The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v2.c32.s4.36

v2.c32.s4.36

Siṁharāja was succeeded by his son Vigraharāja II, for whose reign we have the *Harṣa stone-inscription*: This was found 'engraved on a large slab of black stone which lies in the porch of the temple of what is known as *Purāṇa* Mahādeva on a hill near the village Haras, situated in the Sikar principality of the Shekhawati province, Jaipur State,' Rajputana. It contains 40 lines of writing, and is somewhat damaged. It seems to open with *Oṁ oṁ namaḥ Śivāya*. The first verse pays obeisance to Gajānana; the next 10 verses eulogise Śiva, who appears to have been given the name Harṣa. Verse 12 praises the 'mansion of the divine Harṣadeva.'¹ Verses 13-27 trace the genealogy of the Cāhamānas from Gūvaka I to Vigraharāja II. The inscription then gives an account of 'a line of ascetics who were in charge of the temple of Harṣanātha,' relating that in the country of Ananta (*Ananta-gocara*) there lived Viśvarūpa, 'who was a teacher of the Lākula doctrine² expounding *pañcārtha*.' His disciple was the Brāhman Bhāvirakta, *alias* Allaṭa, of Rāṇapallikā.³ Allaṭa, who was like Nandin, began the building⁴ of the temple of Harṣanātha with the wealth received from pious people. The temple was completed in (V.) S. 1013 (c. 956 A.D.); but Allaṭa died in (V.) S. 1027 (A.D. 970), before he could accomplish all his designs. The works were completed by Allaṭa's disciple Bhāvadyota⁵ at the request of his preceptor. The architect of the temple was Caṇḍaśiva, 'omniscient like Viśakarman in the art of building houses.' The record was composed by Dhīranāga, the pious son of the *Karanika* Thīruka. Then is given a list of endowments received by the temple up to (V.) S. 1030 (*c.* 973 A.D.) The *M-Siṁharāja*, after having bathed at Puṣkara-tīrtha¹ had given the villages Siṁhagoṣṭha² in the Tūnakūpaka³-*dvādaśaka* in the Paṭṭabaddhaka⁴-*Viṣaya*, and Kaṇhapallikā in the Sarahkoṭṭa⁵-*Viṣaya*; his brother Vatsarāja, the village of Kardamakhāta in the Jayapura-*Viṣaya*; king Vigraharāja, the villages of Chatradhārā and Saṅkarāṇaka; Siṁharāja's other sons, Candrarāja and Govindarāja, two hamlets in the Paṭṭabaddhaka and Darbhakakṣa⁶-*Viṣayas*; Dandhuka, an official (*Duḥsādhya*) of Siṁharāja, the village Mayurapadra in the Khaṭṭakūpa⁷-*Viṣaya*; and a certain Jayanarāja, the village Kolikūpaka. Besides these fields had been given by various pious people at Madrāpurikā, Nimbadikā,⁸ Marupallikā, Harṣa and . . . . . (Ka)lāvanapadra; and taxes on salt and horses had been assigned for the benefit of the temple by traders (?) at Sākambharī and horsedealers of Uttarāpatha.⁹