Contents |
Index
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Introduction
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Contents
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List of Plates
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Additions and Corrections
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Images
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Contents |
Chaudhury, P.D.
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Chhabra, B.ch.
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DE, S. C.
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Desai, P. B.
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Dikshit, M. G.
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Krishnan, K. G.
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Desai, P. B
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Krishna Rao, B. V.
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Lakshminarayan Rao, N., M.A.
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Mirashi, V. V.
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Narasimhaswami, H. K.
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Pandeya, L. P.,
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Sircar, D. C.
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Venkataramayya, M., M.A.,
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Venkataramanayya, N., M.A.
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Index-By A. N. Lahiri
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Other
South-Indian Inscriptions
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Volume
1
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Volume
2
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Volume
3
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Vol.
4 - 8
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Volume 9
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Volume 10
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Volume 11
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Volume 12
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Volume 13
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Volume
14
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Volume 15
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Volume 16
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Volume 17
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Volume 18
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Volume
19
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Volume
20
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Volume 22 Part 1
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Volume
22 Part 2
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Volume
23
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Volume
24 |
Volume
26
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Volume 27 |
Tiruvarur
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Darasuram
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Konerirajapuram
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Tanjavur |
Annual Reports 1935-1944
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Annual Reports 1945- 1947
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Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum Volume 2, Part 2
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Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum Volume 7, Part 3
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Kalachuri-Chedi Era Part 1
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Kalachuri-Chedi Era Part 2
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Epigraphica Indica
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Epigraphia Indica Volume 3
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Epigraphia Indica Volume 4
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Epigraphia Indica Volume 6
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Epigraphia Indica Volume 7
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Epigraphia Indica Volume 8
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Epigraphia Indica Volume 27
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Epigraphia Indica Volume 29
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Epigraphia Indica Volume 30
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Epigraphia Indica Volume 31
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Epigraphia Indica Volume 32
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Paramaras Volume 7, Part 2
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Śilāhāras Volume 6, Part 2
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Vākāṭakas Volume 5
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Early Gupta Inscriptions
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Archaeological
Links
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Archaeological-Survey
of India
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Pudukkottai
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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
BILAIGARH PLATES OF KALACHURI PRATAPAMALLA ; YEAR 969
(1 Plate)
L. P. PANDEYA, RAIGARH, AND P. B. DESAI, OOTACAMUND
The credit of the discovery of their copper plate document, the existence of which was known
as early as 1940, goes to Pandit L. P. Pandeya, Honorary Secretary of the Mahakosala Historical
Society. It was in the possession of Dewan Hardayal Singh, Zamindar of Bilaigarh[5] in the
Raipur District, Madhya Pradesh. Through the kindness of Mr. R. N. Banerjee, Commissioner,
Chhattisgarh Division, it was obtained on loan from the owner and sent to the then Government
Epigraphist for India, for examination, in November 1942. Subsequently, at the advice of
Dr. B. Ch. Chhabra, Government Epigraphist for India, who accorded his kind permission and other
facilities, Mr. Desai, a member of his office, was also provided with an opportunity of studying
the epigraph. Thus as a result of joint co-operation the inscription is edited here for the first
time.
It is a set of two copper plates held together by a ring with seal. The plates measure roughly
from 10 to 10½ inches in length and 6¾ inches in breadth. A hole with a diameter of about half an
inch is bored towards the centre of the top of each plate for the ring to pass through. The plates
are engraved on the inner sides only and a margin of about an inch is left out towards the left. The
size of the letters on the first plate is bigger than that on the second, the average being roughly
1/5 and 1/7 of an inch respectively. As a result of this the first plate has accommodated 16 lines and
the second 22 lines. The seal is circular measuring about 2¾ inches in diameter. It is partly
damaged and obliterated towards the left. Its upper portion contain crudely carved figures of a
seated goddess, viz., Lakshmī, in the middle and two elephants with jars in their upturned trunks
on either side. In the lower portion is incised the figure of a dagger placed across pointing towards
the right. In the intervening space is engraved in Nāgarī characters the partly damaged legend
Srī (Śrī). .Pratāpamalladēva. In respect of this seal and many other points which will be discussed presently, the present plates bear close resemblance with the Pēṇḍrābandh plates of the same
king, already published in this journal.[6]
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[1] The daṇḍa is superfluous.
[2] The subscript ṭ of this akshara looks like the subscript dh or v. compare, for instance, ndha in line 23 and
rvva in the following line.
[3] The words yadā and tadā are more commonly used for yathā and tathā of this verse.
[4] This punctuation in the original is made up of a spiral followed by a wavy line.
[5] This is the first set of Bilaigarh plates. According to the official sources, the plates were originally unearthed
while ploughing his filed by one Rāmnāth, son of Gōpi Kahra, a resident of the village Paoni, about 3 miles from
Bilaigarh. They were handed over to the agent of the Zamindar of Bilaigarh, who passed them on to his master.
The information gathered by Mr. Pandeya reveals that two more sets of copper plates were discovered in the village
Paoni in September 1940. One of these, which fell into the hands of a sādhu, was subsequently recovered by the
said Zamindar. This set was received in the office of the Government Epigraphist for India in 1945. This is
styled the second set of Bilaigarh plates for the convenience of description. It belongs to Pṛithvīḍēva II and is
dated 896 of the Chēdi era. The second set from Bilaigarh is being published in this journal. These plates are
now deposited in the Central Museum, Nāgpur.
[6] Above, Vol. XXIII, pp. 1 ff.
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