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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA No. 37─ ARASAVALLI PLATES OF VAJRAHASTA (III), SAKA 982 ( 2 Plates ) G. S. GAI, OOTACAMUND At the end of August 1957, the office of the Government Epigraphist for India, Ootacamund, acquired these plates from Shri Manda Narasimham of Śrīkākaḷam. Dr. B. Ch. Chhabra, Government Epigraphist for India, kindly entrusted the plates to me for studying and editing in the pages of this journal. The plates were discovered by a farmer while digging in a field in front of his house at Arasavalli in the Srikakulam Taluk, Visakhapatnam, District. They were purchased by Shri Bhanumurti Pantulu, a teacher at Śrīkākuḷam. Shri Manda Narasimham, who obtained them from the letter, has published them in the Telugu journal Bhārati, May 1954, pp. 449 ff.[1] This is a set of five copper-plates, each measuring about 8.5 inches by 3 inches. On the left side of each plate is a hole, about one inch in diameter, through which passes a circular ring about 3.75 inches in diameter. To this ring is attached a seal which is circular in shape and which measures about 2 inches in diameter. In the centre of the seal is the seated figure of a bull together with the other usual emblems found in the seals of the grants of Vajrahasta III. The first plate is inscribed on one side while the remaining four plates bear writing on both sides. The state of preservation of the writing is not satisfactory, specially on the fourth and fifth plates which cover the grant portion. The plates weigh 160 tolas while the ring with the seal weighs 58 tolas.
The characters belong to the variety called eastern Nāgarī and resemble those found in the other charters of Vajrahasta (III).[2] In respect of orthography, it may be observed that ñ is written with the upper part of the symbol separated, cf. lines 6, 11 and 15. N is represented by two forms ; cf. lines 1, 4 and 7 for one type and lines 69, 70 and 71 for the other. It is difficult to distinguish between p and y. The symbol for v denotes b as well. In most cases, the consonant following r is reduplicated. The language of the record is Sanskrit and the text is written in prose and verse. The inscription belongs to the reign of the Eastern Gaṅga king Vajrahasta (III, 1038-70 A.D.), the son of Kāmārṇava and Vinayamahādēvī. It contains the praśasti beginning with śrīmatām= akshila-bhuvana, etc., introduced by this king. The text of the inscription upto line 39, comprising the introductory portion, is identical with that found in the other records of the king.[3] It may be pointed out that while the Nadagam, Narasapatam, Peddabammidi, Chicacole and the present plates introduce the ruling king as śrīmad-Vajrahastadēvaḥ, the Madras Museum, Ganjam, Chikkalavalasa and the Boddapāḍu plates refer to him as śrīmad-Anantavarmmā Vajrahastadēvaḥ. The present inscription does not supply any new historical information. _________________________________________
[1]The same scholar has again noticed them in English in JAHRS, Vol. XXI, pp. 113 ff.
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