North Indian Inscriptions

BUGUDA PLATES OF MADHAVAVARMAN.

......(V. 26.) “Endowed with buried treasures, deposits, water, stones, actual, outstandings, etc.,¹ undivided, up to (its) boundaries, unencumbered, beautiful (!),—

......(V. 27.) “For as long as the moon and the stars shall endure, with libations of water, accompanied by presents (dakshiṇâ), the powerful (king) gave this agrahâra to Brâhmaṇas.

......(V. 28.) “Let this agrahâra, which was given to Brâhmaṇas by king Dêvarâya [II.], prosper on earth as long as the moon and the stars shall endure !

......(Line 51.) “The Brâhmaṇas who received shares (vṛitti) of this (village), are specified (as follows) :—” (1.) Kṛishṇadêva’s son Śiṅgapârya (verse 29) ; (2. to 7.) Narahari, Nâgapa, Viṭṭhapa, Saṅkaṇârya, Narapa[ti] and Vallabha (v. 30), sons of (1.) Śiṅgapârya ; and (8.) Virûpâksha’s son Narahari (v. 31).

......(V. 32.) “Each of (these) eight Brâhmaṇas, who had thoroughly studied the Ṛik-śâkhâ and were descended from the race of the Bhâradvâjas, received for ever one share (vṛitti) of this (village).

......(V. 33.) “The eight shares of this agrahâra were (thus) settled. (Its) boundaries in the eastern and other directions are specified in the language of the country (i.e. in Tamil).”²

......In verse 34 the composer wishes a long reign to the donor, king Dêvarâya [II.]. Then follow four of the usual imprecatory verses, a five-fold repetition of the auspicious monosyllable śrî, and the name of the god Śrî-Virûpâksha in Kanarese characters.³

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.No. 6.─ BUGUDA PLATES OF MADHAVAVARMAN.

.BY F. KIELHORN, PH.D., C.I.E. ; GÖTTINGEN.

......The copper-plates which contain this inscription, were found in an earthen pot, buried in a field in the village of Buguḍa, in the Gumsûr tâlukâ of the Gañjâm district of the Madras presidency.⁴ On the 28th July 1890, they were sent to Dr. Hultzsch by Mr. E. C. Johnson, I.C.S., Collector of Gañjâm, and I now edit the inscription from the original plates and from excellent impressions, received from Dr. Hultzsch. The original plates will be deposited in the Government Central Museum, Madras.

......The inscription is on three plates, each of which measures about 6¾’’ broad by 3⅞’’ high, and the edges of which are fashioned slightly thicker than the rest, to protect the writing. The first plate is inscribed on one side only ; the two others are inscribed on both sides. The engraving is deep and well done. A careful examination shows that these plates originally bore another inscription, the letters of which probably were beaten in to make room for the inscription here edited ; but some letters of the older inscription may still be recognized, even in the ink-impression, especially on the second side of the second plate. The three plates are held together by a ring, which is about 3’’ in diameter, and on which is soldered a round seal, about 1⅜’’ in diameter. The seal apparently contains some writing and an emblem ; but both are too much worn to be made out with certainty. Before the plates came into Dr. Hultzsch’s hands, somebody had attempted to remove the ring, and, in doing so, he had rudely cut the plates
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......¹ See Ep. Ind. Vol. I. p. 402, note 41.
......² The promised specification of the boundaries is omitted in the document itself, as in an inscription of Harihara II. ; Colebrooke’s Miscellaneous Essays, Madras edition, Vol. II. p. 261.
......³ From No. 4, verse 42, it appears that the word Śrî-Virûpâksha was affixed to the charter by the king himself instead of his signature.
......⁴ See Dr. Hultzsch’s Progress Report to the Government of Madras for May to September 1890, p. 2, No. vi.