Discovered in 1938 by Dr. N.P. Chakravarti at the Bandhogarh fort, this Sanskrit rock inscription engraved in the Nāgarī script, belongs to the reign of the Kalacuri king Yuvarajadeva I.
The text opens with an invocation to Om and records the dedication of the adjacent tortoise sculpture by the Vaiṣṇava devotee Gollāka, son of Bhānu. It provides a poetic description of the reigning sovereign, Yuvarājadeva I, characterising him as possessing the majestic gait of a lordly elephant, a matchless physical form, and a profound mastery over literature, metaphorically termed the lover of the lady literature. Despite severe lacunae, the verses invoke a martial setting, describing a great river whose turbulent waves represent the king's enemies. The record concludes by identifying Guṇanivāsa as the scribe who penned the text and Bhāka as the artisan who executed the engraving.
1. om | gajendragatyā paritoṣiṇemām mahīmato vaiṣṇavagollakena |
2. sāhityavidyālalanābhujaṅga dvitīyadehena sutena bhānoḥ || 1 ||
3. viṣṇoḥ --------------------------,---------- dhiṇo-------- | --------------------,
4. ------------------ na niveditam || 2 || kleśa------------pradam,-------
5. -------- | --------------- grastamarikallolam nadam śaṅke ------------|| 3 || …………………….
6. lakṣmīviccheda……………………….
7. guṇanivāsena likhitam…………………………
8. bhākenotkīrṇam |
Verses 1 and 2
By Gollāka, the son of Bhānu, (who is) a devotee of Viṣṇu, (and a minister) of the king, (who has delighted) the earth by his gait (resembling that ) of a lordly elephant, who has a matchless person and [who is the lover of] the lady, namely, literature ………………… has been dedicated …………………..
Verse 3
I fancy that the great river, of which the waves are the enemies ……….
Lines 6-7
(This record has been) written by Guṇanivāsa (and) incised by Bhāka.
| Dynasty: | Kalacuri |
| Ruler: | Yuvarājadeva |
| Date: | c. 10th century CE |
| Place: | Bandhogarh, Madhya Pradesh |
| Donor: | Gollāka |
| Language: | Sanskrit |
| Script: | Nāgarī |
| Religion: | Vaiṣṇavism |
| Deities: | Avatars of Lord Viṣṇu: Kūrma (the tortoise) |
| Nature of grant: | Religious endownment |
| Purpose: | To record the dedication of the nearby rock-cut sculpture and commemorate a military victory |
| Provenance of inscription: | Bandhogarh, Madhya Pradesh |
| Type of Inscription: | Stone Inscription |
| Source: |
