(8) A MS. of the Prajñāpāramitā of 8000 verses in the collection of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland written at Nālanda in the fourth year of the King's reign:—
- Mātā-pitṛ-pūrvaṁgamaṁ kṛtvā sakala-satva-rāśer-anuttara-jñāna-phal-āvāptaya iti॥ Parameśvara Paramabhaṭṭāraka Paramasaugata Mahārājādhirāja Śrī-mad-Govindapālasya-vijaya-rājya-saṁvatsare 4 Śūny-odaka-grāma-vāstavya Śri-man-Nālanda-
- m-astu sarva-jagatām.[1]
It will be observed that out of these eight records only two mention the King as living. In No. 8 we find the usual titles and no peculiarity, consequently it can be admitted that Govindapāla reigned for at least four years. In No. 4 though titles have been omitted yet the absence of such formulæ as "Parameśvaretyādi Rājāvalī-pūrvvavat" at the beginning, and such phrases as "gatarājye," "atītarājye" and "vinaṣṭa-rājye" make it certain that the King Govindapāla was alive in the 37th year from the date of his consecration, i.e. 1197 a.d. This being admitted, we find that the phrases gata and atīta are used in other records in a peculiar sense, signifying that the reign of the Prince was at an end, in that particular locality, but that it was still continuing at some other place. Thus in the Gayā Inscription of the Vikrama year 1232 the use of the word gata means that Govindapāla's reign had ceased at Gayā, but was continuing somewhere else. The use of the word Atīta in the MS. discovered by Mahāmahopādhyāya Hara Prasāda Śāstrī, which was copied in 38th year of his reign, signifies that his reign was at an end at the place where the MS. was copied. Only the use of the special word Vinaṣṭa in No. 6 signifies that the remnants of his authority was destroyed in that year, as has been correctly interpreted by Bendall,[2] by the Muhammdans under Bakhtyār-Khilji. It appears Extent of Kingdom.that Govindapāla ruled lower part of Eastern Magadha close to Nālanda and yet bore the title of Gauḍeśvara. He was recognized as the real King by Buddhists in all parts of the country. He managed to continue his reign till 1199, when Cauhān, Gahaṛwāṛ, Pāla and Sena were all swept away by the whirlwind of Muhammadan invasion.
Postscript.
An inscription of the time of Vigrahapāla III was found by me recently on the pedestal of an image of Buddha in the Indian Museum. This appears to be the inscription mentioned by Cunningham.[3] It runs as follows:—
- Śri-mad-Vigrahapāla-deva-rājya samvat 13 mārgga dine 14.
- Deya [dha] rmmoyaṁ suvarṇṇakāra Dehekasya Sāhe sutasya॥
"The year 13, the 14th day of Mārggaśīrṣa, of the reign of the illustrious Vigrahapāladeva. The religious gift of the goldsmith Deheka, son of Sāhe."
