North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PARAMARAS OF MALWA

NAGPUR MUSEUM STONE INSCRIPTION OF NARAVRMAN

No. 34 ; PLATE XXXVI
KADAMBAPADRAKA GRANT OF NARAVARMAN
[Vikrama] Year 1167

...THIS inscription, which is incised on two rectangular copper-plates, was first brought to notice by the late R. D. Banerji, in his progress Report of the Archaeological Survey of India, Western Circle, for the year ending 1920-21, p. 54, and the same scholar edited it in the Epigraphia Indica, Volume XX (for 1929-30), pp. 105 ff., where he gave his own reading of the text, in Roman characters (pp. 106-07), with its English translation (pp. 107-08) and illustrations between pages 106-07. This article, which was published after Banerji’s demise, was revised by N. P. Chakravarti, then Assistant Superintendent for Epigraphy. But the inscription needs to be re-edited, particularly after the discovery of a new grant of Naravarman, which has been edited above ; and I edit it here from an excellent impression kindly placed at my disposal by the Chief Epigraphist, Government of India, Mysore.

... As stated above, it is a set of two copper-plates which are said to be thick and “belonging to Mr. J. J. Gardar of Nepean Sea Road, Bombay, who purchased them at some place in Central India.” Unfortunately their original find-spot is not known, Each plate measures 29. 5 cms. long by 20 cms. broad, and each has two roughly circular (or hexagonal) holes, cut in the lower border of the first and in the upper border of the second, showing that originally they must have been fastened together by means of rings which are now missing. The writing, which is inscribed on the inner side only, covers a space measuring 27.5 cms. long by 16.5 cms. broad on the first and 13 cms. broad on the second. In all there are twenty-nine lines of writing. the first plate containing seventeen lines and the second only twelve. The second plate has the sign-manual of the king, which is separated by about 1.5 cms. from the end of the main inscriptions. On the proper right side of this plate, as to be found on most of the other grants of the Paramāra house, is engraved, in a space measuring 7 cms. broad and 9 cms. high, the figure of Guruḍa, facing left and kneeling, with wings spread and holding a hooded snake in each of the hands, occupying a space which reduces the length of the last three lines of the inscription by about 7.5 cms. The weight of both the plates is stated to be 15 lbs. 7 oz., i.e., approximately 6.5 kgs.

... The characters are Nāgarī of the twelfth century A.C., closely resembling those employed in the preceding grants. The height of letters excluding the mātrās above, varies from .6 to . 10 cms. ; but those existing in the sign-manual and the last two lines of the record are slightly bigger.[4] The execution of letters is bold and the writing is in a fair state of preservation ;
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[1] That is, on the occasion of a solar eclipse.
[2] Originally देशो was engraved.
[3] This line is separated ‘by a narrow empty space’ from the main body of the inscription.
[4] In his article referred to above, Banerji mentions the average height of letters to be 5/8’’ , which is only of those employed in the sign-manual of the king.

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