutta University has kindly offered the suggestion that the date has better be referred to the conjoint reign of Chashṭana and Rudradāman". This interpretation is not possible: if here it was question of common reign of Chashṭana and Rudradāman, the text would be "Rudradāmasa cha varshe" or something else which will show that it was the reign of two persons; but here there is no possibility of any doubt; "Rājña Rudradāmasa Jayadāmaputrasa varshe" can mean only one thing: "the reign of Rudradāman". The inscriptions of Andhau are therefore dated in the reign of Rudradāman and in the 52nd year of the Śaka era which corresponds to 130 A. D.