23. Pîäagaäh stone inscription.
EI XXI, No. 24 (C. R. Krishnamacharlu), 153-57; IO, II, II, 94-97 (S. Rajaguru);

The record edited below was discovered [Sewell in his List of the Antiquarian Remains in the Madras Presidency, Vol. 1 (p. 317) refers to an inscription on the rock in Dåvanàgarè characters at Pîäàigaäa, which is possibly the same as the present inscription though his information, derived from local sources, appears to have been rather inaccurate. The stone door-way referred to in his account as being close to the inscription is probably the entrance to the ruined Viøíu temple referred to in verse 5 of the inscription. —Ed.] in the spring of 1922 by the late Mr. G. Venkoba Rao, the then Assistant Archeological Superintendent for Epigraphy, Southern Circle, Madras, and myself when we were touring in the Jeypore Agency of the Vizagapatam district, Madras Presidency. We had gone thither to examine the Telugu inscriptions at Koíäakambåru [Nos. 286 and 287 of the Madras Epigraphical Collection for the year 1922.] in the Malkangiri Agency, brought to the notice of the Department by F. G. Butler, Esq., I.C.S., the Assistant Agency Commissioner at Kîràpuò, and the Nàgarè inscription at Doära, [No. 282 of the same Collection.] a village situated at a distance of about 10 miles from Poäàgaäh, reported by Mr. Burrows, the late Forest Officer, Jeypore, in the year 1916-17. Our attention was drawn to the inscription at Poäàgaäh by the Duffadar of the Umarkîò Òhàía office who accompanied us as our guide. It was no small surprise to us to be led at the end of our tedious journey to the slab bearing the inscription [No. 283 of 1922.] leaning, against the natural rock at a height of 40 íeet from the ground level. This was a veritable epigraphical oasis in the deserted and barren Agency tracts.
The approaches to the hill are thickly shaded by the tall teak trees of the forest. Within a furlong from the foot of the hill, as we approached it, we observed some satè stones (nearly a dozen) lying scattered in a group which gave us hopes of some useful discovery. Not far from this spot was a ruined Ùiva temple with fallen roof and dilapidating walls and entrance, with the Nandin (bull), Gaíåùa and other associate minor sculptures lying about it. There was a well-watered pond also within a few yards of it embowered by a thick-set bamboo grove. All these human associations brought home to us the impression, suggested by the discovery of the Nàgarè inscription at Doära, that the Agency tracts are now only a fallen country like the adjoining state of Bastar. [For the inscriptions of this State, see Epigraphia Indica, Vol. IX, p. 160; Vol. X, pp., 25 fl,; Vol. XII. p. 242; see also R. B. Hiralal's List of Inscriptions in the Central Provinces and Berar.] The provenance has been described at some length only with a view to indicate the extent ot the decadence that has come over a couutry, which, judging from its few known inscriptions and monuments, once enjoyed a civilised and cultured life in the early centuries of the Christian Era. The Agency tract seems well worthy of a systematic study by scholars owing to the wealth of antiquarian and ethnographical material it contains, although it has now relapsed into primeval jungle.
The Pîäagaäh hill and village shown as 'Poragarh' in the Imperial Gazetteer Atlas (Vol. XXVI), Plate 42, lie on the north-western frontier of the Jeypore Agency bordering on the Bastar State. The way to the hill and the inscribed slab lie from the Nowrangpur side, through the village of Bhaíäàrigóäa which is only a small cluster of insignificant huts. The inscription has been reviewed in the Madras Epigraphical Report for the year 1921-22, page 95, where a plate of the record has also been given. (CK)

TEXT.

1 siddham || hariíà jitaì jayati jåøyatè[ty-å]øà guía-stutir=nna-[hi sà] [|*] nanu-bhagavà[n-åva]
2 jayî jåtavyaì c-àdhijåtà [ca] || [1*] ùrè-nal-ànvaya-mukkhyasya vikkram-akøapati dviøaõ [|*]
3 nðpatår=bhavadattasya sat-putråí-ànya-saìsthitàm || [2*] bhraøòàm-àkðøya ràjarddhiì
4 ùónyàm-àvàsya puøkarèm [|*] pituÛ pitàmahànàã=ca jananyàX kri(kð)tinà [tataõ] [||3*]
5 kðtvà dha[rmm-à]rthan-åbhyàùàni(m-i)dam=àtma-hit-aiøiíà [|*] pàdamólaì kðtaì viøíî [ràjãà ùrè[skandava]-
6 rmmaíà || [4*] pój-àrttham=asya c-aiv-åha sîdakam-bhóri-dakøiíam [|*] puruøàya puraì [da] . . . . .
7 rkka-tàrakà[m] || [5*] satr-îpabhîjyaì vipràíàì yatènàã=ca viùåøata[õ] [|*] [dènànàm]=apy-anàthànàì . . .
8 ca sarvvaùaõ || [6*] apravåùyaì bhaòaiù-c-ådaì sadà kara-visarjjitam | ùrè-[cakradrî]ía-putr[à*]ya. . .
9 yath-îcita[m*] || [7*] sthitiù-c-åyaì purî baddhà dharmmà-stambhå nivå[ùi]tà [|*] yaù-c-åmàì hràpayå[t-saì]sthàm-mahàpà[ta] . . . [8*]
10 vyatikkramå-dyî hi mahèpatå[õ*] sthiti[m] kulàdhamaÛ   pàrtthiva-kilbiøam=pibå[t|*]
11 samanviy-àdyaù-ca [naråndra]-sat-patham sa vàsudåvàùra[ya]m=àpnuyàc-cira[m*] ||[9*]
12 dvàdaùåbdå naråndråía màdhavå màsi cîttamå [saptaviìùå] dinå puíyå
13 stambhî ¸yaì [gà]hitas=svayam || [10*] prèti-bhàgavatå[n-ai]vam bhartuÛ priya-[cà] . .
14 sånàpatinà kalpità màlin-åh-àlpa-buddhinà || [11*] . . . .
15 likhitaì [cau]li-sónunà bhaktyà [jàì]turadàsåna [|12*]
16 [à]jåna viùvarópåna(ía) nirguíåna gu[íaiøiíà] [||13*]