Kashmir, Tamilnadu, Panini, Abhinavagupta, etc.

[DEVARAKONDA VENKATA NARAYANA SARMA]

dhAnykaTaka.
                        This is situated  on the southern bank of
kriSNA river in the sattenapalli taluk of Guntur district of
Andhra Pradesh. Its present name is dharaNikOTa. The buddhist and also
saiva kshetra of amarAvati is very close to it. As a matter of fact the
present amarAvati is a modern creation. In the famous temple of amarEzwara
dedicated to siva, the inscriptions upto 17 th century describe the
place as dhanakaTaka, dhAnyakaTaka, dhAnyavATi, dannaDakOTa, dhAraNikOta
dharaNAlakOTa etc. The present position is amarAvati is a town and
dharaNikOTa is a small satellite village.

A prakrit inscription of iksvAku kings of about 300 A.D obtained at the
place calls it dhanakaDA.

"siddhaM namO bhagavatO sarvajJAya. vijaya kaMthAvAra dhanakaDAtO
                                                      ^^^^^^^^^^^
mahArAjA asamEdhayAjI akhkaya hiraNNa kOTI padAyiH ikhkhAkUNAM
raNNO siri ehuvala cAttamUla vammA aNavEti...".
(sanskrit rendering)
"siddhaM namO bhagavatassarvajJAya. VijayaskaNthAvAra-dhanakaDAtaH
mahArAjO.azvamEdhayAjI akSaya hiraNyakOTipradAyiH ikSvAkuNAM rAjJa
zzrI ehuvala cAttamUla varmA AjJApayati..."

-Luder's List of Brahmi Inscriptions. Nos. 1225,1271,1205 can be consulted.

An inscription of koTa kings of the 12th century from the same place calls
it dhAnyakaTaka

"svasti catussamudramudrita nikhila vasundharAparipAlaka srImattriNayana
pallava prasAdita kRSNavENAnadIdakSiNa SaTsahasrAvanIvallabha
bhayalObhadurlabha cOdacALukyasAmanta madAnEkapa mRgEndra vibhavO
.amarendra zrImadamarEzvaradeva divya pAdapdmArAdhaka parabalasAdhaka
zrIdhAnykaTaka puravarAdhIzvara..."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-South Indian Inscriptions, vol IV, No.749

Another inscription of the 12th century is by a courtesan
"gasvi sUramadEvi" donating 55 head of cattle for keeping the wick lit
continuously before the buddhA, says.

"asti zrIdhAnyakaTakapuram surapurAtparam
      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
yatrAmarEzvaraz zambhur amarEzvara pUjitaH
buddhO devas sas sAnnidhyAdatra dAtrO(A?) prapUjitaH
caityamatyunnataM yatra ....."

indicating that there was puja of budha upto 12th century A.D.

-South Indian Inscriptions, vol IV, No.224

Taranatha in the "History of Buddhism" gave the latest name of the
place known to him. It seems that continuous contact was maintained
by Tibetans with this place quite for some time.

regards,

sarma.