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The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v1.c18: Chapter VIII. Gāhaḍavālas (Gaharwars) of Vārāṇasī and Kānyakubja

The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v1.c18

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English

Contents

Chapter VIII. Gāhaḍavālas (Gaharwars) of Vārāṇasī and Kānyakubja

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The history of the Ganges-Jumna valley after the defeat and death of the Gurjara-Pratīhāra king Rājyapāla (*c.* 1018 A.D.) is somewhat obscure. After the plunder and evacuation of Kanauj and Bārī, the successors of Rājyapāla appear to have retired towards the eastern portion of their dominions. The Jhusi grant of Trilocanapāla and Kara stone-inscription of Yaśaḥpāla indicate that these princes held a portion of the district of Allahabad during the period *c.* 1027-1037 A.D. The region around Kanauj may have in the meantime passed under the control of the powerful Candella king Vidyādhara (*c.* 1019 A.D.). The death of Vidyādhara seems to have synchronised with the beginning of the most glorious chapter in the history of the Kalacuris of Tripurī. There appears to be sufficient reason to believe that Gāṅgeyadeva Vikramāditya (*c.* 1030-41 A.D.) and his son Lakṣmī-Karṇa (*c.* 1041-70 A.D.) not only held Allahabad and Benares, but also exercised a sort of loose hegemony over the *Doab*. The actual government of Kanauj and its immediate neighbourhood however seems to have passed under the control of other princes.

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The Jhansi stone-inscription of Sallakṣaṇasiṁha (?), which for palaeographic reasons may be referred to the 11th or 12th century A.D., seems to refer to a line of rulers of Kanyākubja.²

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¹ Firishta calls Jayaccandra, the prince of Kanauj and Benares; see T. F., Briggs' Translation, Vol. I, p. 178.

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² *EI*, Vol. I, pp. 214-17.

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As this inscription is extremely fragmentary, it is at present impossible to say whether the princes named in it were themselves rulers of Kanauj or were feudatories of the rulers of that city. More definite information about the local rulers of Kanauj during this period is supplied by the Set Mahet stone-inscription of Vidyādhara dated in (V)¹ *Saṁvat* 1176 (A. D. 1119-20) and the Budaun stone-inscription of the Rāṣṭrakūṭa Lakhaṇapāla.² The former record refers itself to the time of king Madana, son of Gopāla, the lord of Gādhipura. It is quite likely that Gopāla and Madana are identical with the two princes of the same name in the Badaun inscription.³ As Madana is the 6th king, and the 5th in lineal descent from Candra, the founder of this line, we can approximately assign the beginnings of the dynasty to the second half of the 11th century A. D. It is probable that, taking advantage of the confusion which prevailed in the Ganges-Jumna valley from the second decade of the 11th century onwards, this Rāṣṭrakūṭa family may have for some time become masters of the territory from Budaun to Kanauj. Whether however its princes at any time exercised the full rights of sovereign rulers, may be questioned. Though there is no definite evidence, yet it is hardly to be doubted that they had to bow before the victorious arms of Lakṣmī-Karṇa. The death of Lakṣmī-Karṇa in *c.* 1070 A. D., also did not grant them any long respite from foreign interference. For within two decades of the death of the Kalacuri prince a new imperial power arose in the Ganges-Jumna valley which by (V) *Saṁvat* 1148 (A.D. 1090) had already extended itself from Benares to Kanauj.⁴ This was the dynasty which came to be known as the Gāhaḍavālas.⁵

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¹ V=Vikrama. *JASB*, Vol. LXI, Part I, Extra No., pp. 57-64.

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² *EI*, Vol. I, pp. 61-66.

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³ *JASB*, 1925, Vol. XXI (N. S.), p. 106.

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⁴ *EI*, Vol. IX, pp. 302-05.

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⁵ In the Sarnath inscription of Kumāra-devī, the family is described as *Kṣatra-vaṁśa*; *EI*, Vol. IX, p. 324, V. 14. On this tribe, see *AR*, Vol. I, p. 139; Vol. II, pp. 930 ff.; also Crooke, *Tribes and Castes, N. W. P.*

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The origin of the Gāhaḍavālas, like that of many other dynasties of Northern India, is shrouded in mystery. The genealogical lists in their grants trace their pedigree to one Yaśovigraha, who is said to have come to this earth when the kings of the solar race had gone to heaven.¹ This statement may contain a hint that Yaśovigraha flourished after the downfall of the Gurjara-Pratīhāra kings, who traced their descent from the sun.² There is however nothing to indicate that Yaśovigraha was a royal personage. None of the numerous Gāhaḍavāla grants ever give him any royal titles. We are only told that he was 'a noble (personage) …(who) by his plentiful splendour (was) as it were the sun incarnate.'³ The next person who is mentioned in the genealogical lists is Mahīcandra.⁴ In some grants his name stands at the head of the pedigree with the additional information that he was born in the Gāhaḍavāla lineage.⁵ We are told that he ‘defeated the host of his enemies, and by entrusting to his arm the whole burden of the earth, Śeṣa enjoyed permanent comfort.’ Though Mahīcandra also is not given any royal titles, the above passage probably indicates that he became a petty chief by dint of his military prowess. But the person who really founded the fortunes of the family was Candradeva,⁶ the son of Mahīcandra. In most of the grants of the Gāhaḍavālas Candradeva is said to have acquired sovereignty over Kānyakubja⁷ or Gādhipura ‘by the prowess of his own arms’ (*nija-bhujopār-* *jita*).

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The Basahi plate of Govindacandra supplies us with some details about Candradeva's rise. It tells us that when on the death of king Bhoja and king Karṇa, the world became troubled, he 'came to the rescue and became king and established his capital at Kanyākubja.'¹ It is generally accepted that the Karṇa of this passage is the great Kalacuri king Laṣmī-Karṇa, who died sometime before 1072 A. D.² The earliest known date of Candradeva is V. S. 1148, corresponding to A. D. 1090.³ It is therefore almost certain that he established himself as a sovereign ruler some time during the period 1072-1090 A. D. The claim that he made Kanauj his capital must however be accepted with some limitations. The Set Mahet inscription of Vidyādhara, dated in A. D. 1119-20, shows that the local rulers of Kanauj on that date and in the years immediately preceding it were not the Gāhaḍavālas but the Rāṣṭrakūṭas Gopāla and Madana.⁴ Gopāla is described in this record as *Gādhipurādhipa*. The fact that Madana is not given this epithet may possibly indicate that he was no longer a sovereign ruler, but a feudatory of the Gāhaḍavālas.⁵ But the fact remains that the local rulers of Kanauj from the time of Candradeva onwards were the Rāṣṭrakūṭas. It is therefore likely that, though by reason of its importance Kanauj was regarded as one of the capitals of the Gāhaḍavālas, they habitually resided in some other city.

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I suggest that this city was Benares.⁶ It is significant that a very large number of the Gāhaḍavālas' inscriptions have been discovered near Benares, and these record grants of land near that sacred city. In the Muslim chronicles the Gāhaḍavālas were known as kings of Benares.¹ Candella inscriptions also seem to refer to them as rulers of Kāśī.² Under the circumstances, the assumption of the title ‘lord of Kānyakubja’ may be explained by the fact that the halo of imperialism probably still lingered on the battered turrets of the forts of Kanauj. The person who acquired its sovereignty could therefore flatter himself with the belief that he was the overlord of Northern India. The area under the control of Candradeva is possibly indicated by the claim, uniformly made in many Gāhaḍavāla grants³ that he protected the holy places (*tīrtha*) of Kāśī, Kuśika, Uttara-Kośala, and Indrasthāna.⁴ If the suggestion of Hall, that Indrasthāna is to be identified with Indraprastha or old Delhi, be accepted, this would show that Candradeva became practically the ruler of nearly the whole area now known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. The expansion of the Gāhaḍavālas’ power, at least in the eastern portion of U.P., must have been largely at the expense of the Kalacuris.

