1896. ] N. N. Vasu— Nagaras and the Nagari-alphabet. 133 
thotsava by the famous poet Somé¢vara the family-priest of the king 
of Gurjara. It relates :—‘ There is a place called Nagara where Brahma- 
nas reside and which is rendered holy by the sacred fires kept by them 
and the sacrificial rites they perform. The gods themselves seeing the 
holiness of the place and the prosperity conferred upon it by Civa 
live there, as it were, assuming the forms of Brahmanas. At that 
place dwelt a family of the name of Guléca of the Vacistha gdtra. In 
that holy family was born Sdla, who was created by Milaraja (the 
founder of the Caulukya Dynasty of Patana) his family-priest.’! Sdmé- 
evara writes afterwards that his ancestors were hereditary priests of 
the Caulukyas of Gurjara, and that some also became priests of the 
Rastrakuta kings.? 
Milaraja reigned in the 10th century A.D. The description of 
Soméevara proves that the Nagara-Brahmanas were inhabiting the land 
long before the time of Milaraja, although the name Nagara came into 
use in his time. 
Many Hindu temples stood here in the time of the Chinese pil- 
grim, about the beginning of the 7th century A.D. According to the 
Nagara-khanda, the Nagara-Brahmanas founded all the temples and 
shrines of Nagara or Camatkarapura. 
I have already alluded to the clear mention of Nagari-lipi in the 
Nandisiitra, which was composed in the 4th or 5th century A.D., and 
have referred to the sign-manual of the Gurjara king Dadda-pracanta- 
raga of that time for the first mtroduction of the Nagari-lipi. It is 
singular indeed that most of the ancient copper-plates, inscribed in 
1 ef smerecaaetst Ure fesrat aaahraTate | 
aq 4 walta acifa ae Sarsfaae ate: aera il 
agugaaity-wqeaate waa Aaae- 
AAI TAA-VAT SFA SUF | 
onfadangaasfeaaerg fer: l 
Uma ST. aeqe-feqtatiat Qa Wis AST 
Fuaparyata: sea: sasuifu: afuagiés | 
a va dufafaersqat ge aeaiiiwar sfeE I 
Tae Faaegess seq fesrqrac sae | 
a: afin: dada aa fog feecmTa 
A asittataysfaseusest SqITy FIA FT: | 
(GATT WH BT) 
a SUicaife-aenae-Uggqe-acsy erase Te | 
wareTagayifysfa: warsaaa wofanafeaa wat a 
