Inscription number 83.
Siroli Inscription of sarva-varman.
Provenance: Left side of the bridle path leading from the village siroli to the temple of Anasuyadevi,
District and tehsil Chamoli, Uttara Pradesh.
Language: Sanskrit.
Script: Brahami of Northern class of the middle of the 6th century A.D.
References: G.S. Gai, Ep.Ind. . XXXVIII, pp.57-58.
Sarvavarman was a king of The Maukhari Dynasty (Megar Dynasty) ruled a large region of North India for over six generations.
Footnote 1
1. From the facsimile in Ep-Ind XXXVIII facing pp 58.
2. The mark of punctuation is Superfluous.
3. Meaning white i.e Clear
4. G.S. Gai,. श्वित-पा He considers या as Superfluous.
English Translation of the inscription
By the kshatriya Naravarman who meditated on the feet of the Maharajadhiraja, the Supreme Lord, the
illustrious Sarva-varman and who caused the temple of sri Mahalaya Vriddhesvara to be erected, constructed the reservoir of water on the white highway for the increase
of religious merit of (his) parents and himself.
Footnote 2
G.S Pai assumes, on the basis of the fact that the characters of the inscription belong to the 6th century and the imperial title Maharajadhiraja Paramesvara assigned to him that sarva-varman of this record is
identical with the Maukhari king of this name, who is known to have ruled over an extensive empire including
the present Uttar Pradesh from 576 AD. to 580 AD.
He had a son named Avanti-varman (see, classical Age, pp-68-70) However there is no reason to assume that
the Kshatriya Naravarman may have been a a son of Sarvavarman nor that he ruled over this region as the
latter’s feudatory. Had it been so he would not have falled to indicate his own princely title, as Kumara or his official designation, such as Rajan or
Samanta, while recording full titles of sarva-varman.
This pious act may have been performed during a pilgrimage
by Naravarman.
Inscription number 84
Nalanda clay seal of sarvavarman Maukhari. (576-80 A.D.)
Provenance: Nalanda, Nalanda District, Bihar.
Script: Brahmi
Language: Sanskrit.
Refrences: Hirananda Sastri, Ep.Ind,
XXI, pp.73 74.
Footnote 1
1. From the facsimile in Ep-Ind XXI, facing pp-74, One of the two seals is undamaged. The other is cut into two parts almost vertically, but gives the
whole of the legend, excepting initial letters of 11.3-7 and the letters of all the lines falling along the break.
The text of the legend of the two seals are identical, though they are apparently prepared from different moulds. Even the mistakes are common.
The upper parts of the two seals, above the inscription bear the common device of a bull in the centre decorated with a garland (or an epaulet-like
ornament) going round his body. Over him on the other side is an umbrella, the staff of which is decorated
with two streamers. A man, bearing a curved double axe in the right hand and a standard with a wheel on the top in
the left, leads the bull. Another man, carrying a long handled double axe in the left and, a chowrie stick in the
right hand, follows tho bull. According to Hiranand Sastri, the bull usually stands for Dharma (cf, Manu VIII.16:
वृषो हि भगवान धर्म:
The two male figures are perhaps the chandalas, who want to kill the bull. The underlying significance seems to
be that tampering with the seal is as heinous as the killing of a bull or violating the dharma,” But Madho Sarup Vatsas explanation of the motif is more credible. See Inscription 85, n1)
2. Sastri रागोपनता
In both the seals प sign resembles व and न resembles त.
English Translation.
There was the illustrious Maharaja Hari-varman, whose fame had crossed the four oceans to whom the other king
submitted because of love for his valour, whose wheel of
Administration revolved in order to establish the varna and asrama order and who was the remover of sufferings of his subjects
like the God Vishnu. His son, devoted to his feet, and born of Her Majesty queen Jayasvamini, was Sri Maharaja
Adityavarman. His son devoted to his feet and born of Her Majesty queen Harshagupta was Sri Maharaja Ishvara-varman. His son devoted to his feet and bom, of her Majesty queen
upagupta, was the Maharajadhiraja Sri Isanavarman His son,
devoted to his feet and born of Her majesty, the chief queen
Lakshmivati, was the Parama-Mahesvara Maharajadhiraja Sri
Sarva-varman Mukhari.