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I have suggested elsewhere that the Kalacuri contemporary of Candradeva was probably Yaśaḥ-Karṇa (*c.* 1073-1125 A.D.).⁵ Candradeva’s conflict with the Kalacuris may be indicated by the former’s claim to have defeated Narapati, Gajapati, Triśaṅkupati, Giripati, and Pañcāla rulers.⁶ The first two titles figure among the epithets assumed by Yaśaḥ-Karṇa.

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¹ *IA*, Vol. XVIII, p. 11, line 1.

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² *EI*, Vol. VIII, p. 150, fn. 1. The Rahan grant of Govindacandra seem to indicate that the Gāhadavālas flourished when the two great regal families, sprung from the Moon and the Sun, had perished, *IA*, 1889, p. 15, line 2. The Lunar family may be the Tripuri Kalacuris : see *infra*.

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³ *IA*, Vol. XVIII, pp. 11-12, lines 1-2.

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⁴ *EI*, Vol. IX, p. 304, line 2; Vol. IV, p. 100, line 2; Vol. II, p. 361, line 2; *IA*, Vol. XVIII, p. 11, line 2, etc. Also known as Mahīyala, Mahiala and Mahītala, see *EI*, Vol. II, p. 359, line 2; *IA*, Vol. XIV, p. 103, line 2; Vol. XVIII, p. 15, line 2; according to R. L. Mitra also Mahīāla, see *JASB*, 1873, p. 321.

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⁵ *IA*, Vol. XVIII, p. 15; Vol. XIV, p. 103, etc.

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⁶ Also known as Candrāditya (*EI*, Vol. XIV, p. 194, line 14); sometimes simply as *Narapati* Candra (*EI*, Vol. IX, p. 324, V. 14).

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⁷ Sometimes also spelt Kanyakubja or Kanyākubja.

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¹ *IA*, 1885, pp. 102-03, lines 2-5. Bhoja of this passage is taken by some to be the Paramāra Bhoja. But as the Rahan plate of Govindacandra says that the Gāhaḍavālas flourished after the destruction of the Lunar and the Solar royal families, it has been suggested that Bhoja may be the great Gurjara-Pratīhāra ruler of that name. See Kielhorn, *IA*, Vol. XVIII, p. 15; also *IHQ*, March, 1929, pp. 89-90.

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² See *infra*, my chapter on the Haihayas.

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³ V.S. = *Vikrama Saṁvat*. *EI*, Vol. IX, p. 304.

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⁴ *JASB*, 1893, pp. 58 ff.

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⁵ *IHQ*, March, 1929, p. 91.

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⁶ First suggested by V. Smith, *Oxford History of India*, 1923, p. 195.

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¹ *Elliot*, Vol. II, pp. 250 ff.

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² See *infra*, my chapter on the Candellas.

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³ *EI*, Vol. IX, p. 304, line 5; *IA*, Vol. XVIII, p. 11, lines 3-4.

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⁴ *I.e.*, Benares, Kānyakubja, Ayodhyā, and probably Indraprastha (or ancient Delhi); see Kielborn in *IA*, Vol. XVIII, p. 13, fn. 33.

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⁵ See *infra*, my chapter on the Haihayas.

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⁶ *EI*, Vol. XIV, p. 193, lines 11-12.

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The following grants have so far been discovered for his reign:

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(1) *Candravati grant (i)*.—It ‘was found on the inner slope of the left bank of the Ganges, near the water’s edge, under the fort at Candrāvatī,¹ in the Benares district.' The inscription contains 23 lines, inscribed on one side of a single plate. The ring which passes through a hole in the upper part of the plate carries a circular seal with the figure in relief of a Garuḍa with the body of a man and the head of a bird and facing to the proper right. Across the centre of the seal is the legend: *Śrīvadac-(Śrīmac)-Candradevaḥ*, and at the bottom there is a conch-shell. The grant opens with *Oṁ svasti*, and then in the first verse invokes the goddess *Śrī*. Next follows the genealogy of the donor from Yaśovigraha. The inscription in its formal part, records the grant of the Vadagavā-*grāma*² in the Vāvana-*Pattalā* to the Brahman Varuṇeśvaya (ra?) Śarman by *Pb.-M.-P.-Parama-māheśvara-nija-bhujopārjita-Śrī-Kanyakubjādhipatya-Śrī*-Candradeva. The donor before making the gift bathed in the neighbourhood of Śauri-Nārāyaṇa after worshipping the Sun and Vāsudeva. The occasion of the grant was a lunar eclipse in (V) S. 1148 (A.D. 1090).³ The inscription was written by *Ṭhakkura* Mahaṇaṁda.⁴

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¹ Now pronounced Chandrautī. It is a village on the Ganges in the *Pargana* of Katehir, some 14 miles from the district headquarters; *EI*, Vol. XIV, p. 192.

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² Chhote Lal identifies it with mod. Baragaon, a village 14 miles N. W. of Benares; *EI*, Vol. IX, p. 304.

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³ On the date see *ibid*, pp. 303-04.

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⁴ Edited by Sten Konow, EI, Vol. IX, pp. 302-305. *Turuṣka-daṇḍa* occurs for the first time in this grant. We reserve all discussion on this word and other economic terms for the 3rd volume of the present work.

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(2) *Candravati grant (ii).*—Found as No. 1, enclosed in a strong box of stone. The inscription contains 90 lines, inscribed on one side of 5 plates. The seal and the introductory portion of the grant are as in No. 1. It records the grant of the *Pattalā* of Kathehali⁵ 'with the exception of certain villages formerly given to temples, Brahmans, etc.'⁶ to 500

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⁵ It was bounded by the rivers Gomatī, Bhāgīrathī and Varaṇā. The *Pattalā* has been identified with mod. Katehir, the largest pargana of Benares; *EI*, Vol. XIV, p. 193.

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⁶ For the list of these villages see lines 26-30.

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Brahmans,¹ in (V) *Saṁvat* 1150 (A.D. 1093), by the same donor as in No. 1. He further granted the village of Sarīsoḍa in the Bṛhadṛhevaiṅkāṇai [*sic!*]-*Pattalā* for the residence of the donees. The grant was made by the donor after bathing at the Svargadvāra-*tīrtha*² at the confluence of the Sarayū and Ghargharā in Ayodhyā, also called Uttara-Kośala. The writer was Hṛdayadhara. The grant ends with the statement: "What should I speak of the king Candra, by the sound produced from whose copper-plate grants given to Brāhmaṇas and divinities at the time of being engraved with rows of closely written lines, the universe has become deafened."³

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¹ For a list of the donees, their *gotras* and the localities mentioned in the plate with suggested identifications, see Sahni's chart. *EI*, Vol. XIV, pp. 200-09. Most of the places were situated near Benares and Chandrauti.

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² One of the *ghāṭs* of Ayodhyā still bear this name; *EI*, Vol. XIV, p. 193.

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³ Edited by E. R. Sahni, *EI*, Vol. XIV, pp. 193-96.

