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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA found is popularly known as “ Grâman Kaḍavu.” The plates were made over by the discoverer to the Raja of Nilambûr, Mr. Tachcharakkâvil Mânavikraman Tirumalpâḍ, who very kindly presented them to us for publication. The plates are three in number ; the first and last of them are engraved on one side only. The average length and breadth of the plates are 7⅞″ and 2⅝″ respectively ; and each plate is about 1/32″ thick. The edges of the plates are neither thickened nor raised into rims. The weight of these three plates is nearly 10⅝ oz., including the ring, which alone weighs 1⅜ oz. The oval ring is about 3/16″ thick, with 2½″ and 1¾″ for diameters. When the plates were discovered by the Kurumban, the ring bore a seal with distinct writing on it. He broke it open in the hope of finding gold encased in it, but threw it away in disgust when finding none. Thus the seal has been lost. Though the letter are cut deeply and very distinctly, they do not shoe through on the back of the plates. The water of the stream, in which the plates had lain apparently for a long time, has corroded them on the margin and caused the loss of several inscribed portions, which are now broken away. The characters are similar to those of the Kûḍgere plates of Vijaya-Śiva-Mândhâtṛivarman (above, Vol. VI. p. 12), of the plates of Vijaya-Śiva-Mṛigêśavarman (Ind. Ant. Vol. VII. p. 37), and also to those of the Halsî plates belonging to the reigns of Ravivarman and Harivarman (Ind. Ant. Vol. VI. pp. 25-32). On the first side of the second plate, between lines 7 and 8, there is an addition in somewhat more modern characters, which reads : paśchimataś=cha Na[nda]ra[sa]. Probably this clause was added at a later period, when the existing specification was found insufficient for describing the spot ; compare the pa, ma, na of this addition with the corresponding letters in the body of the inscription. As regards individual letters in the record itself, attention may be drawn to the Draviḍian r and l. The former occurs once, in the word Kirupâsâṇi (l. 6), and the latter twice, in the words Multagi (l. 7) and Malkâvu (l. 8). As noticed by Prof. Kielhorn (above, Vol. VI. p. 13), the subscript t of the conjuncts kta, tta occurring in the words uktañ=cha (l. 14) and Kârttika (l. 6) has the common curvilinear form, whereas in nta and stya of the words ºkulâbhyantaraº and svasty=astu (ll. 11 and 16 respectively) it is represented by a looped sign. The language of the record, excepting one benedictory verse in l. 14 f., is Sanskṛit prose.
The inscription belongs to the fifth year of the reign of the Dharmamahârâja Ravivarman of the Kadamba family. While at Vaijayantî (i.e. Banavâsi), the king made a grant, on the full-moon tithi of the month of Kârttika, of two hamlets (pallî) named Multagi and Malkâvu to a Brâhmaṇa named Gôvindasvâmin of the Kâśyapa gôtra, who had mastered the Yajurvêda. The two hamlets were situated on the east of the village named Kirupâsâṇi in the Mogalûr district (vishaya). As regards places mentioned in the inscription, it may be noticed that Multagi is represented in the Merkara plates of Koṅgaṇi-mahâdhirâja[1] as forming the eastern boundary of the village Badaṇeguppe, granted to the Śrî-vijaya-Jinâlaya of Talavananagara. Talavananagara is the modern Talakâḍ on the Kâvêrî, and Badaṇeguppe is 5 or 6 miles south of Talakâḍ on the other side of the river. Mogalûr is perhaps identical with either Mugûr or Muḷḷûr, also near Talakâḍ. TEXT.[2] First Plate.
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[1] See Mr. Rice’s Mysore Inscriptions, p. 233.
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