South Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE MAIN BRANCH

Divakarasena ;- having announced (her) good health, commands the householders of the village, Brāhmaṇas and others, (residing) in the village of Daṅguṇa, (situated) in the āhāra of Supratishṭha, to the east of Vilavaṇaka, to the south of Śīrshagrāma, to the west of Kadāpiñjana and to the north of Sidivivaraka, as follows:-

...“Be it known to you that on the twelfth (lunar day) of the bright (fortnight) of Kārttika, We have, for augmenting our own religious merit, donated this village, with the pouring out of water, to the Āchārya Chanālasvāmin, who is a devotee of the Bhagavat, as a gift not previously made, after having offered it to the foot-prints of the Bhagavat. Wherefore, you should obey all (his ) commands, with proper respect.

..(L. 16) And We confer here on (him) the following exemptions incidental to an agrahāra granted to the Chāturvidya (Brāhmaṇas), as approved by former kings:- (This village is ) not to be entered by soldiers and policemen¹; (it is ) exempt from ( the obligation to provide) grass, hides as seats, and charcoal² (to touring royal officers ); exempt from (the royal prerogative of ) purchasing fermenting liquors³ and digging (salt ); exempt from ( the right to ) mines and khadira trees⁴ ; exempt from (the obligation to supply) flowers and milk; (it is donated ) together with (the right to ) hidden treasures and deposits (and ) together with major and minor taxes⁵.

...(L. 18) Wherefore, this (grant) should be maintained and augmented by future kings. Whoever, disregarding Our order, will (himself) cause or make (others) cause the slightest obstruction, upon him, when complained against by the Brāhmaṇas, We will inflict punishment together with a fine.

And there is, on this point, (the following) verse sung by Vyāsa :-
(Here occurs an imprecatory verse. )

... (L. 22) This charter⁶ has been written in the thirteenth (regnal) year. (It has been) engraved by Chakradāsa.

SEAL

...(This is) the enemy-chastising command of the Mother of the Yuvarāja, the ornament of the Vākāṭakas, who has attained royal fortune by inheritance.
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¹ Bhaṭas are soldiers and chhātras (lit. umbrella-bearers), who correspond to the chāṭas of other records (cf. No. 19, line 37), are policemen. They were forbidden to enter the donated villages except for apprehending thieves and persons accused of high treason. Cf. No. 19, lines 37-38.
² Fleet translated, ‘It does not carry with it (the right to) pasturage, hides and charcoal’. He thought that this and other similar expressions reserved certain rights to the villagers against the grantees. See C.I.I., Vol. III, p. 242, n. 1. This does not appear to be correct. The expression evidently exempts the donee from the duty of feeding and lodging royal officers during their stay in the village. Later grants mention a tax called vasati-daṇḍa, which was levied for the purpose. See Ep. Ind., Vol. XXV, p. 225 and n. Cf. a-taṇa-kaṭṭha-gahaṇaṁ in the Hirahadagalli plates. Ibid., Vol. I, pp. 5 f.
³ Kiṇva is a drug or seed used to cause fermentation in the manufacture of spirits. See MSM., ch. VIII, 326. Later grants mention that the right to mahua trees from which liquor was manufactured was transferred to the donee. C.I.I., Vol. IV, p. 343.
⁴ Pathak and Dikshit, who read a-paśu-mēdhyaḥ. in line 17, translated, ‘not to have an animal sacrifice’. but the reading of the text is clearly a-khani-mēdhya. Mēdhya has therefore to be taken in the sense of ‘Khadira trees.’
⁵ Kauṭilya Arthaśāstra (p. 60) gives kḷipta in the sense of ‘fixed assessment’. Kḷipta and upakḷipta correspond to bhāga and bhōga, which occur in the grants of Bharatabala and the kings of Sarabhapura. Kḷipta probably means ‘land-tax’, and upkḷipta miscellaneous taxes in cash or kind.
⁶ Fleet translated ripuśāsanam by ‘a charter for (the observance of even ) his enemies’. Pathak and Dikshit translated as above.