North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE KALACHURIS OF RATANPUR

BILAIGARH PLATES OF PRATAPAMALLA : YEAR 969

(V. 11) From him was born the king Jagaddēva, who possessed the prowess of a tiger and who destroyed the itch of fighting of all powerful kings.

(V. 12) His son was the illustrious king Ratnarāja (III), of wonderful fame, who was an excellent ornament of all Kalachuri kings; who filled the universe with the mass of his fame resembling a heap of blooming jasmine flowers; who destroyed all the hosts of hostile kings by the play of his massive arms, which were the masters of the orb of the earth to the (extreme) boundaries .

(V. 13) Then was born his son the illustrious king Pratāpa, who has cleansed the circle of regions with the rolling waves of the ocean of (his) fame; who has surpassed the god of love by his (lovely) form; who is the sage (Agastya) in drying up the ocean of (hostile) kings; who is the crest-jewel of kings and at all times the philosopher's stone to poor people, panegyrists, Brāhmaṇas and multitudes of meritorious persons.

(V. 14) Pratapamalla, (who is) of great intellect, the lord of the earth (and) the pre-eminent warrior of the world, who, though a boy, is a second Bali in strength, has made, by his arms, this wide earth (look) small.

(V. 15) There was a Brāhmaṇa named Suvarṇakara in the Pārāśara gōtra with the three pravaras, Vasisṭha, Śakti and Pārāśara.

(V. 16) He begot Divākara, who was like the sun in this world and who, knowing the essence of the Vēdas, dispelled the darkness of ignorance on the earth.

(V. 17) From him was born a meritorious (son), who became well-known by the name of Sādhāra, who was (reckoned as) the (most) meritorious among assemblages of meritorious persons (and as) beneficent among those who made gifts out of compassion for suppliants (and) who in form appeared like the mind-born (god of love) to the minds of ladies.

(V. 18) There is his son named Satyasādhāra, the foremost among all people, who is famed for religious merit, who, has caused the purification of the people, whose intellect is proficient in Nyāya and who, being possessed of the whole multitude of merits has become venerable to the Kalachuri family.

(V. 19) To him Pratāpamalla gave, with a solemn declaration on the Makarasaṅkrānti, a village (named) Kāyaṭhā (situated) in the Anargha-maṇḍala.

(Here follow nine benedictive and imprecatory verses.)

(V. 20) This ocean of learning named Pratirāja of the Gauḍa family, the light (i. e., Chief) of Śrī-karaṇa (Record Office), who entertains pure thoughts and is famous among all people, has written on (these) copper (plates) with clear letters.

(Line 35) At the victorious camp pitched at Palasadā, on Tuesday, the tenth (lunar) day of the bright (fortnight) of Māgha in the year 965.

seal
The King, the illustrious Pratapamalladeva.

No. 102; PLATE LXXXIV
BILAIGARH PLATES OF PRATAPAMALLA : (KALACHURI) YEAR 969

THESE plates were discovered by a farmer named Ramnath some time in 1939 while he was cultivating a field at the village Pawni, 3 miles north by west from Bilaigarh, the chief town of the former Bilaigarh Zamindarī in the Raipur District. They were sent