North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PARAMARAS OF MALWA

With the customary imprecatory verses which are the same as to be found in the other grants of the king, and with the usual expressions maṁgalaṁ mahā-śrīḥ, the record comes to a close.

...Of the geographical names found in the inscription, Ujjayani (1. 9) [1] is the well-known city of Ujjain ; it is mentioned here as a vishaya, a smaller territorial unit which was included in the maṇḍala of Avantī (1. 9), which was a larger administrative division. It is interesting to note here the relative significance of both these terms. Pūrva-pathaka (1. 9) [2] is possibly used to denote a sub-division of the vishaya, and was situated in the east, in contrast with the expression ‘paśchima-pathaka’, used in the Dharampurī grant of Vākpati, issued in V.S. 1031, [3] Maddhuka (1.9) which is stated here to be a still smaller division(bhuki), cannot be identified ; but Dikshit’s suggestion ‘that it may perhaps be identified with Mahū or Mhow, the well-known cantonment near Indore,’ appears to be unacceptable, for, besides his own statement that it would be about 40 miles, i.e., 64 kms. from Narwal, the place is to its south-west and straight to the south of Ujjain,’ and not to its east, as indicated in the inscription. The gift-village Kaḍahichchhaka (1.9) has rightly been identified with Karcha or Kaḍacha, almost 5 kms. to the north of Narwal and almost equi-distant to the north-west of Gaonri. [4] Abhrasarīt (1. 12), where the king took his bath before making the gift, cannot be indentified ; it appears, however, to be possible that abhra is wrongly engraved for ambhaḥ, meaning water, and the name of the river was omitted through inadvertence, as stated above.

... TEXT [5]
[Metres: Verses 1 and 2 Śārdūlavikrīḍita; vv. 3 and 8 Vasantatilakā ; vv. 4 and 5 Anushṭubh ; v.6 Indravajrā ; v. śālinī ; v. 9 Pushpitāgrā].

First Plate

[1] The spelling of this word is interesting ; the same spelling appears in some other grants of the Paramāra kings. Cf. Bhōja’s Ujjain grant of V.S. 1076 (11. 6-7). Moreover, the name Avantī denoting West Mālwā reminds us of the earlier times (Ākar-āvantī).
[2] But in 1. 11 below the name is spelt as Pūrṇṇa- which I propose to identity with the modern village of Punāsā, situated about 35 kms. east of Māndhātā on the Narmadā. This suggestion is confirmed by Tale No. 8 of the S.M.K., which states that Pūṇṇapathaka-pattana came on the way of a traveler from Vidishā to Mānyakheṭa (p. 62). In view of this, it seems that the donation was made actually at this place.
[3] No. 4, 1. 14.

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[4] Op. cit., p. 102, I find a village madhupurā, lying about 12kms. south of Gaonrī ; the name suggests its identification with Maddhuka, but we have no evidence in support of it.
[5] Dikshit, op. cit., p. 102. While publishing the text read by Dikshit, the editor of the Ep. Ind. remarks that the reading appears to be Kaḍahisthaka (p. 112, n. I). But in view of the fact that the third letter in the name of the village is chchha, Dikshit’s reading is justified. In this connection attention is also drawn to the exactly similar forms of the subscripts chh and th, the former of which appears in 1. 4 and the latter in 1. 11. Also see n . 11 in the text below.
[6] From the facsimile between pp. 112-13 in Ep. Ind., Vol. XXIII.
[7] Expressed by a symbol.
[8] The sign of anusvāra has some decoration around.
[9] The vertical for medial ā is turned up with a fine bend.
[10] In both these titles probably some other letters were first engraved and subsequently changed.
[11] The fourth akshara of this name may also be read as स्थ as remarked by the editor of Ep. Ind. The subscript छ् and ष् are throughout alike ; see यच्छेषाहि 1. 4 and यच्छ 1. 11.

..............CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM
VOL.VII ................................................................PLATE VII
GAONRI COPPER-PLATE GRANT OF VAKAPATIRAJA: (VIKRAMA) YEAR 1043

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