Early Maukhari rulers had marriage alliances with later guptas, and were in friendly terms with Guptas. Ishanavarman’s mother, Devi Upagupta was from Gupta dynasty , and had married Ishvara-varman.
However, Maukharis subsequently started to asserting their sovereignty. Ishanavarman became hostile to several overlords of Magadha & conquered them & revived the Maukhari power.
He was a valiant warrior & had led a vast Army and was continuously on the march. Ishanavarman inflicted defeat upon the Andhras, Sulikas, and Gaudas.
In their northwards expansion, the Chalukyas probably came into conflict with Ishanavarman and suffered a defeat at his hands. The victories of Ishanavarman had strengthened the political power of the Maukharis and alarmed the Later Gupta king Kumaragupta 3, who defeated Ishanavarman, but could not completely crush him.
Ishanavarman was succeeded by his eldest son Sharvavarman.
Inscription number 82
Haraha stone Inscription of Isanavarman
(Vikrama) year 611 (= 553-54 AD.)
Provenance: Haraha, Bara Banki District, UP.
Script: Late Brahmi of the Northern Class.
Language: Sanskrlt.
Metres: vv. 1,2,4,8,10-14, 16-19:
शार्दूलविक्रीडित
V3. गाधा V.5 उपजाति V.6 इन्द्रवज्रा V.7 मालिनी V.9 र्सग्धरा
V.15 र्दुतविलम्बित V.20 वसन्ततिलका
vv.21-23 श्लोक अनुष्टुब
References: H. Sastri, Ep.Ind., XIV, pp.115 ff,. D.C. sircar, J.R.A.S.Be , Letters, XI, 1945, pp.67, n4, sel.Inss., I, pp.385-90.
Footnote 1
1. From the facsimile in Ep,Ind, XIV.
2. Expressed by a symbol in left margin, against 1.2.
3. The reference is to the Mahabharata Vana Parven, Adhyayas 59, 293-299, 59 for the boon story. according to
which savitri received a boon from Vaivasvata ie. Yamaraja, of a hundred sons to herself from her husband,
Satyavan, and another hundred sons to her father king Asvapati of Madra. The latter”s hundred sons came to be
known as the Malavas after the name of their mother Malavi. The claim to descent from Asvapati means that
the Maukharis were a branch of the renowned Malava clan, itself an offshoot of the Madras,
The Maukharis of the Barabar hill, cave inscription, as is clear from the
line of descent given, were different from those of the Asirgarh copper seal and of the present inscription.
Footnote 2
1. Read. मकुटिलेनो or मकठिनेनो Sastri suggests मकुटिलेनोत्तमुव्र्वी The punctuation mark after कुलेन is redundant
2. Read. र्हिया The amendation will not damage the metre, as the syllable before र्प र्ह र्ब and र्क
is optionally treated as short.
3. Punctuation mark is redundant.
Footnote 3
1. The Gaudas, a coastal people, were a sea-faring merchantile comunity The poet’s pun is on this characteristics as if it was caused by Isana-varman’s victory. The fragmentary Jaunpur inscription presumably of Isanavarman and not hts father, Isvara-varman as fleet supposes (C.I.I. III, pp.228 ff,)
refers to a Maukhari victory over the Andhra king also.
2. Punctuation mark is superfluous.
3. नाडिका = घटिका = water-clock
4. Sastri: रण – मखे
Footnote 4
1. Punctuation mark is superfluous. Better read. लक्ष्मी for लक्ष्म्य.
2. The year 611, in the reign of Isanavaman has to be refered to the Vikrarma or Krita era. The
Maukharis seem to have brought its usage with them, from Rajasthan. see n, on Badva stone Pillar (Yupa)
Inscripti.ons of the Maukharis of Krita year 295, (supra, II, 81).
2. here refers to suryavarman, who seems to have been ruling over this province as his father’s viceroy.
Nripa Suryavarman is also referred to in
the Sirpur Lakshmana tenple inscription (Ep.Ind, XI, pp-190 ff) of the Panđuvamsis.
English Translation of the inscription
Om !
1. Victorious is Slva, the source of bliss, the destroyer of the (demon) Tripura, the soul of (all) beings, in whose heart the Cupid (lit. Mind-born) could
not find a lodge though a woman ( Parvati) firms one half of his body, whom the ascetics, who have cast
off their passions and destroyed the piles of darkness, contemplate and who is the cause of the creators that
bring about the manifestation, the destruction, and the maintenance of the Universe.
2. May the body of (Siva) the enemy of Andhaka, grant you an eternal place- with snakes wriggling over it (the siva’s body) which bears on the Forehead, the
slender streak of the moon that dispels darkness & which renders the shining row of skulls brown by the
lustre emerging from his eyes and wears the skin of a lion, reddened around by the brilliance of the jewels
on the hood of the serpent
3. The Mukhara kings who have destroyed their enemies
and checked the course of evil, have descended from the hundred sons whom king Asvapati got from Vaivasvata (yama) and who were conspicuous on account of their
excellences
4. Among them in the beginning came about the birth, for the well-being of the earth of king Hariverman
who became known in the world by the name, Jwalamukha (i.e. flaming-faced) because the terror-struck foes submitted to him in battle at the sight of his face as red (with rage) as the fire, and because of his (bright)
fame that filled the intervals of all the quarters and because of his splendour that injured the wealth of the enemy,
5. whose name was worthy of fame and whose lovely excellent fame penetrated the worlds, while he
remained, like Manu, on the path of morality and wisdom, for the stabiity of the moral laws of the world.