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(3) *Bengal Asiatic Society's grant.*—Find-spot unknown. The inscription contains 24 lines, incised on one side of a single plate. Seal as in No. 1. This inscription belongs to Madanapāla but records the grant of the village of Ahuāma in the Dhaṇesarāmaua-*Pattalā* to the Brahman Vāmanasvāmi-Śarman by his father Candradeva in (V) S. 1154 (A.D. 1097). The grant was made by Candradeva 'after having bathed in the Ganges at the *ghāṭ* of the divine holy Trilocana at Benares.'⁴

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⁴ Edited by Kielhorn, *IA*, Vol. XVIII, pp. 9-14.

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(4) *Candravati grant (iii).*—Found with No. 2. It contains 27 lines, incised on one side of a single plate. Seal as usual. It begins with the remark that 'this grant was made after a munificent gift of gold and other valuables equal to the king's weight (*tulā-puruṣa*) and a thousand cows before the image of the god Ādi-Keśava.' The introductory portion is as usual. The inscription records the grant of 30 villages in the Bṛhadṛhevaratha [*sic!*]-*Pattalā* and two villages in the Kaṭhehalī-*Pattalā* to the donees of No. 2 above. It also records the dedication of the village of Majauḍa, situated in the Vamṁkānai-*Pattalā*, for the maintenance of the shrine of Candra-mādhava¹ at Candrāvati.² The grant is dated in (V) S. 1156 (A.D. 1100). The donor before making the grant bathed at the *ghāṭ* of Ādi-Keśava at the confluence of the Gaṅgā and Varaṇā. It was engraved by Mādhava.³

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¹ A Śvetāmbara Jain temple in Candrauti is still known to the local inhabitants as Candramādho; *EI*, Vol XIV, p. 197.

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² Probably founded and named after himself by Candradeva See *ibid*.

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³ Edited by D. R. Sahni, *EI*, Vol. XIV, pp. 197-200.

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Candradeva⁴ was succeeded by his son Madanapāla,⁵ some time before 1104 A.D. The following grants of his time are known.

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⁴ On the alleged friendship of Candradeva and the Pāla prince Madanapāla and the former's assistance to the latter against the Sena king Vijayasena (*Bāṅgālār Itihās*, 2nd ed., pp. 312-13), see R. G. Basak, *IHQ*, March 1929, pp. 45-47.

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⁵ Also known as Madanadeva (*IA*, Vol. XVIII, p. 12, line 23) and Madanacandra (*EI*, Vol. IX, pp. 324, V. 14).

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(1) *Basahi grant.*—It was found in the village of Basahi two miles to the NE. of the headquarters town of the Bidhuna Tahsil (Etawah district, U.P.). It contains 22 lines, incised on one side of a single plate. The circular seal has the usual figures and emblems. The inscription opens with an invocation to Viṣṇu under the names Vāsudeva and Dāmodara, and then gives the genealogy of the family from Mahīala to Madanapāla. His son was the *Rājaputra* Govindacandra. The inscription then records that *Mahārājaputra* Govindacandra after bathing in the river Yamunā at Asatikā⁶ and having worshipped the Sun, Śiva and Vāsudeva, in (V) *Saṁvat* 1161 (A. D. 1104), granted the village of Vasabhī⁷ in the Jiāvatī-*Pattalā* on the occasion of the *Uttarāyaṇa Saṁkrānti* to the Brahman Ālheka. The charter was written by the *Paṇḍita* Vijayadāsa, with the permission of the *Purohita* Jāguka, the *Mahattaka* Vālhaṇa, and the *Pratīhāra* Gautama.¹

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⁶ Or Āsatikā, not yet identified.

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⁷ Identified with mod. Basahi, the find-spot of the grant. The village granted was bounded on the east by the villages of Vāndhamaüa (line 13) (=mod. Bāndhmau, 3 miles to the east of Basahi), on the south by the village of Pusaulī (=mod. village of the same name 2 miles to the south of Basahi), and on the north by the village of Sāvabhada (=mod. Sabhād, 2½ miles to the north by west of Basahi): see *IA*, Vol. XIV, p. 102.

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¹ First edited by R. L. Mitra in *JASB*, Vol. XLII, part I, pp. 314 ff. Re-edited by Fleet in *IA*, Vol. XIV, pp. 101-04.

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(2) *Kamauli grant.*—This was found in a field in the village of Kamauli, near the confluence of the Barna and the Ganges at Benares. It contains 24 lines, incised on both sides of a single plate. The opening verses (2-3) correspond with those of No. 1. Genealogy also the same as above. The inscription records that *Mahārājaputra* Govindacandra from his victorious camp (*vijaya-kaṭaka*) in Viṣṇupura, after having bathed in the Ganges and worshipped the same gods as in No. 1 in (V) *Saṁvat* 1162 (A. D. 1105), granted the village of Usithā (?) in the Jīāvatī-*Pattalā* in the Pañcāla-*deśa* to the Brahman Vīlhākāya Dīkṣita. The writer of the grant and those who consented to the grant are the same as in No. 1. The latter group contains an additional name, *viz.*, the queen-mother (*jananī*) Rālha-devī.²

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² Edited by A. Venis, *EI*, Vol. II, pp. 358-61. The name of the queen-mother is occasionally given as Rālhaṇa-devī, see *JASB*, Vol. LVI, part I, pp. 113 ff. ; *EI*, Vol. V, pp. 114 ff. ; also *infra*, pp. 519-20. She is sometimes called *Bṛhadrājñī* and sometimes *Mahārājñī* in her son's grants.

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(3) *Messrs. Terry & Co.'s grant.*—The find-spot of this is unknown. In the year A. D. 1896, Prof. Bendall found it with Messrs. Terry & Co. of 29 Glasshouse Street, London, W. It was then being offered for sale. It closely resembles grant No. 1 above. The inscription records that the *Mahārājñī* Pṛthvīśrīkā, after bathing in the Ganges at Benares at the Ādi-Keśavaghaṭṭa in (V) *Saṁvatsara* 1163 (a mistake for 1164), on the occasion of a solar eclipse (A. D. 1107),³ granted the village of Bahuvarā in the Bhaīlavata-*Paṭṭala* (*Pattalā* ?) to the *Pūrohita* Devavara and other Brahmans.⁴

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³ On the date see Bendall, *JRAS*, 1896, p. 787.

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⁴ Noticed by Bendall, *ibid*, pp. 787-88. Though it is not clearly mentioned in the grant, the editor took the donor as the queen of Madanapāla.

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(4) *Rahan grant.*—It was discovered at a place called Rahan in the Etawah district, U. P. It contains 29 lines, incised on one side of a single plate. The seal attached to the ring is lost. The inscription opens with '*Oṁ Paramātmane namaḥ*' and an invocation to Lakṣmī and Vaikuṇṭha. In the metrical portion, the genealogy is traced from Mahītala to Govindacandra. The inscription refers itself to the reign of Pb.-M.-P.-*Parama-māheśvara* Madanapāla, whose son the *Mahārājaputra* Govindacandradeva announces that the *Rāṇaka* Lavarāpravāha, after bathing in the Yamunā at the *ghāṭ* of the deity Muraïtha at Āsatikā, in the (V) *Saṁ*. 1166, on the occasion of a solar eclipse (A. D. 1109?),¹ gave part of the village of Rāmaïtha in the Siguroḍha-*Pattalā* to the Brahman Guṇacandra. The grant was written by Tribhuvanapāla, with the consent of the *Mahattaka* Gāṅgeya.²

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¹ On the date see Kielhorn, *IA*, Vol. XVIII, p. 15.

