The Grahapati Kokkala inscription is an epigraphic record documenting the dedication of a Shiva temple. It dates to 1000-1001 CE. It is one of several Chandella era inscriptions that mention a Grahapati family.
It is the earliest known reference to a Grahapati family. Unlike all other
Chandella
The Chandelas of Jejakabhukti was an Indian dynasty in Central India. The Chandelas ruled much of the Bundelkhand region (then called ''Jejakabhukti'') between the 9th and the 13th centuries. They belonged to the Chandel (Rajput clan), Chandel c ...
era
Grahapati
Gahoi is a merchant Vaishya-Baniya community in central India.
Gahois are divided into 12 gotras, each gotra is divided into six ''all''s. They have traditionally interdined with the Parwar Jain community of Bundelkhand.
The "Grahapati" family ...
inscriptions which are Jain, this refers to a Shiva temple, although Verse 3 suggests that the builder also worshipped Jinas.
Location
It was found somewhere in
Khajuraho
Khajuraho () is a city, near Chhatarpur in Chhatarpur district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. One of the most popular tourist destinations in India, Khajuraho has the country's largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous f ...
or its vivicinity, and is currently located in the
Vishvanath temple there.
Publication
The inscription was first published by
Cunningham, and has since been published in several books.
Description and contents
The inscription at
Khajuraho
Khajuraho () is a city, near Chhatarpur in Chhatarpur district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. One of the most popular tourist destinations in India, Khajuraho has the country's largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous f ...
, dated Samvat 1056, Kartika (1000–1001 AD), is engraved on a slab and records the dedication of a temple termed Vidyanatha temple. The current location of the Vidyanatha temple is uncertain; the inscription slab has been fixed to the
Vishvanath temple. Cunningham had identified the
Beejamandal temple at Jatkara village near Khajuraho as the Vishvanath temple.
Metrics
The most of the inscription is metrical, with the exception of the initial invocation to Shiva and the samvat at the end.
Text
It is a large 22 line text. It starts with invocation Om Namah Shivaya.
* Verses 1-2: Invocation of Lord Shiva.
* Verse 3: Equates Shiva with Parama Brahma, Buddha, Vaman, Jina etc.
* Verses 5-7: Praise of the
Padmavati
Padmāvatī may refer to:
Deities
* Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of fortune
* Alamelu, or Padmāvatī, a Hindu goddess and consort of Sri Venkateshwara of Tirupati
* Manasa, a Hindu serpent goddess
* Padmavati (Jainism), a Jain attendant goddess ( ...
city.
* Verses 8-14: Praises a family lineage of Grahapai Vamsha leading to Kokkala.
* Verses 15-21: Describe a town and the Vaidyanath temple built by Kokkala.
Translation
Translations are provided by Kanhiayalal Agrawal and Kale
[Kharjuravahaka, D. J. Kale, 1967]
See also
*
Indian inscriptions
The earliest undisputed deciphered epigraphy found in the Indian subcontinent are the Edicts of Ashoka of the 3rd century BCE, in the Brahmi script.
If epigraphy of proto-writing is included, undeciphered markings with symbol systems th ...
*
Khajuraho
Khajuraho () is a city, near Chhatarpur in Chhatarpur district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. One of the most popular tourist destinations in India, Khajuraho has the country's largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous f ...
*
Padmavati Pawaya
Padmavati, identified with modern Pawaya in Madhya Pradesh, was an ancient Indian city mentioned in several classic Sanskrit texts, Malatimadhavam of Bhavabhuti, Harshacharita of Bana, and Sarasvatīkaṇṭhabharaṇa of Raja Bhoja. Bhavabhu ...
*
Beejamandal
Beejamandal is a ruined temple in Jatkara village near Khajuraho, that has not yet been fully excavated and explored. It has a length of 34.60 meters and is thus longer than the largest temple of Khajuraho namely Kandariya which measures about ...
Notes
External links
A photographof this inscription outside Vishvanth temple in Khajuraho.
Sanskrit inscriptions in India
Gupta and post-Gupta inscriptions