Inscriptions of the Sarabhapuriyas, Panduvamsins and Somavamsins in Set of 2 Volumes (An Old and Rare Book)

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This work is a product of the Inscriptions of India Programme of the Indian Council of Historical Research undertaken with a view to making inscriptions dating from circa sixth to fourteenth century A.D. available in handy volumes. The present work forms Part I of the volume on the inscriptions of the Sarabhapuriyas, Panduvamsins and Somavamsins who played a major role in shaping the destinies of the Chhattisgarh region of Madhya Pradesh (Kosala) and the adjoining region of Orissa from about the sixth to the early twelfth century A.D. It provides a background to the study of the inscriptions by attempting to deal with their formal aspects like the format, palaeo- graphy, language, orthography, contents and methods of dating and to trace, for the first time, the evolution of their draft. Dharmasastra injunctions regarding the preparation of deeds of land-grants and their actual epigraphic parallels have also been discussed at length. The work sheds welcome light on the chronology and history of the region during the period in question and offers sev- eral original suggestions basing on fresh discoveries and new interpretation of known records.

Ajay Mitra Shastri (b. 1934), a reputed his- torian, epigraphist and numismatist, has just retired as Professor of Ancient Indian His- tory, Culture and Archaeology from Nagpur University. A former Editor of the Journal of the Numismatic Society of India and the Journal of the Epigraphical Society of India and Chief Editor of the Nidhi, Journal of the Indian Coin Society, he is currently Editor of the Numismatic Digest. Formerly Chair- man of the Indian Coin Society, he is now Vice-Chairman of the Epigraphical Society of India and of the South Indian Numismatic Society, and Convener of the Inscriptions of India Programme of the In- dian Council of Historical Research.

The present work attempts to bring together the epigraphic records of certain dynasties that ruled over a large part of the present states of Madhya Pradesh and Orissa from about the sixth to carly twelfth century A.D. The major dy- nastics covered in this work primarily ruled over the Chhattisgarh region of Madhya Pradesh and the adjoining areas of Orissa, known as Kosalā or Kosala (now popularly designated by historians as South Kosala in order to distinguish it from its northern namesake commonly called Uttara Kosala or simply Kosala), and later expanded eastwards so as to cover a major part of Orissa. The work is divided into two parts. Part I provides necessary background to the second part and deals at length with the general features of the inscrip- tions and outlines the history of the dynasties concerned. Part II comprises four sections which are devoted to the inscriptions of the Sarabhapurīyas, Panduvamsins of Mekalā, Pänduvamsins of Kosalā and Somavamśins of Kosalā and Orissa, each dynasty claiming a section. Originally, the work was proposed to be entitled "Inscriptions of the Sarabhapurīyas, Pānduvamsins and Śomavamsins of South Kosalā and Orissa", and there was no intention to include the records of the Pandavas of Mekalā who were till then not known to have been connected with the region. However, subsequent discovery of a record of the dynasty at Mallar in the Bilaspur district of Madhya Pradesh and the identification of the village donated thereby showed that at least for some time the region round Bilaspur, which formed a part of South Kosalā, was included in the territory under its last known member. It was, therefore, felt necessary to incorporate the inscriptions of this family also in the present work, and the title had accordingly to be suitably altered so as to drop any reference to territorial divisions.