Ancient History of the Deccan c5.s5.12

c5.s5.12

On the contrary, Indrabhaṭṭārakavarman had a long reign as the Rāmatirtham plates are dated in the 37th year of his reign; besides, during this reign, there was a terrible attack made by a king, who probably reigned in Kaliṅga, who was also called "Indra" and who seems to have been the head of a coalition of kings. These plates tell us that Indrabhaṭṭārakavarman "encountered in hundred thousands of battles numerous four-tusked elephants (chaturdanta)"; we know that God Indra is mounted on the elephant of the East which has four tusks. That statement is wholly confirmed by copper plates written in a similar alphabet which have been found in the Gōdaveri District. They are those of Pṛthivimūla (J. B. B. R. A. S., Vol. XVI., page 116). From lines 17-20, we learn an alliance was entered into by several chiefs to uproot by force Indrabhaṭṭāraka whose élephant Kumuda (the elephant of the S. W. quarter) was struck down by Indrādhirāja mounted on his own elephant Supratika (the elephant of N. E. quarter). So there were two Indras present: Indrādhirāja, king of the northeast, that is, of Kaliṅga along the coast of Orissa, and Indrabhaṭṭāraka, the Viṣṇukuṇḍin who reigned in the southwest, that is to say in Vēṅgi. Now, it seems that it was the king of the Viṣṇukuṇḍins that was the victor. In fact the same Rāmatirtham plates commemorate the grant made by Indra of a village situated in the Pḷaki-rāṣṭra. This province is mentioned in the Timmapuram plates (Ep. Ind. Vol. IX., page 317) under the name of Paḷaki-vishaya. And we know that this same province of Paḷaki-vishaya contained the village of Cherúpúra, which is nothing but Chipurupalli in the Vizagapatam District (Ind. Ant. Vol. XX., pages 15 and 16). Since the Viṣṇukuṇḍin Indra was the master of Vizagapatam District after his war with the king of Orissa, it is certain that he was the victor. We have said that there was a coalition of many kings against Indrabhaṭṭāraka. Among them perhaps was Hariṣēna the Vākāṭaka;