North Indian Inscriptions

ADDITIONAL INSCRIPTIONS

The palæography of grant also supports this date; for as stated before, its characters resemble those of the early Gaṅga grants, and must, therefore, be referred the sixth century A.C. Besides, the wording of the formal portion of the present grant shows that in must be classed with such early grants as those of the Mahārājas of Khandesh, Subandhu of Māhishmati and the Traikūṭakass of Western Maharashtra.

As stated before, the epoch of 248-49 A.C. does not hold good in the present case. Supposing the year of the present grant to be Kārttikādi and expired as in most other early dates, the epoch of the era applicable in the present case would be 250-51 A.C. The solar eclipse in Chaitra when the grant was made must have occurred in the Kārttikādi Kalachuri year 321. The amāvāsya of the amānta Chaitra in the expired year 321 fell, according to the proposed epoch of 250-51 A.C., on the 19th March 573 A.C. On that day, there was a solar eclipse visible in India, and the Bārhaspatya saṁvatsara also was Āshāḍha as stated in the grant.^¹

The grant under discussion is unique in another respect also. It is the only grant dated in the Kalachuri era that has been found in Vidarbha. The earlier grants of the Vākāṭakas who ruled in Vidarbha are dated in regnal years, while the latter ones of the Rāshṭrakūṭas are recorded in the Śaka era. The present grant, which belongs to the intervening period, is dated in the Kalachuri era evidently because that era had spread to Vidarbha with the spread of the Kalachuri power. The unnamed suzerain of Svāmirāja was probably the Kalachuri Kṛishṇarāja (circa 550-575 A.C ). It is noteworthy that the silver coins this Kṛishṇarāja have been discovered at some places in Vidarbha, viʐ., at Dhāmōri in the Amaravati District and Paṭṭan in the Betul District.

The present grant is interesting in several other respects also It is one of the few copper-plate grants to which a Gaṇa (Corporation) is seen to have affixed its seal. The Corporation was of elephant-drivers (Mahāmātras).^² Its president was called Sthavira³ and the members of the Executive Committee, who seem to have numbered twelve, Pramukhas.⁴ The assembly of the Corporation was called Samūha.⁵ The Gaṇa had, among its leaders, one who was Pīlupati (Chief of the Elephant Corps) and another who was Hastivaidya (Physician of Elephants).^⁶ The Corporation had apparently no authority to make any grants of land; for, it had to request the ruling prince to make one on their behalf; but .it was allowed to affix its seal containing its own peculiar emblem of a goad.^⁷ This
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¹ Another early date to which this epoch appears is that of the Ellora plates of Dantidurga. I have shown elsewhere that the correct reading of the date of the grant is the year 463 and that it probably refers to the Kalachuri era. See J.B.B.R.A.S. (New series), Vol. XXVI, pp.163 ff. This date (Monday, the thirteenth tithi of the bright fortnight of Āśvina in the year 463) appears regular only according to the epoch 250-51 A.C. The Ellora plates of Dantidurga are, therefore, probably dated in the Kalachuri era. However, as the matter is not absolutely beyond, the record is not included in the present Volume.
² The Marathi word mābut, meaning an elephant-deriver, from mahāmātra (Prakrit, Mohāūita). According to Kullūka on MSM. (IX, 259), the mahāmātras were the of elephants.
³ Sthavira seems to be used in the same sense as Jēṭhaka, of which it is a synonym The latter term occurs in the Jātakas in the sense of ‘the head of a corporation’.
⁴ The Indor copper-plate inscription uses pravara in the sense of pramukha. C.I.I., Vol. III, p. 70.
⁵ For samūha meaning ‘the assembly of a gaṇa’, see Pribaspti-smṛiti ,XVII, 20.
⁶ It is noteworthy that Viśvarūpa, the oldest commentator of the Yājñavlkya-smṛiti, explains gaṇa as ‘a corporation of elephant-riders and others.’ Cf. vaṇik-samūho gaṇah, bastyārōb-ādi-samūha ity=anyē in Viśvarūpa’s commentary on Y.S., II, 196.
⁷ For another grant to which a corporation of mahāmātras has affixed its seal, see the Banaras plates of Hatirāja. P.T.A.I.O.C. (1943-44), pp. 590 ff. this seal also contains the emblem of a goad (not of a flag-staff as stated by the editor). In this case, the plates also were issued by the Corporation, though the grant was made with the consent of the reigning king and his chief queen