should be covered with insects, upon which the boy went to Pravaga Tirtha (Allahabad), did penance for the theft, and threw himself into the holy Ganges. On account of the religious merit, thus gained, lie was born again as a son of the king of Kanakadripura in Karnataka, when he was given the name Vasuki in course of time he both married and succeeded to the throne but presently his wife Kanakalekha discovered that when he was asleep at night his body was infested with maggots. One day when shooting he washed his hands and face in a small and dirty pond, and that night so much of his flesh remained wholesome. He and his wife sought the pool again, here in Vatsaranga, but could not find it. They went to Vasishtha rishi and told nun about it, whereon he related the story of the king's previous life and of the religious importance of Vatsagulma Kshetra, and showed them the pool. This was the Padma Tirtha, and Vasuki first bathed and' was wholly cleansed and then took up his residence near the spot. The new town was called Vasuki-Nagara, but became corrupted into Washim, or Bashim. This derivation of the place name is fantastic, washim is derived from Vatsagulma, the capita! of a branch of the Vakatakas which is known as the Vatsagulma branch of the Vakatakas. The existence of this branch of the Vakatakas was unknown until the discovery of the Washim plates in 1939. The founder of this family was Sarvasena mentioned in the Washim plates as the son of Pravarasena I. Satvasena made Vatsagulma i.e. Washim, the capital of his kingdom. In course of time the place became a great centre of learning and culture. It was, however, known as a holy place long before it became the capital of Sarvasena who flourished in the period circa A. IV 330-355. He was followed by Vindhyashakti II. The Washim plates, which brought existence of this branch to notice for the first time, are dated in the 37th regnal year of Vindhyashakti II. They were issued from the royal capital Vatsagulma
