The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c6.s3.t40: Mahoba.
The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c6.s3.t40
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Mahoba.
c6.s3.t40.1
The ancient city of Mahoba is situated at the foot of a low granite hill, 54 miles to the south of Hamîrpur, at the junction of the Betwa and Jumna, 34 miles to the north of Khajurâho. Its name is a contraction of *Mahotsava-nagara*, or the "City of the great festival," which was celebrated there by Chandra Varmma, the founder of the Chândel dynasty. It is said to have been 6 *yojanas* long and 2 broad, which is only the usual exaggeration of silly story-tellers for a large city. At its greatest extent, according to my observation, it could never have exceeded 1½ mile in length, from the small castle of Rai-kot on the west, to the Kalyân Sâgar on the east. It is about 1 mile in breadth, which would give a circuit of 5 miles, but an area of only 1 square mile, as the south-west quarter is occupied by the Madan Sâgar. Its population, therefore, at the most flourishing period, must have been under 100,000 persons, even allowing as high an average as one person to every 300 square feet. In 1843, when I resided at Mahoba for about six weeks, there were only 756 inhabited houses, with a population less than 4000 persons; since then the place has somewhat increased, and is now said to possess 900 houses, and about 5000 inhabitants.
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Mahoba is divided into three distinct portions:—1st, *Mahoba*, or the city proper, to the north of the hill; 2nd, *Bihtari-kila*, or the inner fort, on the top of the hill; and 3rd, *Dariba*, or the city to the south of the hill. To the west of the city lies the great lake of *Kirat Ságar*, about 1½ mile in circumference, which was constructed by *Kirtti Varmma*, who reigned from A.D. 1065 to 1085. To the south is the *Madan Ságar*, about 3 miles in circuit, which was constructed by *Madana Varmma*, who reigned from A.D. 1130 to 1165. To the east is the small lake of *Kalyán Ságar*, and beyond it lies the large deep lake of *Vijay Ságar*, which was constructed by *Vijaya Pála*, who ruled from A.D. 1045 to 1065. The last is the largest of the Mahoba lakes, being not less than 4 miles in circuit; but the most picturesque of all sheets of water in the beautiful lake district of Bundelkhand is the *Madan Sâgar*. On the west it is bounded by the singularly rugged granite hill of *Gokâr*, on the north by ranges of ghâts and temples at the foot of the old fort, and on the south-east by three rocky promontories that jut boldly out into the middle of the lake. Near the north side there is a rocky island, now covered with ruined buildings; and towards the north-west corner there are two old granite temples of the Chândel princes, one altogether ruined, but the other still standing lofty and erect in the midst of the waters after the lapse of 700 years.
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The traditional story of the foundation of Mahoba was originally given by the bard Chand, and has been copied by the local annalists.∗ According to the legend, the Chândels are sprung from Hemâvati, daughter of Hem-râj, the Brahman Purohit of Indrajit, Gâhirwar Raja of Banâras. Hemâvati was very beautiful, and one day when she went to bathe in the Râti Tâlâb, she was seen and embraced by Chandramâ, the god of the moon, as he was preparing to return to the skies. Hemâvati cursed him. "Why do you curse me?" said Chandramâ, "your son will be Lord of the Earth, and from him will spring a thousand branches." Hemâvati inquired, "How shall my dishonour be effaced, when I am without a husband?" "Fear not," replied Chandramâ, "your son will be born on the bank of the Karnavati river: then take him to Khajurâya, and offer him as a gift, and perform a sacrifice. In Mahoba he will reign, and will become a great king. He will possess the philosopher's stone, and will turn iron into gold. On the hill of Kâlinjar he will build a fort; when your son is 16 years of age, you must perform a Bhánda Jag to wipe away your disgrace, and then leave Banâras to live at Kâlinjar."
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∗ The portion of Chand's poem which treats of the war with the Chândel Raja Parmâl (or Paramârddi Deva), and of the origin of the Chândels, is named *Mahoba-Khand*.
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According to this prophecy, Hemâvati's child, like another Chandramâ, was born on Monday the 11th of the waxing moon of Vaisákh on the bank of the Karnavati, the modern Kayán, or Kane river of the maps. Then Chandramâ, attended by all the gods, performed a "great festival" (Mahotsava), when Vrihaspati wrote his horoscope, and the child was named Chandra Varmma. At 16 years of age he killed a tiger, when Chandramâ appeared to him and pre-
c6.s3.t40.6
[^ *]: In some of the manuscripts the name of the river is written Kiyân, and Kiranavati. The former is no doubt the original of Arrian's Kainas, which has perhaps been altered from Kianas.
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sented him with the philosopher's stone, and taught him polity (*rájnit*). Then he built the fort of Kâlinjar, after which he went to *Kharjurpur*, where he performed a sacrifice (*Jag* or *Yajnya*) to do away with his mother's shame, and built 85 temples. Then Chandrâvati Râni and all the other queens sat at the feet of Hemâvati, and her disgrace was wiped away. Lastly he went to *Mahotsava*, or Mahoba, the place of Chandramâ's "great festival," which he made his capital.
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The date of this event is variously stated by the different authorities; but according to the genealogies furnished by the inscriptions, the most probable period for the establishment of the Chândel dynasty, and the foundation of Mahoba, is about A.D. 800.