South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

19 yam=asmābhiḥ Vatsa-Haripāla-Vrā(Brā)hmaṇāya(bhyāṁ) śāsanīkṛitya pradatta iti | adya- prabhṛiti yat=kiṁonid=bhāga-bhōg-ādikam=utpadyatē tat-sarvva-
20 m=ā-chaṁdr-ārkam=āmūbhyāṁ dātavyaṁ(vyam) | na ch=ātr=āsmad-anvaya-saṁbhūtair= anyair=vā vā(bā)dhā na^[1] kartavyā | yataḥ Smṛitikārair=apy=uktaṁ(ktam) | Va(Ba)hubhir= vvasudhā [bhu]-
21 ktā rājabhiḥ Sagar-ādibhiḥ | yasya yasya yadā bhūmis=tasya tasya tadā phalaṁ(lam) || [17 || *] Bhūmiṁ yaḥ pratigṛihṇāti yaś=cha bhūmiṁ prayachchhati | u-
22 bhau tau puṇya-karmāṇau niyataṁ svarg[g]a-gāminau || [18 || *] Sva-dattāṁ para-dattāṁ vā yō harēta vasuṁdharāṁ(rām) | sa vishṭhāyāṁ kṛimir=[bhū]tvā pitṛibhiḥ saha
23 majjati |[| 19 || *] Saṁ(Śaṁ)khō bhadr-āsanaṁ chchha(chha)traṁ var-āsvā(śvā) vara-vāraṇāh | bhūmi-dānasya pu[ṇ]yāṇi(ni) phalaṁ svarg[g]aḥ Puraṁdara || [20 ||*] Sūri-śrī-Hari-pautrēṇa śrī-Dharma-ka-
24 vi-sūnunā | Vishṇunā sajjan-ānaṁda-kāriṇ=ākāri śāsanaṁ(nam) |[| 21||*] Māthur-ānvaya- Kāyastha-vaṁdya-Vishṇu-sutēna cha | Vāghadēv-ābh[i]dhānēna vi-
25 dush=ālēkhi śāsanam || [22 ||*]

B. Plate of Naravarman, V. S. 1304

This is also a single plate having nineteen lines of writing only on one side of it. The corners of the plate are rounded off. It measures about 11·55 inches in length and 7·55 inches in height. There is a small hole about the middle of the first line of writing. In all these respects, the plate resembles the other Kurēthā plate discussed above, although it is smaller in size.

The characters belong to the ordinary type of Nāgarī as prevalent in the thirteenth century. In respect of language, style and orthography, the inscription closely resembles the grant of Malayavarman edited above. The date of the record as quoted in lines 13-14 is : V.S. 1304, Chaitra-śudi 1, Wednesday. It corresponds to March 11, 1248 A.D.

The inscription begins with the Siddham symbol. Then comes the word svasti followed by a salutation to the god Vāsudēva (Vishṇu). Verse one is in praise of the god Hari (Vishṇu). Verse 2, which is in adoration to Dharma, is the same as the first stanza of Malayavarman’s plate edited above. Verse 3 states that a king named Vigraharāja, who was the son of Pratāpa (Pratāpasiṁha of Malayavarman’s plate), was born in the Pratīhāra family. The following stanza (verse 4) refers to Vigraharāja’s military achievements in vague terns. It is interesting to note that this verse was plagiarized by the Paṇḍita claiming the composition of the document (cf. lines 18-19 of the inscription) either from the original poem entitled Kapphaṇābhyudaya or Kapphinº (I, 24) by the Kashmirian poet Śivasvāmin who flourished during the reign of king Avantivarman (circa 856-83 A.D.) or from its quotation in the Kāvyaprakāśa (ch. iv, verse 54) composed about 1100 A.D. Verse 5 introduces king Malayavarman, son of Vigraharāja, while the next stanza (verse 6) states that, when that ‘ moon of Gōpādri ’ (i.e. Malayavarman) died, his younger brother Nṛivarman (Naravarman) ascended the throne. Verse 8 describes the donee’s family. It is stated that there was a Brāhmaṇa named Garga who belonged to the Gauḍa community and was a vyavahāra-kartṛi (possibly a judge or an author of a work on vyavahāra or legal procedure). Garga’s son was Rājadēva. The following stanza (verse 9) says that a charter relating to the gift of a village was granted by king Nṛivarman (Naravarman) in favour of Vatsa who was a son of the said Rājadēva.

________________________________________________

^[1] The word na has been used twice apparently because the author reckoned two sentences in the section in question.