________________
114
ACARYA VIJAYAVALLABHASŪRI COMMEMORATION VOLUME
bell under notice weighs 35 lbs. and is dated V. S. 1034. The inscription
x 75TY 19 # POBY | EIT. 1 3 47) :' (Vide Jaina Tirtha SarvaSangraha Vol. I., Pt. I., pp. 137, 138); it has, however, been looked upon with great suspicion about the digit for hundred in the date which very probably reads much later.
Dr. Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala, was kind enough to send me four photographic prints of the Pātāna temple-bell in June 1951 which bears an inscription.
The inscription as read from the four side views of the bell gives the following information: The use of Prstha-måtrā is noteworthy :
(I) सं १३१८ वार्ष माघ शु दि ४ गारो वागड द्वथारो (II) 2 309
316HR (III) --- PT Tita TEMAT (IV) Not legible.
The inscription records that this temple-bell was presented to the Caitya of śri Candraprabha Svāmi, situated in the Vāgada district, in Samvat 1318 (1262 A.D.) on the fourth day of the bright half of the month of Magha.
The height of this bell is 15 inches, outer diameter at the bottom is 13 inches and it weighs 45 lbs.?
Later dated specimens of the 17th and 18th century bells have been known to be in existence at the summit of Dattātreya on Mt. Girnär and also on Mt. Abu.
The bell introduced through this note is the earliest dated specimen from Gujarat, beyond any doubt.
It is worthwhile to investigate into the earlier history of metal-casting in Gujarat as is in evidence from the Akoţă hoard of bronzes, which probably is in a line with the "School of Ancient West” as noted by the Buddhist historian Taranāth in 1609.
2. This detailed information is due to the courtesy of Dr. T. N. Ramachandran,
Deputy Director of Archaeology, New Delhi.
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