1838.] Ancient Inscriptions. 901 



VIII. — Ancient Inscriptions. 



I. — The first inscription of which we are about to give an abstract 

 translation, has been obtained and communicated by Raja Dharma Ven- 

 rata Aswa Rao, who has been for some time in Calcutta, to urge on 

 the supreme government of India his claim to the gadi of the raj of Palun* 

 cha> or Kunimumnuft, which through some recent arrangements of the 

 Nizam's government has been assigned to a rival claimant. The inscrip- 

 tion is stated to be engraved on a slab about six or seven feet high, which 

 is to be found close to the temple of Rudradeva at Warangal, the 

 modern name for the ancient capital of the Telingana rajas, called in 

 this inscription Arunakunda-pura, or patana* The inscription, that is 

 its commencement and close, excluding the Sanskrit slokas, is in an 

 old dialect of mixed Telugu and Oorya. It is valuable as containing 

 the genealogy of raja Rudradeva, and as showing that the previous 

 dynasty established at Warangal, was overcome, and displaced by his 

 father called Proli raja. The inscription gives an authentic date 

 also for the reign of Rudradeva in Telingana, viz. 1054 Saka, cor- 

 responding with 1132 A, D., and shows this to be the raja, called in 

 the temple annals of Jagannath,Ciivn an g, orCHORGUNGA,whois said to 

 have overrun Katak, coming from the Carnatic, and to have founded or 

 established the Gunga-va?isa dynasty, in the very year of this inscription, 

 viz. 1054 Saka. Raja Rudradeva is mentioned as a benefactor of 

 Jagannath, and Katak is included in the boundaries which are assigned 

 to his dominions at that period. These are described in the inscription, 

 as extending as far as the sea to the east ; the Sree Saila ? mountains to 

 the south ; as far in another direction, which must be west, as Bdka- 

 taha ; while to the north, his rule extended as far as the Malyavanta, 

 now perhaps the Malyagiri, mountain, west of Baleswar. 



The inscription commences thus : 



" The raja Rudradeva, who obtained the five high titles, and was 

 sovereign of Arunakunda-pura, king of kings, and lord of all things, 

 virtuous, and fortunate, of the Kalcali race, established the three 

 Devatas, Rudreshwara, (after his own name,) JBasudeva, and Suriya- 

 deva, in Arunakunda-patana, his capital city, for the continuation and 

 spread of his dominion, in the year of Saka 1054, and in the year 

 Chitrabhanu of the Vrihaspati Chakar or 60 years cycle of Jupiter on 

 the 13th of Magh, a fortunate Sunday." 



Then follow three slokas, the first in praise of Hari, the second of 

 Ganesha, the third a prayer to Saraswati. The 4th sloka commences 

 the genealogy of Rudra Nareshwara as given by Achintendra 



