1864] On a Land- Grant of IfaJiendrapdla Deva of ' Kanauj, 325 



Kanauj kings from Devas'akti to the end of the 12th century when the 

 Mahomedans finally conquered the country. To fill up this gap, as far 

 as our knowledge at present extends, we have only two names, those of 

 Sahasanka and Vira Siiiha. The latter was the contemporary of Adisixra 

 king of Bengal who obtained from him five learned Brahmans to in- 

 struct his people in certain Vedic ceremonies. # This happened accord- 

 ing to the genealogical tables and the memorial verses (Ktdajpanjis 

 and Kuldchdrya KdriJca's) of the Bengal Ghatakas in the S'aka 

 year 994 — A. D. 1072. The Khiti f sdvansdvali Charita places the 

 event in the year 1078, and Eitter's Geography, in 1068 A. D. These 

 dates, however, are all evidently incorrect, as they bring us to the 

 time of Ballala Sena who lived several generations after Adis'ura. I 

 depend therefore on the genealogical tables for the date of the latter. 

 Of the five Kayasthas who came to Bengal on the invitation of Adi- 

 s'ura three, viz., Makaranda Grhosa, Dasaratha Basu and Kalidasa 

 Mitra, acknowledged service to the Brahmans and were ennobled by 

 the king as the highest patricians (Kulinas) of his land, The other two, 

 Dasaratha Guha and Purusottama Datta, repudiated the right of the 

 Brahmans to call them their servants and declined to assume the 

 servile title Dasa. Purusottam with noble pride exclaimed " A Datta 

 was never a servant." (Datta kdro Ihritya naya.) This temerity 

 deprived them of court favour and brought on degradation to the ranks 

 of the plebean or Maulika. The Kulina Kayasthas as well as the proud 

 Datta have carefully preserved their genealogy. They hold periodical 

 meetings (ekajayis) at which all the family heralds or ghataks assemble 

 and record the names of every succeeding generation. The last meeting 

 of this kind was held several years ago at the house of Raja Radhakanta 

 Deva when the names of the 24th generation of kulinas were duly 

 recorded. The writer of this note is himself one of the 24th in descent 

 from Kalidasa Mitra. In some families the 26th, the 27th and even the 

 28th descent have already appeared, but no where later. Taking the 

 average at 27 generations, we have at three generations to a century 

 just nine hundred years from this date, or A. D. 964, for the time of 



* The Khiti sa-vansdvali-charita says, to officiate at the performance of a cere 

 many for obviating the evil effects of the fall of a valture on the house top which 

 tiie Brahmins , of Bengal knew not how to perform. The Ghatah Urilca quoted by 

 Raja Kaclhakanta Deva makes the ignorance more general, but does not advert 

 to the expiation for the fall of a vulture, <*uvers 