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² Edited by Kielhorn, *ibid*, pp. 14-19.

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The inscriptions noticed above are dated from A. D. 1104 to 1109. The reign of Madanapāla must have terminated some time before 1114 A. D., the first known date of his successor.³ It is rather curious that amongst the records so far discovered of Madanapāla's reign no inscription has been found recording a grant by the king himself. If we add to this the fact that in the grants of his successors he is always given only vague praise,⁴ we may perhaps conclude that his reign was dominated by the masterful personality of his son Govindacandra, who was probably already a powerful influence in the administration when his grandfather died, *c.* 1100 A. D. Not only were 3 out of the four grants practically issued by him, but the credit for all victorie sduring his father's reign, which have the appearance of facts, is given to this prince. Thus in Madanapāla's Rahan grant the victories over the Gauḍa elephants and Hammīra are said to have been achieved by the valour of his son Govindacandra.⁵ "The arrays of irresistible mighty large elephants from Gauḍa," whose frontal globes were split (or cloven) by him, probably belonged to Rāmapāla, the last great Pāla king¹ (*c.* 1084-1126 A. D.). The Muslim king who is reported to have laid aside his enmity on seeing the display of the prince's matchless fighting, certainly belonged to the Yamīnī dynasty of Ghazni and Lahore. These rulers from time to time tried to emulate the victories of Maḥmūd by occasionally invading the Ganges-Jumna valley. We have elsewhere noticed one such invasion in 1034 A. D. by Aḥmad Niyāl-tigīn in the reign of Mas'ūd I (*c.* 1030-40 A. D.) which penetrated as far east as Benares. The *Ṭabaqāt-i-Nāṣirī* mentions another such expedition in the reign of Mas'ūd III (*c.* 1099-1115 A. D.). We are told that the “Ḥājib Ṭughā-tigīn crossed the river Gang, in order to carry on a holy war in Hindustan, and penetrated to a place where except Sulṭān Maḥmūd, no one had reached so far with an army before.”² Some of the details of this campaign are perhaps recorded in a poem of Mas'ūd ibn Sa'd ibn Salmān, who lived in the court of Mas'ūd III. Salmān describes Kanauj as ‘the capital of India, the Ka'aba of the Shamans and the Kibla of the Kāfirs.’ We are told that ‘all the treasures of India go to this city as the small streams pour into a large river. It has armies, wealth, elephants, and weapons.’ Its king Malhī (ملھی) or Malhīrā (ملهیرا) was a powerful ruler, and as furious ‘as a hyena.’ But in spite of all his wealth and bravery, he was defeated by Mas'ūd III and compelled to ransom his person by a large sum of money.⁴ There seems little doubt that it was in these conflicts with the Turkish king and his generals that prince Govindacandra distinguished himself. It is however extremely difficult to identify the reigning prince of Kanauj whom Salmān designates as Malhī or Malhīrā.¹ It seems possible that the text is here corrupt. The name intended may have been that of the Rāṣṭrakūṭa Madanapāla, the local ruler of Kanauj, of whom a Budaun inscription tells us that ‘in consequence of whose distinguished prowess there never was any talk of Hamvīra’s coming to the bank of the river of the gods.’²

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³ *EI*, Vol. IV, pp. 101-03.

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⁴ See for a specimen, *EI*, Vol. IX, pp. 324 and 327, V. 15.

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⁵ *IA*, Vol. XVIII, p. 16, lines 8-10.

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¹ Note that this conflict of the Pālas and Gāhaḍavālas was merely a continuation of the struggle between the Pālas and Gurjara-Pratīhāras.

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² See *infra*, my chapter on the Haihayas; also Elliot, Vol. II, p. 123

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³ *TN*, Vol. I, p. 107.

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⁴ *Dīwān of Salmān*, Ed. by Abu-l' Quāsim Akhvani, Teheran, 1879. I am indebted for the translation of the extracts to Dr. Mirza of the Lucknow University. The edition consulted has no pagination. See for another translation of the poem, *Elliot*, Vol. IV, pp. 526-27. The name of the Kanauj ruler can also be written as Mulhī or Mulhīrā.

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¹ Dr. Barnett suggests : ملھيرا - ملھي ? for مهيلراي = महीयल राय (Mahīyala Rāya). The acceptance of this suggestion would incline us to identify him with Madanacandra’s grand-father Mahīcandra, also known as Mahīyala. But the date of the latter c. 1075-80 A. D. seems too early.

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² *EI*, Volavāla I, pp. 62 and 64, line 4. The name intended may also belong to the contemporary Gāhaḍavāla Madanapāla.

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The rising power of the Gāhaḍavālas in the reign of Madanapāla is probably illustrated by his issue of coins of the ‘bull and horsemen type’ in billon (or copper) and base silver. On the obverse of these is the figure of a horseman with the legend *Madanapāla-deva*, *Madana*, *Mada*, or sometimes *Śrī-Ma*; on the reverse, a recumbent bull and the legend *Mādhava-Śrī-Sāmanta*, *Mādhava-Śrī-Sām*, *Sāmanta*, or simply *Mādha*.³

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³ See *CCIM*, Vol. I, pp. 257 and 260; also *CMI*, p. 87.

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Madanapāla had at least two queens, viz., Pṛthvīśrīkā and Rālha or Rālhaṇa-devī. Govindacandra,⁴ his son by the latter, succeeded him sometime before 1114 A.D. The following inscriptions are known for the reign of Govindacandra:

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⁴ Also known as Govindapāla, *EI*, Vol. IX, pp. 324 and 327, V. 16.

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(1) Kamauli grant (i).—This was found in the village of Kamauli, near the confluence of the Barna and Ganges at Benares. It contains 28 lines, incised on one side of a single plate. The inscription begins with an invocation of Vaikuṇṭha and *Śrī*.⁵ The metrical portion traces the genealogy of the donor. It then records that *Pb.-M.-P.*-Govindacandra in (V) *Saṁvatsara* 1171 (A.D. 1114 ?), after bathing in the Ganges at Vārāṇasī, granted the village of Bṛhadvirāicamaua in the Kāṭi-*Pattalā* to the *Purohita* Jāgu Śarman.¹

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⁵ The editor omits the text of the first 12 lines as it was very similar to the Kamauli grant dated in V. S. 1182, which begins with this invocation.

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¹ Edited by Kielborn, *EI*, Vol. IV, pp. 101-03. The date of the grant is irregular; see *ibid*, p. 102. The Kamauli plates are now in the Lucknow Museum. The seal of the following inscriptions, when unspecified is to be taken either as lost or of the usual type.

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(2) *Pali grant (i).*—Found in the village of Pali in the Dhuriapar pargana of Bansgaon Tahsil, Gorakhpur district, U. P. It is dated in V. S. 1171, and records a grant by Govindacandra. In line 13 of the grant we read: *Saruvārāonavala-Pathake Sirasī Puttalāyāṁ Pālī-grāma-Prabhṛti-grāmeṣū*.²

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² Noticed by Kielborn in *EI*, Vol. V, p. 114, fn. 4 and *ibid*, Vol. VII, pp. 98-99. The first plate of the grant was presented by Dr. Hoey to the Lucknow Museum. He identified Pali with 'Palee' in *Indian Atlas*, sheet No. 102, Long. 83° 25', Lat. 26° 30' ; Sirasi with Sirsi, *ibid*, sheet No. 87, S. E., Long. 83° 9' ' Lat. 26° 32'; and Oṇavala with Unaula, a pargana of Gorakhpur.

