South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

CHEVURU PLATES OF EASTERN CHALUKYA AMMA I

rival kinsmen────king Amma, son of Vijayāditya, the shelter of the entire world, the very desire-fulfilling tree for Brāhmaṇas whom he mode prosperous with outstanding great gifts (consisting) of heaps of shining gold weighed against his own body (covered) with the armour and (carrying) the sword──grandson of the king Chālukya-Bhīma, an ornament of the family of Satyāśraya1-Vallabhēndra, who had the lotuslike feet tinged with golden hue by the multitude of rays (emanating) from the jewels set in the coronets of the enemy chiefs compelled to bow before him under the influence of his sword, who adorned the race of the glorious Chālukyas, who belong to the Mānavya gōtra which is praised all over the world, who are sons Hārīti, who have acquired the kingdom through the favour of a boon (conferred) by Kauśikī, who are protected by the assemblage of (divine) mothers, who meditate on the feet of the lord Mahāsēna ; who have subjugated the territories of their adversaries in an instant at the (mere) sight of the boar, a boon which they obtained through the grace of the blessed Nārāyaṇa (and) who have their bodies purified by the ceremonial both at the termination of the horse-sacrifice─having called together the householders, resident in the district of Gudravāra, headed by the village-headmen, issues the following order :─

Ll. 16──25. “Be it known too you that the noble warrior, named Vēmarāja, son of Rājāditya’s younger brother Manōhitāryya, grandson of Chandeyarāja of the Kōna family, who (Chandeyarāja) had the distinction of being the headman of the splendid village called Umikili in the district of Gudravāra, which he obtained along with (the honour of) riding on an elephant from king Vijayāditya, alias Guṇakkenalla───Vēmarāja, who in courage is the Śūdraka of the Kali age, attended, as a loyal and obedient servant, on my father Vijayāditya, and that We, thus pleased with his devotion and loyalty, have, on the occasion of the Annaprāśana ceremony of prince Vijayāditya, made this Vēmarāja the village lord of the village of Umikilī, exempting him from all manner of tax, except the traditional fixed tribute of eight gadyāṇakas.”

Ll. 25──27. “To the south of the village is the Ērvvōka^[2] field. Its boundaries are (as follows) : On the east lies the marshy pool ; on the south the very boundary of Dūdrupāka ; on the west the Royal demesne and the plot of land belonging to the Chānḍālas ; (and) on the north the brook”.^[3]

Ll. 27──29. “To the north of the village is the Ērvvōka field belonging to Aypa (Ayyapa). Its boundaries are (as follows) : On the east lies the brook ; on the south the Vannēru (river) ; on the west the brook ; (and) on the north the bathing place at the lake (or the drain from the lake).”

Ll. 29──30. “The arrangement (for the remuneration which he is to receive) in grain measures (i.e., in kind), is as follows :─the income of saveram (?) is ten kaṇḍus and seventeen tūmus (measured by measure) of 24 full puṭṭis ;of tammulam(?) one tūmu.”

Ll. 30──32. “Nobody should cause any destruction to this. Whosoever does, incurs (the penalty of) the five grave sins. And likewise it has been said also by Vyāsa :─

Ll. 33──35. (Here follow two customary verses.)”

Ll. 35──36. The Kaṭakēśvara^[4] strong enough to protect the territory of Vēṅgī, has acted here as the executor of the (royal) order.5 It has been composed by Bhaṭṭa Mahākāla, son of Bhaṭṭa Niravadya.

_________________________________

^[1] This obviously refers to Pulakēśin II, who also bears the epithet Satyāśraya. The construction in the original is faulty inasmuch as the expression saty-āśraya-Vallabhēndrasya apparently qualifies Chālukya-Bhīma.
^[2] Rao Bahadur C. R. Krishṇamacharlu suggests that this word may be connected with the Telugu word Eruvāka.
^[3] See above, Vol. V, p. 139, n. 2.
^[4] See above, p. 44, n. 7.
^[5] See above, p. 44, n. 6.