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The Indian Analyst
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North Indian Inscriptions |
GADAG INSCRIPTION OF BHILLAMA. 20 .1 . . . . . . . . . . dharmas=tad-vaṁśyair=anyaiś=cha
bhûmipâlaiḥ pâlanîyaḥ || Uktaṁ cha pâlanê ___________________________ No. 31.─ PARLA-KIMEDI PLATES OF THE TIME OF VAJRAHASTA. ......These plates were first brought to Dr. Hultzsch’s notice by Mr. G. V. Ramamurti of Parlâ-Kimeḍi, the chief town of the Parlâ-Kimeḍi Zamîndârî in the Gañjâm district of the Madras Presidency, and were afterwards sent to him for examination by the Collector of Gañjâm. They have now been presented to the Madras Museum by Sri Padmnabha Deo, brother of the Zamîndâr of Parlâ-Kimeḍi. I edit the inscription which they contain from excellent impressions, supplied to me by Dr. Hultzsch.
......These are three well preserved copper-plates, each of which measures 9” long by from
2¾” to 2⅞” broad. About 1 5/16” from the proper right margin, each plate has a round hole, about
11/16” in diameter. The ring which passes through these holes had not been cut when the plates
were received by Dr. Hultzsch. It is 3½” in diameter and ⅜” thick, and has its ends secured
in a slightly oval seal which measures about 1¼” by 1⅜” in diameter. This seal bears in relief
a bull couchant, facing the proper left, with the moon’s crescent above it, and placed on a plain
pedestal which is supported by a lotus flower. Between this flower and the pedestal is the
Nâgarî legend śrî-D[â*]raparaṇô.― Each of the three plates is inscribed on both sides, but
the writing which we now find on the first side of the first plate, and, with the exception of four
aksharas, all the writing on the second side of the third plate, are apparently later additions,
and the inscription proper which these plates contain begins therefore on the second side of the
first plate and ends at the top of the second side of the third plate. Of the writing within these
limits the average size of the letters is about ¼”. The characters, perhaps the most interesting feature of this inscription, present a curious mixture3 of the Nâgarî alphabet, as written in
Southern India, and of several southern alphabets, properly so called. Speaking generally, of
about 730 aksharas which the inscription contains, 320 are written in Nâgarî and 410 in southern
characters ; and the writer has not merely shown his familiarity with several kinds of writing,
but has also displayed some skill in the arrangement of the different characters. To show this,
it will suffice to draw attention to the manner in which he has written, e.g., the word parama-mâhêśvarô in l. 7, and the same word in l. 9 ; Gaṅgâmalakulatilakô in l. 8, and Gaṁgâmala-kulatilakaḥ in l. 9 ; sûtradhâra in l. 3, and the same word in l. 28 ; guṇa and gaṇa in lines 10
and 11 ; vahubhir in l. 25, and bahubhiś in lines 25-26 ; yasya yasya and tasya tasya in l. 26,
etc. As regards the southern alphabets put under contribution by him, the majority of the
characters used is found in the Chêra copper-plates of which a photo-lithograph is published in
the Indian Antiquary, Vol. V. p. 138 ; but some of the characters employed also are peculiar to
what Dr. Burnell has called the Western Châlukya alphabet of A.D. 608, the Eastern (Kalinga)
Châlukya alphabets, and even the Chôḷa-Grantha alphabet. It thus happens that, excepting
the letters r (in Erayamarâja in l. 13), ḷ (in Chôḷa in l. 10), l (in Śêluśêlâgaḍḍî in l. 18, and
loṁka in l. 20), and a few others which would not be expected to occur frequently, every letter ......1 At the commencement of this line, about twelve aksharas are almost entirely broken away.
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