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(3) *Benares grant (i).*—Found by a contractor at Benares near the Bhadaini temple at a depth of about 5 feet from the surface. It contains 21 lines incised on a single plate. The inscription records that in (V) *Saṁvatsara* 1171 (A. D. 1115), after bathing at Vārāṇasī in the Ganges, *Pb.-M.-P.*-Govindacandra granted a dwelling-place (*āvāsa*) to the *Mahattaka* Dāyīṁ Śarman at Vārāṇasī. The *tāmraka* was written by the *Karaṇika* Jalhaṇa.³

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³ Edited by Kielborn, *EI*, Vol. VIII, pp. 152-53.

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(4) *Kamauli grant (ii).*—Found as in No. 1. It contains 27 lines incised on a single plate. The inscription records that in (V) *Saṁvat* 1172 (A. D. 1116), *Pb.-M.-P.*-Govindacandra, after bathing in the Ganges at Vārāṇasī on the occasion of the Akṣaya-*tṛtīyā*, granted the village of Dhūsa in the Bṛhagṛhe-[ye?]varaṭha-*Pattalā* with its *pāṭakas* to the *Mahāpurohita* Jāgu Śarman.⁴ The grant was written by the *Kāyastha* *Ṭhakkura* Jalhaṇa of the Vāstavya family.⁵ (5) *Kamauli grant (iii).*—Found as No. 1. 26 lines, incised on single plate. It records that the donor of No. 4 while at Devasthāna, in (V) *Saṁvat* 1174 (A. D. 1117), at the annual Śrāddha performed at the new-moon in honour of his father, granted the village of Suṇahī (?) in the Kesāure (?)-*Pattalā* with its *pāṭakas* to the same donee as in No. 4. The grant was written by the *Karaṇika Vāsudeva*.¹

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⁴ Also called Yājñavalkya; see *EI*, Vol. IV, p. 127, line 23 & fn. 9.

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⁵ Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. IV, pp. 103-04. The writer of the grant is the same as in No. 3.

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¹ Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. IV, pp. 104-06.

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(6) *Basahi grant.*—Found in the village of Basahi, Etawah district, U. P. ; incised on a single plate. Ring and seal lost. It records the grant of two villages (the names of which are quite illegible) to a Brahman *Ṭhakkura* named Devapāla Śarman by the same donor as in No. 5. The date of the grant is (V) *Saṁvat* 1174 (A.D. 1116).²

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² Edited by Kielborn, *IA*, Vol. XVIII, pp. 19-20. There is some error in the date of the grant; see *ibid*, p. 20. The inscription was first edited by R. L. Mitra in *JASB*, Vol. XLIII, part I, pp. 324-28.

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(7) *Kamauli grant (iv).*—Found as No. 1. 24 lines, incised on a single plate. It records that the donor of No. 4 after bathing in the Ganges at Vārāṇasī, granted the village of Acchavalī in the Ughaṇaterahottara-*Pattalā* to the donee of No. 4, in (V) *Saṁvatsara* 1176 ( A.D. 1118-19 ?). The grant was written by the *Karaṇika Ṭhakkura Sahadeva*.³

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³ Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. IV, pp. 106-07. The date is irregular; see *ibid*, p. 106.

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(8) *Kamauli grant (v).*—Found as No. 1. 27 lines, incised on a single plate. It records that in (V) *Saṁvat* 1176 (A.D. 1119), the *Paṭṭamahādevī Mahārājñī* Nayanakeli-devī, the queen of the donor of No. 7, after bathing in the Ganges on the occasion of a solar eclipse, gave the village of Daravalī in the Koṭhotakōṭiāvarahottara (district) to the same donee as in No. 7. At the time of the grant the king was in residence at Khayarā. It was written by the *Ṭhakkura Gāgūka*.⁴

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⁴ Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. IV, pp. 107-09.

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(9) *Kamauli grant (vi).*—Found as No. 1; 25 lines, incised on a single plate. It records that in (V) *Saṁvat* 1176 (A.D.

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1118?) the donor of No. 4 after bathing in the Ganges at Vārāṇasi granted a village (the name of which is illegible) in the Saru(gā?)ra (district) to the donee of No. 4. The writer is the same as in No. 8.¹

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¹ Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. IV, pp. 109. The date is irregular.

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(10) *Set Mahet stone-inscription.*—Discovered at the village of Mahet in Gonda district, U. P., under the ruins of a Buddhist building. It contains 18 lines, recording that a certain Vidyādhara, son of Janaka and grandson of Bilvaśiva of the Vāstavya family, established a convent for Buddhist ascetics at the town of Jāvṛśa (or Ajāvṛṣa), where the inscription was set up: Janaka, we are told, was the *Saciva* of Gopāla, the lord of Gādhipura. Gopāla's son was king Madana, the contemporary and master of Vidyādhara. The date of the inscription is (V.S.) 1176 (*rasādhikaṁ abhivyāpi girīśa-caraṇāśritam*).² King Madana was probably a feudatory of Govindacandra.³

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² *Rasa*=6, *giri*=7 and *īśa*=11; *i.e.* 1176. See Dr. Hoey's note *JASB*, Vol. LXI, part 1, Extra No., p. 68, note 16.

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³ On this point see my pupil N. B. Sanyal, *JASB*, 1925, Vol. XXI (N.S.), p. 105. The inscription was first edited by Kielhorn in *IA*, Vol. XVII, pp. 61-64. The text was then published by Dr. A. Führer in *ASI* (New Series), Vol. I, by Dr. Hoey in *JASB*, Vol, LXI, part 1, Extra No., pp. 57-64. He read the date as 1176.

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(11) *Don Buzurg grant.*—This was unearthed in a field near the village of Don Buzurg, 7½ miles north of Mairwa railway station on the 'Bengal and North Western Railway.' It contains 36 lines incised on two plates. The seal is as usual. It records that the donor of No. 4, in (V) *Saṁvat* 1176 (A.D. 1119-20), after bathing in the Ganges at his camp-residence (*Yāna-vāsa*) at the village of Maṁdaliā, belonging to Alaṁvimahāpura, granted the village of Vaḍagrāma,⁴ in Alāpa-*Pattalā*, with its *pāṭakas*, to the Brahman Ṭulṭāica Śarman. The grant was written by the *Karaṇika* *Ṭhakkura* Sahadeva, and engraved by the *Sūtradhāra* Hāleka.⁵ (12) *Bengal Asiatic Society's grant (i).*—Find-spot unknown. It records ‘’ a transfer of landed interest,’’ in the presence of Pb.-*M.-P.-Parama-māheśvara-Aśvapati-Gajapati-Narapati-rāja-trayādhipatī-Vividha-vidyā-vicāra-vācaspati* Govindacandra in (V) Saṁvat 1177 (A.D. 1120). The village of Karaṇḍa in the Antarāla-Pattalā (*Antarāla-pattalāyām-Karaṇḍa-grāma-Karaṇḍa-talla*) which was originally given to the *rāja-guru-śaivācārya-bhaṭṭāraka* Rudraśiva by *Rājā* Yaśaḥ-Karṇa, passed into the possession of the *Ṭhakkura* Vasiṣṭha.¹

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⁴ D. R. Sahni suggests that this may be mod. village of Bargaõ̃ in the Salempur Parganā of the Gorakhpur district, *EI*, Vol. XVIII, p. 220.

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⁵ Edited by D. R. Sahni, *EI*, Vol. XVIII, pp. 218-24.

