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
No. 1-TWO PALA PLATES FROM BELWA
(2 Plates)
D. C. SIRCAR, OOTACAMUND
The village of Belwā lies a few miles to the west of the Hili railway station on the East Bengal
Railway, in the eastern fringe of the Dinajpur District, not far from the borders of the Bogra and
Rangpur Districts. Some time in 1946, a Santal inhabitant of the village, named Khārē Saotāl,
discovered two inscribed copper plates while digging the compound of his house with a view to
enlarging a fire-place. Mr. Manoranjan Gupta of Calcutta soon secured the plates with the help
of Muḥammad Basīr Sarkār who is an official at the Zamindar’s Katchery at the village of Kaśīgārī,
not far away from Belwā. Mr. Gupta studied the inscriptions and published both of them in the
Vaṅgīya Sāhitya Parishat Patrikā (Bengali), Vols. LIV, B. S. 1354, pp. 41-56 ; LVI, B. S. 1356,
pp. 60-65, with plates.[1] The original plates were also presented to the Museum of the Vaṅgīya
Sāhitya Parishat, Calcutta. One of the records belongs to king Mahīpāla I (circa 988-1038 A. C.)
of the Pāla dynasty of Bengal and Ḅihār, and the other to his grandson Vigrahapāla III (circa
1055-90 A. C.). As, however, the inscriptions appeared to me to have been neither carefully read
nor correctly interpreted, I requested, several times, the authorities of the Parishat to lend me
the original plates for a few weeks for examination or to supply me with a set of good impressions
of each of the inscriptions. Unfortunately neither of these request was complied with.[2] At last
impressions of both the plates were available to me through the kindness of Mr. T. N. Ramachandran, Superintendent, Department of Archaeology, Eastern Circle. I edit the inscriptions
from those impressions.
A.─Plate of Mahīpāla I ; Regnal Year 5
The record is incised on a single copper-plate, measuring 13″X14·6″. The weight has not been
recorded. The seal, which closely resembles those attached to other charters of the Pāla
rulers, is, as usual, soldered to the upper part of the document. It is the celebrated
dharmachakra-mudrā of the Pālas who were Buddhists. It has in the centre a circle with raised
rim and beaded border which is surrounded by arabesque work and is surmounted by a chaitya
symbol. The upper half of the inner circle of the seal is occupied by the Buddhist ‘Wheel of the
Law’ having an umbrella above it and a deer couchant on either side. Below the central
demarcation line, forming a pedestal for the above, is the legend śrī-Mahīpāladēvasya, the space
beneath being covered by arabesque foliage. There are altogether 58 lines of writing on both sides
of the plate, 33 lines on the obverse and 25 on the reverse. The incision is deep and clear, and the
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[1] For an English version of these papers, see Journ. As. Soc., Letters, Vol. XVII, pp. 117-35.
[2] In December 1950, when I happened to be in Calcutta, I was allowed to examine the original plates in the
Parishat’s office. My thanks are due to Mr. Gupta and the authorities of the Parishat for this help.
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