Footnote
Varnas are four social sections into which the Hindu society is divided, e.g. Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya and
Sudra. The asramas are the four stages of life, each of 25 years through which a devout hindu is expected to pass. They are Brahmacharya (studentship), Grihastha (a married householder’s state) Vanaprastha ( retired life in the forest, and Sanyasa (a life as a wandering mendicant after having renounced all his possessions and
relationships.
Inscription number 85
Sohnag Tarracotta Seal of Avantivarman Maukhari.
Provenance Village Sohnag, Tehsil salempur, Gorakhpur district,
Uttar Pradesh.
Script: Northern class of Brahmi of the Latter half of the 6th century AD.
Language: Sanskrit.
References Madho Sarup Vatsa Ep.Ind XXVII, pp-62-65.
Footnote 1
1. From the facsimile in Ep-Ind facing pp-64
The lettering is very closely packed, and at places is almost blurred and hardly legible. The end sections of
the last two lines have worn out and are difficult to read. More then one third of the upper field above the Legend is occupied by a panel, depicting in the centre garlanded bull to l, behind whose hump rises an umbrella with two
streamers flowing backwards. To one
Leading the bull is a blurred figure of an attendant, holding a wheel or sun-emblem with two streamers flowing backwards in right hand. To right, another man follows the
bull, holding a chouri or a stick in right hand and a long-handled axe in 1.
This panel is almost similar to the
one depicted on the Asirgarh (Fleet, C.I.I. III,pp.219-21)
and Nalanda ( Ep.Ind. XXI, pp-73-74 Also Supra II, 84) Seals of Sarva-varman.
The panel, according to ancient practice as found on the
Seals of the Imperial Guptas, Harshavardhana and the Pratiharas,
represents the religious proclivities of the ruler. The Parmamahesvara title of the king indicates that the
bull on the panel is Nandi, and the two attendants are the Ganas of siva. The umbrella may refer to Avantivarman’s claim to universal sovereignty (cf Raghuavamsa, II 47: ऐकांतपत्रं जगत: प्रभुत्वम )
English Translation of the inscription
There was the illustrious Maharaja Hari-varman, whose fame had crossed the four oceans to whom the other kings had submitted because of love for his valour, and who with the wheel of his Administration engaged in establishing the varna and asrama order like vishnu, (the wielder of chakra)
was the reliever of sufferings of his subjects. His son, devoted to his feet,
begotten on the Her Majesty queen Jayasvamini Bhattarika, was the illustrious Maharaja Adityavarman.
His son devoted to his feet and begotten on the queen Jayasvamini Bhattarika, was the illustrious Maharaja Isvaravarman. His son,
devoted to his feet and begotten on, the chief queen upagupta Bhattarika, was the illustrious Maharajadhiraja
Isana-varman.
His son devoted to his feet and begotten on the chief queen laxmivati Bhattarika, was the illustrious Maharaja Sarva-varman. His son,
devoted to his feet and begotten on, the chief queen indra Bhattarika, is the illustrious Maharajadhiraja
Avanti-varman Maukhari. (Whose seal is this)
Footnote
Varnas are four social sections into which the Hindu society is divided, e.g. Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya and
Sudra. The asramas are the four stages of life, each of 25 years through which a devout hindu is expected to pass. They are Brahmacharya (studentship), Grihastha (a married householder’s state) Vanaprastha ( retired life in the forest, and Sanyasa (a life as a wandering mendicant after having renounced all his possessions and
relationships.
Inscription number 86
Nalanda Fragmentary Seal of Avantivarman Maukhari.
Provenance: Monastery site No. 1, Nalanda, Bihar.
Script: Brahmi.
Language: Sanskrit.
References A. Ghosh, Ep.Ind.. XXIV, pp.283-85.
