North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE KALACHURIS OF RATANPUR

AMODA PLATES OF PRITHVIDEVA I : YEAR 831

TRANSLATION

(Verse 1) [Then was born the illustrious Pṛithvīdēva (I)], the ornamental jewel of the whole earth and the sun to the lotuses which are the minds of the wise. While the fire of his valour was blazing forth, (his) enemies together with (their) ministers, whose hearts were constantly oppressed by it, disappeared (from view) as if because their bodies were made of lac !

(V. 2) While he who is strong in political insight is protecting the earth, even wind does not take to the wrong path, who else (then would dare to do so)? As his thoughts are fixed on the path of piety, there is, indeed, no outbreak of even the slightest divine calamity.^¹

(Line 4) This Mahāmaṇḍalēśvara, who shines in the midst of all kings (by his excellences) such as birth in the Kalachuri family and fervent devotion to Mahēśvara, who is the lord of the entire Kōsala country and the sole ruler of twenty-one thousand (villages) (and) who has obtained the divine grace by a (special) boon of the god Vaṅkēśvara, having bathed and worshipped the chosen (deity) Yāgēśvara, has given as a grant by (pouring) water on the (donee’s) hand, after washing the lotus-like feet of the Brāhmaṇa and filling the hollow of his hand with water mixed with kuśa and sesamum, on the occasion of the Uttrāyaṇa-saṅkrānti, the village Asauṭhā in the Apara (maṇḍala) to the Brāhmaṇa Jōgūka, the son of Mahanē and grandson of Bhadrabhāṇala, who has emigrated from Śrāvastī, belongs to the Kauśika gōtra, has three pravaras, and is a student of the Chhandōga (i. e., Sāmavēda) for the increase of religious merit and fame of (his) mother and father and of himself.

(L. 10) Therefore this (Brāhmaṇa), his sons, sons' sons and others should enjoy, without any interruption, (this village) by this charter as long as the moon, the sun, the earth, rivers, wind and sky would endure.

(Verse 3) The self-controlled great hero Trivikrama, Vikramarāja who is marvellous in valour, and the pious-minded and brave Arjuna--these have, indeed, pledged (their) true word.

(V. 4) Then this (minister) named Vigraharāja, Gadādhara (and) the chief Brāhmaṇa Kēśava^² – these, having known the determined mind of the lord, duly pledged (their) true word.

(V. 5) The owner of the village Garbha, the bee on the lotus which is the poem of a good poet, wrote on the copper (plates) (this) composition in words, letters and sentences. That intelligent Hāsala, who is a repository of all mechanical arts, inscribed (it) in excellent lines of letters on this (set of plates).

(Line 17) (In) the year 821, (in the month) Māgha (and) the dark (fortnight), on the (lunar) day 8, on Sunday, - at Ratnapura.

No. 76 ; PLATE LXIV
AMODA PLATES OF PRITHVIDEVA I : (KALACHURI) YEAR 831

THESE copper-plates were found while digging for the foundation of a temple in May 1924 at Amōdā, a village 10 miles south-east of Jānjgir, the headquarters of a
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¹The divine calamities are of five kinds: fire, a flood, an epidemic, famine and death. See Kāmandaka's Nītisāra, ch. xxi, v. 20.
² The minister Vigraharāja is named in the next inscription also. Kēśava is himself the donee of the grant recorded in it. 26