674 Facsimiles of Ancient Inscriptions. [Auo. 



fame was pure like the spotless moon ; who was a tabernacle of the spirit 

 of a true kshetri, possessed of all the good qualities of wisdom, good 

 family, charitableness and courage ; who was the first of all princes in 

 honor and respect, who was the sea of undaunted power ; and although 

 possessed of all these qualities he was through humility never out of his 

 own good disposition. 



He had a prosperous son of the name of Sa'rdu'la Varma who diffused 

 like the great ocean his well known fame gained in war through every 

 part of the world ; who gratified the expectations of his friends, intimates 

 and kinsmen, whose dignity resembled the Kalpataru (a sacred tree which 

 affords every thing desired) : through his son, called Ananta Varma, of 

 endless and unbounded fame, whose understanding was chastened with 

 devotion, whose soul was virtuous — (the image of) Kdtydyani was esta- 

 blished and deposited in this cavern of the Vindhya mountains, with a hope 

 that this act of virtue will remain as long as sun, earth, moon, and stars 

 endure. 



He consecrated to this goddess a beautiful village named Ddndi, the 

 wealth of which cannot be exhausted by short enjoyment, whose impurities 

 mud and blemishes are washed away by the clear water of the Mahdnadi, 

 perfumed by the odoriferous breezes of a full blown-garden of Priyanga 

 and Bacula trees — and shaded by a cold mountain intercepting the rays of 

 the sun ; to be enjoyed for the period of a Kalpa (432 million of years)." 



The next inscription of the same class is marked No. 15 of PI. 

 XXXVI. From the curve on the impression-paper, I suppose it oc- 

 cupies the arch above the main door of the haftkhaneh or seven- 

 chumber cavern. 



The first two lines, Kamalakanta protests can have no connection 

 with the third, as the measure is totally different. They consist of 

 four charanas in the ^i^TJ, or Sragdhard metre ; and four similar one s 

 are required to complete the verse : whereas the lower or third line 

 is in the Sdrdula vikrinta measure, the same employed in the large in- 

 scription and in the two marked 16 and 17 of this plate, which appear 

 to occupy opposite sides of the door. In their contents also there is 

 the same disconnection ; the two first lines being the commencement 

 of an eulogy on Krishna the son of Ananta Varma (?) while all the 

 others advert to himself and his father Sa'rdu'la Varma alone. The 

 sense also is incomplete ; nothing of the acts of these individuals being 

 recorded. Probably the stones have been misplaced at a subsequent 

 period : at any rate we have an addition to our information of Sar. 

 du'la in the mention of the third in descent of his family. Krishna 

 appears only to have been a general in the army of the existing mo- 

 narch of the day, whom we may now venture confidently to assume, 

 from the alphabetical conformity, to have been one of the Gupta 

 dynasty. 



