South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

determining the value of a sign which may be taken to be either as the ā-mātrā of the preceding consonant or the ē-mātrā of the following letter. The subscript r often resembles the subscript v. The sign for v indicates b as well ; but the sign for b seems to be used in Ambarīsha in line 26 of Madanavarman’s grant. Subscript g in rgg looks like n. As regards orthography, it may be noticed that often the class nasal is used for anusvāra and vice versa. Some consonants have been redoubled in conjunction with r. The spelling of sakrānta (for saṅkrānta) and purassara respectively in lines 7 and 15 of Madanavarman’s grant is interesting.

1. Plates of Madanavarman, V. S. 1192

This is a set of two plates which are rather thick and heavy and have writing only on the inner side. Each of the plates measures about 17·6″ by 16″. For the protection of the writing, copper bands are fixed with copper rivets on the margins of the inscribed sides of the plates. There is a hole in both the plates apparently to hold them together by means of a ring. But the ring seems to be lost. The figure of seated Gajalakshmī is engraved in a space measuring 2·1″ by 1·7″ about the middle of the upper part of the inscription on the first plate, thereby disturbing the continuity of the writing in lines 1-3. This was the royal emblem, by which the Chandēllas used to authenticate their charters in lien of a regular seal. There are altogether 43 lines of writing, 22 on the first plate and 21 on the second. The two plates together weigh 600 tolas.

The charter was issued by the Chandēlla king Madanavarman on Tuesday, Chaitra-vadi 5, Vishuva-saṅkrāti, in V.S. 1192. The date corresponds to the 24th March 1136 A.D. if the month is regarded as Amānta.

The record begins with a variant of the symbol for siddham followed by the word svasti. Then follows the stanza generally used in Chandēlla grants to introduce the family of the Chandrātrēya (Chandēlla) kings. This is followed by a passage in prose which introduces the reigning monarch, Paramabhaṭṭāraka Mahārājādhirāja Paramēśvara Madanavarman who was a devout worshipper of the god Mahēśvara (Śiva) and the lord of Kālañjara. The king is described as the successor of Paramabhaṭṭāraka Mahārājādhirāja Paramēśvara Pṛithvīvarman who himself succeeded Paramabhaṭṭāraka Mahārājādhirāja Paramēśvara Kīrtivarman and as belonging to the family rendered famous by the birth of such heroes as Jayaśakti and Vijayaśakti. The above is followed in lines 4-7 by two stanzas eulogising king Madanavarman. The first of these, already known from the Semra plates^[1] of Paramardin, says how the creator endowed the king with a multitude of good qualities. The second verse says how king’s liberality put the mythical wish-fulfilling trees on the golden mountain (Sumēru) to shame.

The grant portion begins in line 7 and records the king’s order addressed to the Brāhmaṇas and other people including officials, agriculturists, scribes, messengers, physicians, mahattaras (heads of villages), Mēdas and Chaṇḍālas, assembled at Valahauḍā-grāma in the vishaya or district of Mahisiṇēha. The order was in respect of the grant of 2¼ padas out of 8 padas of cultivated land in the said village, which was made by the king on the date discussed above from his camp at Parēyī-grāma. The donee was the Brāhmaṇa, Paṇḍita Sōmēśarman, who belonged to the Kautsa gōtra and the Āṅgirasa, Āmbarīsha and Yauvanāśva pravaras. He was the son of Ṭhakkura śrī-Śrīpāla, grandson of Dvivēda Sahāraṇa and great-grandson of Avasathin (probably meaning ‘the teacher of a school’) Dēvaḍha. His family hailed from the Bhaṭṭ-āgrahāra of Pāṭaliputra. Whether the gift land was made a rent-free holding is not clearly stated in the inscription.

The record of the above grant is followed by that of others made n favour of two other Brāhmaṇas,^[2] the first of whom was Dīkshita Nārāyaṇaśarman who belonged to the Gautama gōtra

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^[1] Above, Vol. IV, p. 157.
^[2]They received the grants in the same village in exchange for other lands in their possession apparently for the saka of convenience.