Found in Mandavi, Maharashtra and now housed in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Mumbai, this stone record dates to the reign of the Śilāhāra king Keśideva II. The inscription, topped with a maṅgala-kalaśa relief, is engraved in Nāgarī characters and Sanskrit language influenced by Marathi.
The record is dated to the 15th tithi of the bright fortnight of Māgha, during the cyclic year Rudhirodgārī, in Śaka 1125 corresponding to 18th January 1204 CE. It commemorates a pious donation by Soma ṭhākura at the holy site of Māṇḍavali. The gift was made in the presence of the deity Lakṣmīnārāyaṇa, an idol specifically installed by the king’s mahāmātya, Lakṣmīdhara. Though the exact nature of the gift is partially lost due to the damaged state of the stone, it was dedicated to the service of the deity at the local tīrtha.
1. siddham | saṃvat 1125 rudhirodgārisaṃvatsare māgha śu-
2. ddha 15. . . . . . adyeha samasta rājāvalī-
3. samalaṅkṛtaśrīkeśidevarāyarājye ma-
4. hāmātyaśrīlakṣmīdharapratiṣṭhāpita-
5. śrībhagavato śrīlakṣmīnārāyaṇāce sākṣī
6. māṇḍavalītīrthe somaṭhākureṇa
7. . . . . . . .pradatāttā |
Success! In the year 1125, the cyclic year Rudhirodgārī, on the 15th tithi of the bright fortnight of Māgha, during the reign of the illustrious King Keśideva adorned with all royal-titles—this day, here, in the presence of the divine Lakṣmīnārāyaṇa installed by the mahāmātya, the illustrious Lakṣmīdhara, Soma Ṭhākura has donated …… at the holy place of Māṇḍavalī.
| Dynasty: | Śilāhāra |
| Ruler: | Keśideva II |
| Date: | 18th January 1204 CE (Cyclic year Rudhirodgārī, Māgha śukla 15, Śaka 1125) |
| Place: | Māṇḍavī tīrtha |
| Donor: | Mahāmatya Lakṣmīdhara |
| Language: | Sanskrit influenced by Marathi |
| Script: | Nāgarī |
| Deities: | Śrī Lakṣmīnārāyaṇa |
| Nature of grant: | Religious donation |
| Purpose: | To record the religious donation made in the presence of deity Lakṣmīnārāyaṇa for religious merit |
| Provenance of inscription: | Mandavi tirtha, Maharashtra |
| Type of Inscription: | Stone inscription |
| Source: |