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¹ Edited by F. W. Hall, *JASB*, Vol. XXXI, pp. 123-24. He suggests that the land which changed hands was conquered by Govindacandra from Yaśaḥ-Karṇa, *ibid*, p. 124.

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(13) *Chhatarpur grant.*—This was unearthed in the village of Chhatarpur, near Sheorajpur, 21 miles North-West of Cawnpur. It contains 32 lines incised on two plates. The seal is as usual. It records that the donor of No. 4, after bathing in the water of the Ganges at Vārāṇasī in (V) Saṁvat 1177, granted the village of Sāsaimaua ² in the Koṭi-Pattalā to the Brahman Sāhula Śarman. The grant was written by the *Karaṇika Ṭhakkura* Śrīdhara.³

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² The editor suggests identification with the village of Sisamau which is now part of the Cawnpur city; *EI*, Vol. XVIII, p. 225.

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³ Edited by D. R. Sahni, *EI*, Vol. XVIII, pp. 224-26.

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(14) *Kamauli grant.*—Found as No. 1 ; 22 lines, incised on a single plate. It records that in (V) Saṁvat 1178 (A. D. 1122) the donor of No. 4 after bathing at the Kapālamocana-*ghaṭṭa* at Vārāṇasī, where the Ganges flows to the north, granted the village of Sulateṇī, in the Neulasatāvisikā (district) to Vyāsa.⁴ The grant was written by the same as in No. 8.⁵

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⁴ Brother of the donee of No. 4.

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⁵ Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. IV, pp. 109-11.

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(15) *Benares grant (ii).*—Found in the possession of Sitaram Agarwala of Benares. Exact find-spot unknown. It contains 29 lines, incised on a single plate. It records a grant of the donor of No. 4 and his mother (*Mahāmātṛ-rājñī-Śrī*)

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Rālhaṇa-devī. The king, after bathing in the Ganges at Vārāṇasī, in (V) *Saṁvat* 1181 (A.D. 1124) granted the village of Tribhāṇḍi in the Yavaala-*Pattalā* to the Brahman *Paṇḍita* Bhupati Śarman. The grant was written by the *Ṭhakkura* Candra.¹

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¹ Edited by A. Fuhrer, *JASB*, LVI, part I, pp. 113-18. He read the queen's name as Dālhaṇa-devī, and took her to be the wife of the king; but see Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. V, Appendix, p. 15, No. 96.

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(16) *Kamauli grant (viii).*—Found as No. 1 ; 28 lines, incised on a single plate. It records that the donor of No. 4 on the occasion of a lunar eclipse in (V) *Saṁvat* 1182 (A.D. 1126?), after bathing in the Ganges, granted the village of Mahasoṇamaua in the Haladoya-*Pattalā* to the donee of No. 4. It was written by the *Vāstavya Kāyastha* Kīṭhana.²

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² Edited by Kielhorn-*EI*, Vol. IV, pp. 99-101. The date is irregular, see *ibid*, p. 99.

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(17). *Bengal Asiatic Society's grant (ii).*—Find-spot unknown. It records that in (V) *Saṁvat* 1182 (A.D. 1127) the donor of No. 4 ³ having bathed in the Ganges at Iśapratiṣṭhāna, granted the village of Agoḍali in the Haladaya-*Pattalā* to the Brahmans Chichā Śarman and Vācaṭa Śarman. The *tāmra-paṭṭaka* was written by *Ṭhakkura* Viśvarūpa.⁴

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³ Same titles and epithets as in No. 12.

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⁴ Edited by F. E. Hall, *JASB*, Vol. XXVII, pp. 241-50. Hall reads *Śrīta-Pratiṣ-ṭhāna*. Kielhorn identified Pratiṣṭhāna with the place of the same name which was situated at the confluence of the Ganges and the Jumna; see *IA*, Vol. XVIII, p. 33.

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(18) *Maner grant.*—This comes from the village of Maner in Dinapore sub-division, Patna district. It contains 26 lines incised on a single plate. Seal as usual. It records that in (V) *Saṁvat* 1183 (A.D. 1124), the donor of No. 4, having bathed in the Ganges at Kanyākubja, granted the villages of Guṇāve and Paḍalī in the Maṇiari⁵-*Pattalā* to the Brahman Gaṇeśvara Śarman. It was written by the same as in No. 17.⁶ (19) *Kamauli grant (ix).*—Found as No. 1. 25 lines, incised on a single plate. It records that the donor of No. 4,¹ after bathing in the Ganges at Vārāṇasī in (V) *Saṁvat* 1184 (A.D. 1127), granted to the donee of No. 4 the village of Rāṛī (?) in the Maḍavala(?)-*Pattalā* with its *pāṭakas*. It was written by the same as in No. 17.²

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⁵ Identified with mod. Maner in Patna district, Bihar. This *Pattalā* is the same as the Manara-*Pattalā* of the Benares college grant of Jayaccandra; see *JASB*, 1922, p. 82.

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⁶ First noticed in *MASB*, Vol. V, No. 3, p. 106. Then a text and translation of the grant was published by R. Sarma in *JBORS*, Vol. II, pp. 441-47. Finally edited by N. G. Mazumdar in *JASB*, V, 1922, pp. 81-84.

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¹ Titles and epithets as in No. 12.

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² Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. IV, p. 111.

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(20) *Benares grant (iii).*—Found as No. 15 ; 26 lines, incised on a single plate. It records that the donor of No. 4 after bathing in the Ganges at Vārāṇasī, in (V) *Saṁvat* 1185 (A.D. 1129), granted the village of Jaragāma in the Puroha-*Pattalā* to the Brahman *Paṇḍita* Bhupati Śarman. It was written by the same as in No. 15.³

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³ Edited by A. Führer, *JASB*, Vol. LVI, part I, pp. 118-23.

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(21) *Itaunja grant.*—This was in the possession of the Raja of Itaunja, a Taluqdar of Lucknow district in U.P. Find-spot unknown. It contains 24 lines incised on a single plate, recording that the donor of No. 4 in (V) *Saṁvat* 1186, after bathing as in No. 19, grants the village of Kapāsī in the Maṅgalajaṭhi-*Pattalā* to the Brahman Nāne Śarman. It was written by the same as in No. 17.⁴

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⁴ Edited by H. Sastri, *EI*, Vol. XIII, pp. 295-97.

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(22) *Set Mahet grant.*—This was discovered in a monastery ‘on the site of *Saheṭh*’ (*i.e.*, Set), on the borders of the Gonda and Bahraich districts. It contains 27 lines incised on a single plate, recording that the donor of No. 4, after bathing in the Ganges at Vārāṇasī, and having worshipped Vāsudeva and other gods, in (V) *Saṁvat* 1186, granted the villages of Vihāra, Paṭṭanā,⁵ Upalaüṇḍā, Vavvahalī,⁶ Meyī-*sambaddha*-Ghosāḍī,⁷ and Poṭhivāra-*sambaddha*-Payāsī⁸ in the Vāḍā(jā)- Caturaśīti-*Pattalā* to "the *Saṁgha* of the Buddhist friars (*Śākya-bhikṣu*) of whom Buddha-bhaṭṭāraka is the chief" residing in the Jetavana-*mahāvihāra*. The gift was made by the donor 'having been gratified by the *Saugata-parivrājaka-mahā-paṇḍita* Sākyarakṣita, (a resident) of the Utkala-deśa and his disciple, the *Saugata-parivrājaka-mahāpaṇḍita* Vāgīśvararakṣita, (a resident) of the Coḍa-deśa.'¹ The grant was written by the *Kāyastha* Sūrāditya.²

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⁵ Mod. village of Patna, about 3 miles south-west of Set; *EI*, Vol. XI, pp. 21-22.

