North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PARAMARAS OF MALWA

No. 57 ; PLATES LVI-LVII
MANDHATA COPPER-PLATE INSCRIPTION OF JAYAVARMAN (II)
[Vikrama ] Year 1317

...THIS inscription is engraved on two copper-plates which are said to have been found by the late Shri Lele, some time in 1904, and were first mentioned by him in Report on the Progress of Archaeological work in the Dhār State, dated 24th August, 1904. The inscription was also brought to notice by the same scholar in some local papers, along with the one dealt with above (No. 51) and which too, as already stated, was discovered almost about the same time. The inscription was subsequently edited by F. Kielhorn, from impress- ions sent to him by the then Government Epigraphist, in the Epigraphia Indica, Volume IX, p. 117 ff. Kielhorn published his transcript in Roman characters, and his article is not accompanied by a facsimile. In the meantime, the plates were acquired by the Central Museum, Nagpur, where they are now preserved. The subjoined transcript has been prepared by me from a set of impressions, which, at my request, was sent to me by the Curator of the Museum, and finally revised from the original plates placed kindly at my disposal by him.

... As stated above, the copper-plates are two in number and were found at the village of Gōḍarpur, [8] opposite the island of Māndhātā, on the southern bank of the Narmadā in the East Nēmāḍ District of Madhya Pradesh, formerly belonging to the old Central Provinces. The plates, are stated to measure about 43.5 cms. broad by 27.3 cms. high, [9] and their total weight is 8.57 kg. Each of the plates shows two holes of the diameter of about 2.5 cms., pierced in the lower margin of the first and in the upper margin of the second, showing that they were originally held together by two rings which are now not forthcoming. The first plate is inscribed only on the inner side, whereas the second on both the sides. The
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[1] This letter stands for Paṁḍita. It is noteworthy that this is used with the name of Kāyastha, who was also a trader.
[2] Should we read maṇḍapikādāyāt, i.e., from the house where the articles brought for sale were taxed ?
[3] This word is used without any case-suffix. The last five letters in the line have to be restored as tad=ādāyānudinaṁ.
[4] The first two aksharas in the line appear to have been पाल.
[5] The sign of visarga appears to have been later on inserted. Maṇivāya is rather an uncommon word and may denote a ‘jeweller who prepares strings of precious beads’, on the analogy of tantuvāya from tantu. It appears that they are shown by the number 4, without giving their names.
[ 6] It is not known whether Rāütā of Mahirāütā was the name.
[7] Probably छ, denoting the end of the record.
[8] Lying in Long. 76o 9’ E. and Lat. 22o 15’ N. on the south bank of the Narmadā. The inscription is known after the famous place Māndhātā which is close by.
[9] This is according to Kielhorn. To be more exact, in my personal examination of the plates, I found that the breadth of the lower side of the first and the second plates is respectively 27 and 27.5 cms., and in height, their sides at the top and the bottom also show slight variations, possibly so intended for fitting in one of them into the other. The plates are massive, with their middle slightly concave.

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