North Indian Inscriptions

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS

time, they came under the notice of J.A. Ezechiel Esqr., I.C.S., who was then the District Magistrate of Dinajpur who made them over to the Varendra Research Society, who, in their turn, placed them in the hands of Radhagovinda Basak for decipherment. They were all published by him in Ep. Ind., Vol. XV, pp. 133 ff. The text and the translation of the inscription in question may be found there on pp. 13 ff., and Plate i a and i b.

        The plate is one in number but is inscribed on both sides, the first containing eight and the second five lines of writing. It measures 6-⅜" by 4-⅛". It is a thin plate; nevertheless, the edges of it were not fashioned thicker for the protection of the writing. The letters have been engraved deeply, and the inscription is, on the whole, in a good state of preservation, though, in some places, its surface is corroded through rust. Originally a seal was attached, as is indicated by the projection on one side which is now but partly preserved. The weight of the plate, according to Basak is 11-⅛ tolas. The characters belong to the eastern variety of the Gupta alphabet, the test latters m, s, h and l being practically identical with those of the Allahābād pillar inscription. In regard to other palaeographical points connected with this inscription, attention may be drawn to the occurrence of (1) the initial vowel a in ar(a) hatha, line 7 and aprada-ā⁰, line 7; (2) u in Uttara, line 11; (3) ē in ēvam, line 9; (4) of the sign for b in three cases, namely, Śāmbapāla line 6 and brāhmaṇa, line 6 correctly, but para-dattām=bā, line 12, incorrectly; (5) the peculiar form ṭṭ in bhaṭṭāraka, line 1; (6) the noteworthy manner in which the subscript ā is indicated, namely, by a hook attached to the lower right, of such letters as ṭh, e.g., in-dhishṭhāṇ-ādhi-, line 4, g, e.g., in –yōgāya, line 7, dh in e.g., -dhāraṇa-, lines 10-11; (7) the form for the conjunct hma in brāhmaṇa-, line 6, which has, however, to be distinguished from an almost similar sign for hya in -saṁgṛihya, line 10; and (8) the peculiar form of ending m in kulyavāpam=ēkam and dattam, both in line 11. The characters also include, in line 1, forms of the numerical symbols 4, 7, 20 and 100. The language is Sanskrit; and the inscription is in prose throughout, with the exception of the single imprecatory verse in lines 12-13. The only linguistic peculiarity that calls for notice is the use of the affix ka in some words, such as in annvahamānaka, line 3, and niyuktaka, line 4. In respect of orthography we have to note (1) the doubling of k, th, and dh (the last two by t and d as required by the rules), p and m in conjunction with a preceding r, as in –chandr-ārkka, line 8, -sārtthavāha, line 5, Puṇḍravarddhana- line 2, - Karppaṭikēna, line 6, -Vētravarmma, line 4, and -dharmmēṇa, line 9, and (2) the use of v for b and b for v, as in Vandhumitra, line 5, and para-dattām=bā, line 12.

        The inscription refers itself to the reign of Paramadaivata Paramabhatṭāraka Mahārājādhirāja Kumāragupta that is, Kumāragupta I of the Imperial Gupta dynasty. Its date, in numerical symbols, is the year one hundred and twenty-four (442-43 A.D.), on the seventh day of Phālguna (February-March). Under Kumāragupta was Chirātadatta as Head (Uparika) of the Puṇḍravardhana province (bhukti); and in the Kōṭivarsha district (vishaya), under the latter the court (adhikaraṇa) of the Town (adhishṭhāna) was being administered by Kumārāmātya Vētravarman appointed by Chirātadatta, along with the Nagara-śrēshṭhin Dhṛitipāla, the Sārthavāha Bandhumitra, the Prathama-Kulika Dhṛitimitra and the Prathama-Kāyastha¹ Śāmbapāla. And the object of the inscription is to record the purchase of one kulyavāpa² by a Brāhmaṇa, Karpaṭika by name,
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¹ For the explanation of these four terms, see Introduction, pp. 101–03.
² Kulyavāpa consists of the two words kulya and vāpa. Vāpā was known as early as the time of Pāṇini who has referred to it in tasya vāpaḥ (V.1.45) upon which Bhaṭṭoji Dikshita’s gloss is as follows: upyatē asminn=iti vāpaḥ kshētram | prasthasya vāpaḥ prāsthikam | drauṇikam | khārikam | “Vāpa is that wherein is sown ( a quantity of seed), that is, a field. Prāsthika, drauṇika or khārika is a field sown with (a quantity of grain measuring) a prastha, drōṇa or khārī” Similarly kulyavāpa must signify ‘a field where is sown seed measuring one kulya,’ ‘kulya being equal to (Contd. on p. 284)