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INTRODUCTION
der of Bellur family. At the time when the empire of Vijayanagar flourished, Bellur was one of the petty states of Karnatak, and Ere Krishnappa Nayaka, its chief. He appears to have been enfoffed by Krishna Deva Rāya in 1524. Ere Krishnappa Nāyak was the son of Baippa Nayaka and Kondommā.
It is likely that the king of Bedura or Belur mentioned in the Kālasena's Pras'asti might have been Baippa Nāgaka or probably his son Eri Krishnappa Nāyaka.
Thus this inquiry about the times of the kings mentioned in the Prasastis of Kālasena leads us to put him somewhere between 14301530 A.D. Identity of place-names :
Now let us see if we can locate Kālasena by identifying some of the place-names mentioned in his Prasastis. The main difficulty in understanding these place-names lies in the Sanskritization of current names and in some cases coining Puranic substitutes for these places. Still it is possible in some cases to restore the original names and identify their present locations. Our first business is to locate Kälasena, and so we shall first take those place-names which are relevant to this purpose.
The title number 93 calls him 'Trisañdhyakşetrasamudra-sambhavarohiņi-ramaña'. This means 'moon born out of the sea of Trisañdhyaksetra or according to the P.R. K. Sri-Trisañdhyā. Now, what place is hidden under this name? In a mythical account of the river Godavari we find that Devi lives in the form of Trisañdhyā at the source of this river. We can therefore regard Trisandhya or (dhyā) Kþetra as the region round about the Tryambaka mountain in which the Godavari has its source. Brahmagiri is an old name of this mountain and so Godavari is called Brahmädrijātā. This also properly explains his title No. 7 S'ri Brahmadri-vibhu, which means 'lord of Brahmādri'. Title no 51 describes him as one who has constructed a beautiful road leading to Brahmagiri and no. 66, as one who has performed many sacrifices near Brahmagiri, while title no. 50, as one who has raised a Kirtistambha-Tower of Victory near Tryambakes'wara--the temple of Tryambaka. Title No. 41 refers to him as one who has conquered Añja. nādri surrounded by the peaks of the Astādas'agiri. This Añjanādri is the Añjaneri hill four miles from Tryambaka town and about four
1. The Arvindu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Rev. Hena y Heras. S.J. M. A. B.G. Paul &
Co. Publishers, Madras 1927, p. 9. 2 Ibid. pp. 184-185. 3. Sabdakalpadruma:
इयमेव ( गोदावर्येव ) पीठस्थानविशेषः। अत्र देवी त्रिसन्ध्यामूर्त्या विराजते। यथा, देवीभागवते। ७.३०.६८ गोदावयाँ त्रिसन्ध्या तु गंगाद्वारे रतिप्रिया।