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⁶ Identified with the mod. village of Belaha, near the village of Patna; *ibid*, p. 22.

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⁷ Identified with the important village of this name near Subhgapur on the Gonda-Intiathok road; *ibid*.

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⁸ Identified with the village of Bayasi, which stood 2 miles to the north of Set Mahet; *ibid*.

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¹ On these two persons, see editor's note on p. 22.

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² Edited by D. R. Sahni, *EI*, Vol. XI, pp. 20-26.

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(23) *Raiwan grant.*—Found 'at Raiwan, a place 8 miles north-west from Biswān in the Sītāpur district, in a small *mound*.' 29 lines, incised on a single plate. It records that the donor of No. 4,³ in (V) *Saṁvat* 1187 (1130 A.D.), after bathing at the Ādi-Keśava-*ghaṭṭa* at Vārāṇasī, granted the village of Sohanjaka with Bhuluri-*pāṭaka* (?) situated in Navagrāma-*Pattalā* to the *Ṭhakkura* Bālāditya Śarman. It was written by the same as in No. 17.⁴

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³ Titles and epithets as in No. 12.

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⁴ Edited by A. Führer, *JASB*, Vol. LVI, part I, pp 106-13.

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(24) *Benares grant* (iv).—Found as No. 3; 24 lines incised on a single plate, recording that the donor of No. 4, after bathing in the Ganges at Vārāṇasī, in (V) *Saṁvat* 1187 (A.D. 1130), granted the village of Palasauṇḍī in the Nandivāra-*Pattalā* to the *Prāṇācārya Bhaṭṭa paṇḍita* Khona Śarman.⁵

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⁵ Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. VIII, pp. 153-55.

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(25) *Ren grant.*—Found 'in the debris of a fallen high bank of the Jumna river,' close to the village of Ren not far from the police station of Lalaulī. Ren is situated 'just within the northern boundary line of the Mutaur Pargana of the Ghazipur Tahsīl of the Fatehpur district' (U.P.). It contains 24 lines incised on a single plate, recording that the donor of No. 4, after bathing in the Ganges, near the Ādi-Keśava-*ghaṭṭa*, in (V) *Saṁvat* 1188 (A.D. 1131), granted the village of Dosahalī,⁶ to the Brahman Lāhaḍa Śarman. It was written by the same as in No. 17.¹

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⁶ Identified with mod. Dasauli, about 6 miles south of Ren. The name of the *Pattalā* cannot be read; see *IA*, Vol. XIX, p. 250.

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¹ Edited by Hoernle, *IA*, Vol. XIX, pp. 249-52.

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(26) *Pali grant (ii)*.—Found as No. 2. 34 lines, written on two plates. Seal as usual. It records that the donor of No. 4, after bathing in the Satī, at the Svapneśvara-*ghaṭṭa*, on the occasion of the Akṣaya-tṛtīyā, in (V) *Saṁvat* 1189 (A.D. 1133), made over to his mother the *Mahārājñī* Rālhaṇa-devī, ten *nālukas* (of land) in the village of Guḍuvī, in the Goyara-*Pattalā* of the Oṇavala-*Pathaka*, as a gift for the *Ṭhakkura* Jayapāla Śarman. The grant was written by the *Ṭhakkura* Viṣṇu.²

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² Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. V, pp. 113-115. On *nāluka*, see *ibid*, p. 113. On the identification of Oṇavala, see *supra*, p. 516, fn. 3.

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(27) *Kamauli grant (x)*.—Found as No. 1; 24 lines incised on a single plate, recording that the donor of No. 4, in (V) *Saṁvat* 1190 (A.D. 1133), after bathing at the Govinda-*vāṭikā*, granted the village of Umbarī in the Rūdamauavayālīsi-*Pattalā* to the *Rāuta* Jāṭe Śarman.³

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³ Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. IV, pp. 111-112.

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(28) *Benares grant (v)*.—Found as No. 3 ; 28 lines, incised on a single plate. The circular seal contains in high relief the legend : *Mahārājaputra-Śrīmad-Āsphoṭacandradevaḥ*. Above the legend there is a conch-shell. It records that, with the consent of the donor of No. 4, the *Mahārājaputra Yuvarāja* Āsphoṭacandra in (V) *Saṁvat* 1190 (1134 A.D.), after bathing in the Ganges at Vārāṇasī, granted the village of Kaṇāuta in the Nandiṇī-*Pattalā* to the *Paṇḍita* Dāmodara Śarman. It was written by the *Ṭhakkura* Gāgeka.⁴

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⁴ Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. VIII, pp. 155-56. The writer of the grant is probably the same as in No. 8.

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(29) *Kamauli grant (xi)*.—Found as No. 1 ; 25 lines, incised on a single plate. The genealogical portion of the grant is divided into two sections. The first portion gives the usual pedigree of Govindacandra⁵ from Candradeva. Then in verses 5-9 we are given the following genealogy of the donor of the grant, apparently a feudatory of Govindacandra.

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⁵ His titles and epithets as in No. 12.

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In the Sāṇḍilya-*gotra* and Siṅgara family

$Kamalapāla...Came from Śṛṅgaroṭa and acquired by / his bravery a royal fillet or tiara (rāja- / paṭṭi). / \vdots / Sūlhaṇa or Alhaṇa (?) / \mid / Kumāra / \mid / Mahārājaputra Lohaḍa-deva, alias Vatsarāja.$

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We are told that this Vatsarāja, in (V) *Saṁvat* 1191 (A.D. 1134), at the Kanyā-saṁkrānti, after bathing in the Ganges at the Avimukta-*kṣetra* of Benares, granted the village of Āmbavara in the Rāpaḍī (or Rāvadi)-*Viṣaya* to the Brahman *Ṭhakkura* Dalhū Śarman. The *tāmraka* was written by the *Ṭhakkura* Nārāyaṇa.¹

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¹ Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. VIII, pp. 130-33.

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(30) *Kamauli grant (xii)*.—Found as No. 1; 26 lines, engraved on a single plate. It records that the donor of No. (4)² after bathing in the Ganges at Vārāṇasī, on the occasion of a lunar eclipse in (V) *Saṁvat* 1196 (A.D. 1139), granted the village of Janakadevīpura in Rāna(?)-*Pattalā* to the donee of No. 4.³

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² Titles and epithets as in No. 12.

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³ Edited by A. Venis, *EI*, Vol. II, pp. 361-63.

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(31) *Kamauli grant (xiii)*.—Found as No. 1; 27 lines, incised on a single plate. It records that the donor of No. 4 ‘on the day of the great queen,’⁴ in (V) *Saṁvat* 1197 (A.D. 1141), after bathing in the Ganges, at the Vedēśvara-*ghaṭṭa* at the Avimukta-*kṣetra* of Vārāṇasī, granted a village⁵ to the donee of No. 4.⁶ It was written by the *Ṭhakkura* Dhādūka.⁷ (32) *Kamauli grant (xiv)*.—Found as No. 1; 29 lines, incised on a single plate. It records that the donor of No. 4 ‘on the day of the great queen Rālha-devī,’ after bathing in the Ganges at the Avimukta-*kṣetra* of Vārāṇasī in (V) *Saṁvat* 1198 (A.D. 1142), granted to the donee of No. 31 the village of Laṅkācaḍa in the Navagāma-*Pattalā*. The grant was written by the *Ṭhakkura* Viṣṇu.¹

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⁴ Name not given. But it was certainly the queen-mother Rālha-devī; see *infra*, p. 525, grant No. 32.

