The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v1.c16.421

v1.c16.421

(2) *Deopara stone inscription.*—This is incised on a piece of basalt carefully polished on the upper surface. It was discovered amidst a number of large blocks of stone in a dense jungle near the village of Deopara, in the Godagari Thana, Rajshahi District, Bengal. The characters may be described as a Bengali variety of the northern alphabet of the 11th or 12th century. It contains 32 lines, and opens with *Oṁ namaḥ Śivāya*. Then occurs a verse in praise of Śambhu and Devī. Next we are told that the god Pradyumneśvara represented the union of the ‘beloved of Lakṣmī’ and the ‘husband of the daughter of the mountain.’ Then follows a verse in praise of the moon. In his race were born the southerner Vīrasena and the rest. In that Sena family was born Sāmantasena; his son Hemantasena; his son Vijayasena. The object of the inscription is to record that this king built a magnificent temple of the god Śiva Pradyumneśvara and dug a lake. The *praśasti* was composed by the *Kavi* Umāpati, and was engraved by the *Rāṇaka Śūlapāṇi*, ‘the crest jewel of Varendra artists’ (*Varendraka-śilpi-goṣṭhī-cūḍāmaṇi*).⁴ (3) *Barrackpur grant.*—This is incised on a single plate of copper, and was discovered near the cantonment of Barrackpur in the possession of some villagers. The obverse contains 24 and the reverse-side 26 lines of writing. On the top of the plate is attached the royal seal, which “consists of a ten-armed figure of Śiva, called in the Edilpur grant of Keśavasena *Sadāśivamudrā*, embossed in relief.”¹ There is no legend on the seal. The characters belong to the 11th or 12th century, and are in what “may be called the Bengali alphabet.” The grant opens with *Oṁ namaḥ Śivāya*. The first verse praises Dhurjaṭi, and the next the moon. The genealogy is then traced from Sāmantasena, who was born in the family of the lunar princes, to *Vijaya-sena*. This last prince had as his *mahiṣī* Vilāsadevī, a daughter of the Śūra family. By her was born to him, Ballālasena, “an umbrella (protector) of the Kṣatriyas (who had the *biruda*) *Niḥśaṅka-śaṅkara*.² In verse 10 we are told that her husband caused her to make various gifts. We are then told that the grant was issued from the *Jayaskandhāvāra* situated at Vikramapura by *M.* Hemantasena-*pādānudhyāta-Parama-māheśvara-Pb. -M.-* Vijayasenadeva. The object of the grant is to record the gift of four *pāṭakas* of land (measured) by *Samataṭīya-nala* in the Ghāsa-sambhoga-Bhaṭṭavaḍā-*grāma* in the Khāḍī-*Viṣaya* situated in Puṇḍravardhana-*Bhukti* to the Brahman Udayakaradeva Śarman in honour of Maheśvara-bhaṭṭāraka, as a fee for performing the *homa* ceremony of the *Kanaka-tulā-puruṣa* gift given by *Mahā-mahādevi* Vilāsadevī on the occasion of a lunar eclipse. The donee was an immigrant from the Madhyadeśa. Then comes the *biruda* of the donor, *Arivṛṣabhaśaṅkara*, and the name of the *Dūtaka Sālāḍḍanāga*. Next comes the date *Saṁ.* 62, Vaisākhadine 7. At the end is the word *(ma)hā*, which according to some, means *Mahāsāndhivigrahika*.¹