Footnote
1. From the facsimile in Ep.Ind,.XXIV facing pp-284
The right upper section of the seal is broken and missing. A crack has damaged the middle letters of
all the lines from 4th to 8th, The lost portion of the writing has been restored with the help of the other known seals of the dynasty.
English Translation
There was the illustrious Maharaja Hasti-varman, whose fame had crossed the four oceans to whom the other kings had submitted because of love for his valour, and whose wheel of Administration turned to establish the order of varnas and asramas order like vishnu, (the wielder of chakra)
was the reliever of sufferings of his subjects.
His son, meditating on his feet,
born from Jayasvarmini, was the illustrious Maharaja Adityavarman.
His son, meditating on his feet and born from queen Harshagupta, was the illustrious Maharaja Isvaravarman. His son, meditating on his feet and born of queen upagupta, was the Maharajadhiraja illustrious
Isana-varman.
His son, meditating on his feet and born from chief queen Lakshmivati, was the illustrious Maharajadhiraja saravarman.
His son, meditating on his feet and born of chief queen Indra Bhattarika, was the great devotee of Maheshvara the Maharajadhiraja, the illustrious Avanti-varman, the mukhari.
Footnote
This seal disclosed for the first time that Avanti-varman was, the son of sarva-varman and his queen Indra-bhattarika
thus completing the Maukhari genealogy from Hari-varman
to Ananti-varman. At the sane time it introduces some doubt in the posi tion of Suryavarman, mentioned in
the Haraha inscription as a son of
Isanavarman (Ep.Ind. XIV, pp115, Also Supra II, 82)
Absence of his name from the
seals of sarvavarman and his descendants is not surprising, as these lists are genealogical and not always dynastic. None of his coins has as
yet been found. Suryavaman may
have been a younger brother or may have pre-deceased his father and presmab never came to the throne.
AS regards Avanti-varman Deo-Baranark inscription (Fleet, Gupta Inss. pp. 213) calls him
Paramesvara.
Bana describes him as the ornament of
the Maukhari race (Harsha-charita, pp.141). Nothing more is known about him.
Inscription number 87.
Nalanda seal of the son of Avantivarman.
Provenance: Monastery site No, 1, Nalanda, Bihar
Script: Brahmi
Language: Sanskrit.
References: A Ghosh, Ep.Ind, XXIV, pp- 283-85.
Footnote 1.
1. From the facsimile in Ep-Ind XXIV, facing pp 285, the whole of the upper half of the seal is missing.
2. L1. of the existing portion.
3. राजाधिराज श्री सुव सुच
The genealogy given in the fragment of the seal, seems to agree completely with that recorded in the seal of Avantivarman. It adds only one more reign after the latter of Maharajadhiraja
Suva or Sucha,
Which is important new piece of information.
Footnote 2
The importance of this seal lies in the fect that it introduces us to a son of Avantivarman, whose
name began with the letters Suva – or sucha.
But Bana (Harsha charita, pp-141, (तत्रापि तिलक भूतत्यावन्ति – वर्मण सूनुर ग्रजो ग्रहवर्मा नाम )
unequivacally states that Garahavarman was the eldest son of Avantivarman, who must have
succeeded him, and to whom Rajyasri, the sister of Harsha, was married, when Grahavarman was killed by Devagupta of Malwa, the vacant throne was offered to Harsha, who accepted it with some hesitation.
Bana does not clarify whether Grahavarman ever came
to the throne before his assassination, unless we interpret the epithet deva used at one place as indicating sovereignty. The place of the author of
the presant seal on the throne is either in the interval between the death of Grahavarman and occupation of the throne by Harsha in the name of his
sister or after the demise of Harsha in 647 AD. because during his lifetime the latter was too powerful,
to be ousted. The author of the present seal might have been the progenitor of the later Maukhari dynasty.
a scion of which, Bhogavarman, the crest-Jewel of the
Illustrioue vermans of the Maukhari race’, gave his daughter in marriage to a Nepal king in the eighth
century A. D. (Kathmandu inscription of Jayadeva, Ind.Ant, IX, pp-178 ff.