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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
17 rikaraṁ udak-ôtsargga-pûrvvaṁ mâtâpitrôr-âtmanaś=cha puṇya-yaśô-bhivṛiddhayê
dattavân [|*]
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No. 23.─ CHENDALUR PLATES OF KUMARAVISHNU II. BY PROFESSOR E. HULTZSCH, PH.D. ; HALLE (SAALE). These copper-plates “ were found buried in a pot full of paddy husk when a ryot of Chendalûr in the Ongole tâluka of the Nellore district was digging his house-site for laying foundation. This was some forty years ago.” The plates passed from the ryot to the Karnam of the village, and from the latter to Mr. N. Suryanarayana Rao, District Court Vakil, Nellore, who sent them through Mr. A. Butterworth, I.C.S., to Mr. Venkayya. The subjoined transcript is based on two sets of ink-impressions received from Mr. Venkayya, who also furnished me with the following description of the original :─ “ The copper-plates are five in number. The first and last bear writing on the inner side only. The plates have no rims. In the upper and lower borders they are not as broad as in the middle. Their breadth accordingly varies from 8″ to 8⅛″. The height is throughout 2½″. At a distance of 1″ from the middle of the left margin of each plate is bored a circular hole, ½ʹ in diameter ; and through these holes passes a circular ring (cut by me for the first time with permission and soldered), 3¼″ in diameter and about ¼″ thick. Its ends are secured in the base of an almost circular seal, which measures between 1¼″ and 1⅜″ in diameter and bears in its middle an indistinct symbol in relief. Around the margin there seems to be a legend which is too much worn to be made out. The total weight of the plates with ring and seal is 95 tolas. The originals have been returned to Mr. Suryanarayana Rao.” The inscription on the plates is well preserved ; only a few syllables at the end of ll. 2, 3, 4, 12 and 20 are obliterated. The sign of anusvâra is so small that its existence on the plate remains doubtful in most cases where the context requires it. A final form of m occurs thrice (ll. 28, 29 and 32). The letter t is distinguished from n by a loop ; but in a single case (grâmêyakânatrâº, l. 15) the form with the loop is used for n. The end of a verse is marked by a double vertical line in three cases (ll. 28, 29 and 30), and the end of the inscription by five circles between double lines. Plates i., ii.b, iii.b, and iv.b bear on the left margin the numerical symbols 1, 2, 3 and 4, while plate v. is not numbered at all. The language is Sanskṛit prose, and four Sanskṛit verses ‘ sung by Brahman ’ are quoted in ll. 26-32.
The inscription is an edict issued from Kâñchîpura (l. 1) in the second year of the reign
(l. 23) of the Pallava Mahârâja Kumâravishṇu (II) (l. 14), who was the son of the M.
[1] Read –nṛi patibhir=ayam=asmad-dâyô= ; compare l. 29 of the Surat plates.
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