The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v2.c28.101

v2.c28.101

⁵ Kielhorn while editing the Khajraho inscription of Dhaṅga dated in V. S. 1059, renewed by Jayavarmadeva in V. S. 1173 remarked: "The date shows that Dhaṅga died between the Vikrama years 1055, the date of the Bengal Asiatic Society's copper-plate grant mentioned above (*IA*, Vol. XVI, pp. 202-04) and 1059." (*EI*, Vol. I, p. 139.) This has been accepted by other scholars, see *IA*, 1908, p. 141. But the inscription in question records in lines 32-3, V. 63: *Saṁvat 1059 Śrī-Kharjuravāhake Dhaṅga-deva-rājye deva-Śrī-Marakateśvarasya praśasti siddhā*. This clearly shows that Dhaṅga was alive in V.S. 1059. The fact that in line 29, V. 55 refers to the death of Dhaṅga only proves that the record in question was re-arranged and re-written when it was renewed after more than a hundred years by Jayavarmadeva in V. S. 1173. It is of course strange that the record 'should contain no allusions whatever to the successor of Dhaṅgadeva.' But this unusual character of the inscription remains unexplained even if we accept the theory of Kielhorn. To me it therefore seems that the epigraph does not give us any facts to fix the date of the death of Dhaṅga 'within very narrow limits of possible error.' It is clear that he did not die 'a little before 1002 A.D.' We only know that he died some time after A.D. 1002.