108 Invasion of Bengal ly Kidottunga. [ JiixE, 



interest yoii, as you have taken mncli trouble about the Pala kings of 

 Bengal. 



" It is that in a Tamil inscription here, I have found that Kulottunga 

 Cola states that in his 29th year* he conquered (!) Bengal (Vengala) and 

 Mayipalan {i. e. Tamil for Mahipala). This 29th year = 1093 A. D., as 

 Kulottunga began his reign in 1064 A. D. 



" The whole inscription is of immense importance for the chronology of 

 the 11th century, as a vast number of countries (in India) are mentioned, 

 and often the names of their kings. 



" Kulottunga was the greatest of the last Cola djaiasty, and it is quite 

 possible that he may have attacked Bengal (already invaded by the Muham- 

 madans) in order to revenge himself for a real attack on the South at the 

 end (?) of the previous century as mentioned in the Buddal pillar inscription. 

 Buddal is apparently mentioned in the inscription ; at least I can make 

 nothing else of the word v (b)ottal which must be a proper name. 



" Kulottunga inherited the kingdom of Kalinga, so was not far from 

 Bengal. 



" The whole inscription (which I hojoe to publish) throws great light on 

 the sad state of S. India in the 11th century, owing to religious animosity ; 

 it is easy, now to understand how the whole country fell a prey to the 

 Muhammadans in 1311." 



The Chairman remarked that in the Rajshahi inscription, discovered 

 by Mr. Metcalfe and published in the Society's Journal for 1867, mention 

 was made of the founder of the Sena dynasty of Bengal having been a 

 Dakshinatya, or a conqueror from the South who upset the Pala dynasty ; 

 and from calculations subsequently made, it appeared that this founder, Adi- 

 sm-a or Vira Sena, came to Bengal in the last decade of the tenth century. 

 Now James Prinsep in his Chronological Tables had doubtingly assigned to 

 Kulottunga an age between 800 and 1000 A. C, and if the later date could 

 be accepted as the correct one, it would follow that the invasion referred to 

 in the inscription was that which gave to Bengal the Sena dynasty, and that 

 Vira Sena was a lieutenant of Kulottunga, who having conquered the coun- 

 try, held it, originally in the name of his master, btit afterwards on his own 

 account. This assumption, however, could not be defended, as the date of 

 Kulottunga, according to Dr. Burnell's recent researches, was later by a 

 century and a half, aiid it brought us to the time of Vijaya Sena. Curi- 

 ously enough, the Rajshahi inscription says that Vijaya invaded the KaHn- 

 ga country ; now that country at the time was a part of the Chola 

 dominion, and we had thus two contemporary kings, each of whom claimed 

 a victory over the other. On whose side the victory really lay, it was not 

 easy now to determine, but the Rajshahi inscription was highly eulogistic, 

 * This is tlie date of the gift, i. e. j'ear of reign. 



