Bhadrak Inscription of Gana: Regnal Year 8
By Krishna Chandra Panigrahi
Summary
This note publishes and analyses a short stone inscription from Bhadrak dated to the eighth regnal year of Maharaja Gana. The inscription records that Mailajapa donated idols and eighty adhavipas of land at Panida, a gift accepted by the Mahakalapati Agnisarman. The author provides a transliteration and translation, correcting readings proposed by earlier scholars and clarifying names and numerals. He suggests that Maharaja Gana (or SuraSarmma) may have been a subordinate ruler under the Murunda dynasty, a line attested in Puranic and Jain traditions to have ruled between the Andhras and Guptas. The article situates the inscription in the third century and emphasises that further discoveries are necessary to understand the Murunda polity and local administration in Odisha.
Conclusion
The Bhadrak inscription documents a land grant made under a regional king and enriches the corpus of early inscriptions from eastern India. By revising the text and comparing it with historical traditions, the author proposes that the donor and ruler were connected to the little‑known Murunda dynasty. Although conclusions remain tentative, the note offers important evidence of local governance and highlights the need for more epigraphic finds to elucidate early Odisha history.