P. R. Srinivasan. - EI, XXXVII, No. 24-THREE WESTERN KSHATRAPA INSCRIPTIONS
Of the three inscriptions edited here and referred as A [A.R. Ep., 1963-64, No. B
108.], B [Ibid., No. B 109.] and C [Ibid., No. B 110.] for the sake of convenience, A and
C were discovered long ago, the former in the Bhuj District and the latter in the Kutch
District, while B, also from the Kutch District, was discovered recently. All the three
epigraphs are now preserved in the Museum at Bhuj. I copied them in November 1963 during
my visit to Bhuj, in connection with my annual collection work. Of these A has been edited
in the Journal of the Oriental Institute, M. S. University, Baroda, Vol. XI, pp. 237-38
with a facsimile, B has been merely mentioned in Indian Archaeology-1961-62, A Revieiw
(cyclostyled copy) IV-8, item No. 21, and a tentative text of C has been published, in the
Annual Report of the Museum of Antiquities, Rajkot, for 1923-24, p. 13. Since these
publications and notices have not treated the inscriptions either fully or satisfactorily,
they are dealt with below in detail.
All the three records belong to different rulers of the family of the Kshatrapas of
Western India, established by Chaштana, the son of Ysаmotika. [This name is read as
Ghsamotika also. Macron over e and o is not used in this article.] This family is called
by some as the Kаrdamakas. [E. J. Rapson, Cat. of the Coins of the Andhra, etc.
dynasties, Introduction, p. ciii. Rapson, however, is inclined to think that the Kаrdamaka
princess, referred to as a daughter of the Mahаkшatrapa Ru[dra] and as the wife of Vаsiштhиputra
Sаta[karнi], in a Kanheri inscription (ASWI, Vol. V, p. 78, No. II; Luфders' List, No.
994) might have been indebted to her mother for this distinction (op. cit., note 2).]
A. Andhau Inscription of Rudradаman I, Year [5]3
This inscription, as stated above, has been published by M. J. M. Nanavati and H. G.
Sastri.[Journal of the Oriental Institute, M. S. University, Baroda, Vol. XI, pp. 237-38,
and Plate.] They have stated that the stone slab measuring 15'4"x3'2"x11, on
which the record is engraved, was discovered, by Messrs. J. M. Nanavati and M. N. Gandhi
on a small mound about half a mile to the south-west of Khаvда in the Kutch District.
[Ibid., p. 237.] But this claim to the discovery is not true. For, this inscription is
apparently the fifth Western Kшatrapa record noticed in January-February 1906, along with
four others, by D. R. Bhandarkar, in PRAS, WC., 1905-06, p. 35 and referred to again by
him in ibid., 1914-15, pp. 8 and 67. He has stated therein that this inscription was in
situ while the other four were removed to the Museum at Bhuj. Besides, on p. 8 of PRAS,
WC, 1914-15, Bhandarkar has also said that a transliteration of the record prepared by K.
N. Dikshit and checked by him, was to be published in the Epigraphia Indica although this
did not come to pass. As regards the findspot of the record, Bhandarkar has stated in two
places [PRAS, WC, 1905-06, p. 35 and ibid., 1914-15. p. 8.] that it was found at Andhau in
Khаvда while at another place [Ibid., 1914-15, p. 67.] he has said that it was at Khаvда.
As has been, stated above, the record belongs to the time of Rudradаman I. We know of two
groups of dated records throwing light on the reign of this ruler. One of them consists of
the four Andhau inscriptions of the year 52. They show that Rudradаman, ruled conjointly
with his grandfather Chaштana [Above, Vol. XVI, pp. 23 ff., and also Plate.2 Ind. Ant.,
Vol. XLVII, p. 154, note 26.] and both the rulers bore only the simple title of Rаjan,
while Rudradаman's father Jayadаman, mentioned therein, did not bear any title. The
second group consists of the only record, viz. the Junаgaдh inscription of the year 72,
which belongs to the independent reign of Rudradаman. Uptil now, only from this Junаgaдh
inscription, besides some undated coins, [Rapson, op. cit., pp. 73 ff.] we know that Chaштana
bore the titles Rаjan. Mahаkшatrapa and Svаmi, his son Jayadаman was endowed with the
titles Kшatrapa and Svаmi and the latter's son Rudradаman assumed the title Mahаkшatrapa
besides bearing the title Rаjan. [Above, Vol. VIII, pp. 36 ff.] A comparison of the style
of referring to the set of kings in our record and that referring to the same set of kings
in the above-mentioned groups of records, clearly reveals that the date of our record
falls somewhere between the year 52, the date of the Andhau records and year 72, the date
of the Junаgaдh inscription. There are two dates, between these years, possessing the
unit figure 3, and they are 53 and 63. Since the Junаgaдh inscription says that Rudradаman
acquired for himself the title of Mahаkшatrapa, [Ibid., p. 44, text line 15.] it seems
that this event took place round about year 72, and that the ruler was endowed with the
other lesser titles like Rаjan and Kшatrapa prior to that. As stated above, our record,
though belonging to the time of Rudradаman's independent rule, refers to him merely as Rаjan
and Svаmi. Though it is difficult to be certain about the duration of the period when
this king continued to be addressed thus, it may not be unreasonable to assume that
considerable time elapsed between, this stage and the stage when he became Mahаkшatrapa.
The absence of the higher title to this king in our record points to the nearness of its
date to that of the four inscriptions from Andhau.
The year 53, just as the years in the other records of this dynasty, is to be referred to
the Щaka era and its Christian equivalent would be 131 A. D. The importance of this
record lies in the fact that it is not only the earliest inscription known so far of
Rudradаman I's independent rule but also the earliest to show that Chaштana, Rudradаma's
grandfather, possessed all the three Kшatrapa titles.
The object of the inscription is to record the erection, of a yaтhi, evidently as a
funeral monument, in memory of a certain A[. .]ka, son of Щatruмsaha and a novice (щrаmaнera)
probably of Jainism, belonging to some gotra, the name of which is lost, by his son
Dhanadeva. The nanie of Dhanadeva's father consisted of four letters of which the middle
two are completely lost renderiug its reading difficult. But of the two middle letters,
the second one was probably th as indicated by the presence of an arc, obviously of a
circular letter, in the place. Between this th and the very first letter a, there is
sufficient space to accommodate letters like p, m, etc. We know of an inscription from
Bhilsa area, wherein a man with the name Apathaka [Above, Vol. II, p. 101, No. 42.]
figures. On this analogy we may restore the first of the two lost letters also as pa, and
read the name as Apathaka. The name of the gotra of this Apathaka is also lost. In line 6,
where this was engraved, there is space only for two or three letters after -sa of щrаmaнerasa
and before go- of gotrasa. Of these letters one may have been sa which should have
preceded gotrasa so as to read sagotrasa. So, the name of the gotra should have been
composed of only two letters at the most. Two gotra names, viz., Opaщati and Щenika,
both consisting of more than two letters, are already known from the other Andhau records,
as borne by щrаmaнeras of that place and time. Since the gotra name in our record was
of two letters, it was apparently different from these two. Only one gotra name with two
letters belonging to the period and region is known, and that is Vachha, from an
inscription at Junnar. [Luфders' List, No. 1174.] But this name and its Sanskrit variant
Vatsa [Ibid., No. 1200.], are known to be a Brahmanical gotra names and it is difficult to
say if it was borne by the followers of Jainism too.
An interesting feature of our record is that it contains the expression yaтhi (yaттhi)
adhisтhаpitа in the place of the synonymous expression laштi(laттi) uthаpita,
meaning, the slab was caused to be erected, of the other Andhau records.