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⁵ Name of the village and *Pattalā* have been effaced.

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⁶ Described here as *Dīkṣita* Jāgu Śarman.

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⁷ Edited by Kielborn, *EI*, Vol. IV, p. 114.

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¹ Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. IV, pp. 113-114.

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(33) *Gagaha grant*.—‘Found at Gagahā to the west of the Rapti river, about 21 miles south of Gorahkpur’² in the U.P.; 34 lines, incised on two plates. It records that with the consent of the donor of No. 4, the *Mahārājaputra* Rājyapāla-deva, while he was at camp at Guṁjhaḍa-*grāma*³ after bathing in the Triveṇī-*nadī*, granted certain estates in the Hathauṇḍa-*Pattalā* to the three Brahman *Ṭhakkuras* Devavarman, Bhūpati, and Śrīdhara, in (V) *Saṁvat* 1199 (A.D. 1143). The *tāmra-paṭṭaka* was written by the *Karaṇika Ṭhakkura* Vīvika (or Bībīka).⁴

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² Most probably ‘the village of that name in the *tappā* of Gagahā in the Bānsgaon *tahsīl*, which is served by the post office of Kori-Rām,’ see *EI*, Vol. XIII, p. 216.

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³ Probably mod. Gunjhari, in the *tappā* of Karmant, *tahsīl* Bānsgaon near Belghat; see *ibid*, p. 217.

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⁴ Summary of the grant given by Kielhorn in *IA*, Vol. XVIII, pp. 20-21. Before him it was noticed by Carlleyle in *ASR*, Vol. XXII, pp. 59 ff. Finally edited by Dr. Barnett, *EI*, Vol. XIII, pp. 216-20. The grant is now in the British Museum. Note the 3 Garhwa stone inscriptions, dated in V.S. 1199, *ASR*, Vol. III, pp. 58-60. Garhwa is situated 25 miles to the S.W. of Allahabad. These records do not mention the name of Govindacandra.

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(34) *Kamauli grant (xv)*.—Found as No. 1; 32 lines, incised on a single plate. It records that the donor of No. 4, after bathing in the Ganges at Vārāṇasī in (V) *Saṁvat* 1200 (A.D. 1144), granted the village of Kāila with its *pāṭakas* Vīvamayūtā, Jaṁharimayūtā, Tihunāmayūtā, Dadaüāmayūtā, Āmbāmayūtā, Savaramayūtā, Palasavalī, Duṇendu, Cācāpura and Pipalavalīpī in the Temiṣapacottara-*Pattalā*, to the *Paṇḍita* Mahārāja Śarman, the son of the donee of No. 31.⁵ (35) *Machhlishahr grant.*—Found in a field 7 miles north of Machhlishahr (Ghiswā) in Jaunpur district, U.P. ; 29 lines, written on a single plate. It records that the donor of No. 4, after bathing in the Ganges at Vārāṇasī, in (V) *Saṁvat* 1201 (A.D. 1143), granted the village of Perōha in the Mahasōya-*Pattalā*¹ to the *Paṇḍita* Vaṁśadhara Śarman. The *tāmra* was written by the *Kāyastha* Dhandhūka.²

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⁵ Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. IV, pp. 114-15.

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¹ Kielhorn identified it with Mahaso-Pattalā of a Kamauli grant (No. 2) of Jayacandra, *EI*, Vol. IV, p. 122.

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² Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. V, pp. 115-116. The writer is probably the same as in No. 31. The editor is of opinion that the date of `the grant is a mistake for V.S. 1202 (A.D. 1146), see *ibid*, p. 115.

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(36) *Lar grant.*—Found in the village of Lar (Long. 84°2′, Lat. 26°14′) in Gorakhpur district, U.P. ; 38 lines, incised on two plates. It records that the donor of No. 4, when in residence at Mudgagiri,³ after bathing in the Ganges on the *Akṣaya-tṛtīyā* day, in (V) *Saṁvat* 1202 (A.D. 1146), granted ‘the village of Poṭācavaḍa in the Pondaḷa-*Pattalā* in Govisālaka that belonged to Dudhālī in Saruvāra’⁴ to the *Ṭhakkura* Śrīdhara. The *tāmra-paṭṭaka* was written by the *Ṭhakkura* Selhaṇa.⁵

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³ Mod. Monghyr in Bihar.

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⁴ On this place, see *supra*, p. 516, grant No. 2.

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⁵ Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. VII, pp. 98-100.

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(37) *Benares grant (vi).*—Found as No. 3 ; 30 lines, incised on a single plate. The circular seal contains the legend *Mahārājaputra-śrīmad-Rājyapāla-devaḥ*. Above this there is a conch-shell and below an arrow. It records that with the consent of the donor of No. 4, the *Mahārājaputra* Rājyapāla, after bathing in the Ganges at Rājyapāla-pura, in (V) *Saṁvat* 1203 (A.D. 1146), granted the village of Camaravāmī, with Haricandrapālī and two or three other *pāṭakas* (the names of which are doubtful), in the Valaura-*Pattalā* to the donee of No. 28. It was written by the same as in No. 28.⁶

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⁶ Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. VIII, pp. 156-58.

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(38) ‘*Hathiya-dah*’ *pillar inscription.*—Incised on a grey sand-stone pillar standing in the middle of a dry tank called Hathiya-dah (Elephants' tank), nearly midway between Azimgarh and Benares. It contains 10 lines. The inscription records the excavation of the tank by several ‘*Thākuras*,’ of whom the chief was ‘Bellana Thākur,’ the *Bhāṇḍāgārika* of Gosalla-devī, the *Mahārājñī* of king Govindacandra,¹ in (V) *Saṁvat* 1207 (A.D. 1151).²

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¹ Titles and epithets as in No. 12.

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² Noticed by Cunningham, *ASR*, 1871, Vol. I, pp. 95-96.

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(39) *Benares grant (vii)*.—Found as No. 3; 26 lines, incised on a single plate. It records that the donor of No. 4, in (V) *Saṁvat* 1207 (A.D. 1150), on ‘the occasion of the *Uttarāyaṇa-Saṁkrānti*, after bathing at the Koṭi-tīrtha at Vārāṇasī, granted the village of Lolirupāḍā, together with Tivāyikṣetra, in the Umbarāla-*Pattalā*, to the donee of No. 28. The *tāmra* was written by Vidyādhara, son of the writer of No. 35.³

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³ Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. VIII, pp. 158-59.

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(40) *Bangavan grant*.—Found in a field near the village of Bangavan in the Daryabad pargana of the Ramsanehi-ghat *Tahsīl*, Bara Banki district, Oudh; 25 lines, incised on a single plate. It records that the *Paṭṭamahādevī Mahārājñī* Gosaladevī, the queen of the donor of No. 4, after bathing in the Ganges at Vārāṇasī near (the temple of) the god Lōlāraka,⁴ with the king's consent, gave the village of Gaṭiara in the Bhīmamayūtāsa.....⁵ *Pattalā* to the Brahman *Ṭhakkura* Kulhe, who had come from Pāṭaliputra.⁶ The date of the grant, (V) *Saṁvat* 1208 (A.D. 1151 ?), is irregular.⁷

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⁴ A form of the Sun, *EI*, Vol. V, p. 117, fn. 2.

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