North Indian Inscriptions

DUDIA PLATES OF PRAVARASENA II.

gives the genealogy of Pravarasêna II., exactly as it is given in the two other inscriptions, only omitting some insignificant epithets. The following lines, up to the word kîrttayâmaḥ in line 25, in which the donor issue his orders regarding the grant to the officials of the Ârammi district, specifies the time-hallowed conditions under which the land, given by him, is granted, threatens with punishment those who might molest the donees, etc., agree with lines 21-35 of the Chammak grant, except that they contain some various readings, the most important of which will be pointed out below. Then follow, in line 25, an order apparently addressed to feudatories or subordinates, and a request to future rulers, to respect this donation, followed by an imprecatory verse. And the inscription ends with the date and the name of the writer, given above. The legend on the seal also is the same as in the other inscriptions, but worded less correctly.

......The date of this inscription does not admit of verification, and all I can say about it is, that in accordance with Dr. Fleet’s identification¹ of the Mahârâjâdhirâja Dêvagupta, who is mentioned in line 11 as the father of the mother of Pravarasêna II., this record would have to be assigned to about the beginning of the 8th century A.D. Compared with the dates of the Chammak and Siwanî gants, which cite the bright fortnights of the lunar months Jyaishṭha and Phâlguna, the present date is remarkable in being referred to the fourth fortnight of the rainy season, equivalent, in all probability, to the bright half of the month Bhâdrapada.

......The localities mentioned in this inscription I am unable to identify. Chandrapura may perhaps be the modern Chandpur, which lies to the south of Siwanî and to the west of the Wên-Gaṅgâ river ; but none of the maps at my disposal shews in its neighbourhood any of the other places referred to in this inscription.²

TEXT.³

First Plate.

1 Dṛishṭam [|*] Pravarapur[â]t⁴ agnishṭôm-[â*]ptôryyâm-ôkthya-shôḍaśy-atirâtra-⁵ vâjapêya-bṛihaspati-
2 sava-sâdyaskra-chaturaśvamêdha-yâjinaḥ ⁶Vishṇuvṛiddha-sagôtrasya samrâṭaḥ⁷ Vâkâṭakânâm=ma-
3 hârâja-śri-Pravarasênasya⁸ sûnôḥ sûnôḥ atyanta-Svâmi-Mahâbhairava-bhaktasya aṁsa-bhâra-sa-
4 nnivêśita-Śi[va]ling⁹-ôdvahana-Śiva-suparitushṭa-samutpâdita-râjavaṁśânâm=parâkk r a-
5 m-âdhigata-Bhâgi(gî)ratthy-amala-jala-mûrddhâbhishiktânân-daśâśvamêdh- â v a b h ṛ i – ta(tha)-snâtânâm=Bhâ-
6 raśivânâm=mahârâja-śri-Bhavanâga-dauhitrasya¹⁰ Gautamiputrasya putrasya Vâkâṭa-
7 kânâm=mah[â*]râja-śrî-Rudrasênasya sûnôḥ atyanta mâhêśvarasya saty-[â*]rjjava-kâruṇya-
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......¹ See Gupta Inscriptions, Introduction, p. 15.
......² [Hiraṇyapura might he the modern “Hirapur,” S. S. E. of Sâgar.─ E. H.]
......³ From impressions, supplied by Mr.Cousens and Dr. Hultzsch.
......⁴ Here and frequently below, the rules of saṁdhi have not been observed.
......⁵ Originally -atirôtra- was engraved, but it has been altered to atirâtra.
......⁶ The first aksḥara of this word is really more like chi in the original.
......⁷ Read samrâjaḥ, for samrâjô ; the Chammak plates have samrâḍ, the Siwanî plates sashraṭ.
......⁸ Read -śrî-, which may be the reading of the original.
......⁹ Of the akshara va, in brackets, either only a small portion was actually engraved, or the akshara has been almost completely offaced.
......¹⁰ Read śrî-.