6. Like the moon from the ocean, king Adityavarman was born from him, on getting whom the Creator obtained
the full results of his laying doen the code of conduct for the classes of society (varnas) and stages of life
(asramas).
7. when intent on sacrifice, attached to whose (sacrificial) fire, the volume of smoke black like pitch darkness rising on all sides in the sky and
increased through the whirling and tossing produced by the freshly risen wind, made the crowd of peacocks
noisy as they mistook it for a large cloud.
8. For obtaining martial glory he also caused the birth of the pure hearted king Isvara-varman, who invoked
Indra in a host of Sacrifices and equalled Yayati in fames, whose pious conduct had uprooted the character of the Kali Age, and whose path of virtue the other kings were incapable of traversing even with (great) effort.
9. Combining high bravery with political wisdom, Friendship, wlth lack of crookedness, lofty ambition with (noble) descent liberality with fit recipients, might of wealth
with modesty, youth with sel-restraint, speech with truthfulness actions with the injunctions of the
Vedas, (and) high prosperity with humility. He never feels tired even in a world immersed in the gloom of the
Kali age.
10. At whose sacrifices, when the entire horizon was overlaid with the smoke, dark as the collyrium powder,
and arising constantly on the brilliant fire fed in accordance with the canons, the multitude of peacocks
became noisy, their minds excited with the illusion that the rainy season, with clouds hanging Low with the
weight fresh water, had set in.
11. The illustrious king Isanavarman, the firmest abode of greatness, maintainer of stability amongst the
beings, (and) a resplendent moon in the sky of princes, was born from him, as does the sun from the top of the
Udaya mountain, (and) Indra fom the creator, the beautious kaustubha jewel, which excels the moon in
splendour, from the Milk-Ocean.
12. By whom, as by the rising sun, this world, vhich was sunk in the darkness of the Kali age, where paths of
virtue were (consequently) obscured, was again made full of (religious) activities by him who was a
benefactor of the world, who robbed the water lilies In the form of his enemies of their lustre and majesty, who illuminated the collection of lotus- like faces of his friends (and) who possessed abundant majestic
splendour
13. Having conquered the Andhra king who owned three thousand rutting elephants, (and) having broken up in
battle the sulikas, who possessed more than a million galloping horses. and in consequence forcing the Gaudas
to leave dry land and take shelter in the sea, the victor who, with kings kneeling to his feet, occupied the throne.
14. The victorious one whose watches (i.e. passing hours) can only be determined by means of the water-clock, as if it were night, the world being encompassed in darkness and bewildered as to the beginning, the
middle or the end of the day on account of the all pervading dust which rises from the earth rent asunder
by the agitation caused by the marches of his ocean like armies on their expedition, (and) which screens
the lustre of the sun.
15. By whom the earth was heaved up with his prowess, like a broken boat-
after fastening it on all sides by his hundred- fold virtues (or, strings), when tossed about by the storms of the Kali age it was sinking below the
unfathomable oceans of the nether regions.
16. whose foes gave up the ghost on the battle-field, when hit by arrows released from his bow fully bent by his
arms, hardened because of the scars of the wounds caused by the blows of his bow-string. When this king was
ruling the earth the three Vedas were, so to say, born afresh. 0f him the illustrious suryavarman was
born, who dispelled the darkness, which arose at the advent of the Kali age.
17. Who, possessing youth lustrous like the new moon and dear to the entire world, being calm and devoted
to the study of the Sastras, attained high proficiency, in fine arts, to whom the (dames called) wealth Fame,
Learning, and other (Muses) resorted, as if in emulation of each other) (because) in the word the women-folk
highly relish the affection of the desired lover.
18. So long the virtuous conduct had to forcibly bow down before the full-grown Kali, so long the arrows of Cupid
continued to injure the bodies of the fair sex, and so long did the godess of wealth give up taking refuge with others, whereby she had to fear sudden breakdowns, as the creator did not bring forth his body, pleasing to
mankind.
19. Having dragged forth with his arm, surrounded by the lustre of his sparkling sword, the Fortune (Lakshmi)
of hostile lands, whose eyes trembled for fear of seizure of the breasts, who pressed her hard to his bosom,
as a lover would his sweetheart, whose desire he knew, and caused her mostly to give up the thought of going to other men.
20. By him, who raised those who submitted (to him) an ancient and dilapidated temple of the slayer of
Andhaka (i.e, siva) was seen while hunting, and it was raised high at his own discretion and made an
ornament of the earth resplendent like the moon and known by the name, Kshemesvara (i.e the Lord of bliss).
21. In the yoar six hundred and eleven, when the illustrious Isanavaman, who had crushed the enemies, was the
Lord of the earth.
22. This tample of siva, shining like an empty cloud, was (re)constructed at the time when the cloud lustrous
like wild buffaloes with rainbows sticking to their hems, with bri ght extensive streaks of lightening,
thundering deep, stretch a canopy across the quarters,
and when the winds blow shaking the kadamba trees with
their heads bent low with the weight of piles of new flowers
23. Ravisanti, son of Kumarasanti, and resident of Garggarakata composed the preceding (prasasti) out of regard for the king.
It was engraved by Mihiravarman.
Footnote
वर्ण is different from cast. It is a classification of society based on aptitude गुण and professions कर्म
While cast is a racial grouping based on heredity.