664 Facsimiles of Ancient Inscriptions. [Aug, 



society by Cavelly Venkata Boria" — one of Colonel Mackenzie's 

 native assistants in his antiquarian researches. It is stated to have 

 been brought from " Kurgoade, S. S. 1723." 



The character is the Hala Kanaka or old Canarese, and it may be 

 easily read or transcribed by means of the alphabet published in 

 Plate XIII. which differs but little from the older form. Madhoray, 

 the librarian of the Sanskrit college, having examined a copy made 

 for me by a young Madras pandit, has enabled me to give the follow- 

 ing brief account of its contents, and might have done more ; but, 

 being all save the formulary at the commencement, in the Canarese 

 language, I prefer sending a copy to Madras to be there completely 

 examined ; and, if found worthy, to be published in Dr. Cole's valuable 

 repository of the researches of the sister Society. 



The inscription opens with an invocation to Siva in his character of 

 Swayambhunath the self-existent lord, in two aslokas, of which the 

 following is the transcript in the Devanagari character, by Madhoray. 



w^r sjcff ?^crTxi3n3Tff fa7rcfftf?i^*r. inRcilinft^w srPr 



" Salutation to Swayambhuna'th, the acknowledged chief pillar of the 

 three worlds from the beginning, whose lofty head has become beautiful 

 being kissed by the moon. Victorious is he, manifest in glory, the ful- 

 filler of all desires, the occupier of all worlds, sovereign of all gods, 

 suppresser of the pride of the daityns, embracer of Pa'rbati/, origin of 

 sages, the god of gods, the self-existent ! — " 



Then follow further praises of Sambhu in prose and verse in the 

 Canarese language, and a long eulogium of raja Machmal Deva, 

 who, in the month of Margasirsha (November-December) of the 

 Sdlivdhana year 909 (A. D. 987) on Monday, amdvasya, or the day of 

 conjunction during an eclipse of the sun, gave in perpetuity certain 

 fertile lands, with the prescribed ceremonies for the service of some 

 temple dedicated to Sambhu. After this raja, his son, named Bach- 

 wan, in the month of Kartika (October-November) of the Machmal 

 year 110*, on Monday the day of the full moon, during its eclipse 

 bestowed a further donation of fruitful fields and other lands on the 

 same god with houses for the native priesthood. 



* This implies the establishment of an era commencing with the Machmal 

 dynasty, of which, we have no particulars. 



