Early Inscriptions of Āndhradeśa

Metadata

Support: Four copper plates found with a ring and a defaced seal; furnished with original plate numbering inscribed vertically in the left margin; h. 5.5 × w. 14.5 × d. 0.1 cm.
Text: Middle Indo-Aryan, Southern Brāhmī script. Sanskrit language, Southern Brāhmī script. 19 lines inscribed over 6 faces of 4 plates.
Date: Thirteenth regnal year of king Devavarman of the Śālaṅkāyana dynasty, i.e. approximately in the first half of the 4th century.
Origin: In view of the contents, the plates are likely to originate from the vicinity of modern Ellore in Krishna district.
Provenance: Hultzsch quoted V. Venkayya “who had received the original plates from the Collector of the Kistna district” ( Hultzsch 1907-08: 56 ): “The plates belong to the Head Assistant Collector of Narsapur, in whose office they have been lying for a long time. The person from whom they were originally obtained is not known” ( Hultzsch 1907-08: 57 ). Catalogued as part of the museum collections at what was then called Madras ( Srinivasa Ayyangar 1918: 36 ). Identified on 8th August 2017 at the Chennai Government Museum, where it is marked as Sala-1.
Editors: Emmanuel Francis and Arlo Griffiths.
Publication history: First described and edited by Hultzsch 1907-08 . Re-edited here from Hultzsch’s facsimiles.

1b (dextrorotatory-spiral) (1) sirīvijayaveṅgīpurā ◊ bhagavato (2) ◯ cittarathasāmipādānu(3)jjhātassa ◊ bappabhaṭṭārakapādabhattassa 2a 2 (4) paramamāhessarassa ◊ sālaṅkāyanassa (5) ◯ °assamedhayājino (6) mahārājasirīvijayadevavammassa 2b 3 (7) vayaṇena ◊ °elūre mududapamu[kho] (8) ◯ gāmo bhāṇitavvo ◊ °etassa (9) babhurasagottassa ◊ gaṇasammassa 3a 4 (10) sundarapadesamhi ◊ bhūminiyattaṇān[i] (11) ◯ vīsaṁ 20 gharaṭṭhānaṁ ◊ °addhiyamanussāṇaṁ (12) duvaggāṇa ya gharaṭṭhānaṁ ◊ parihārarakkhaṇaṁ 3b 5 (13) samāṇattaṁ ◊ °evaṁ savvaparihārehi parihari(14) ◯tavvo ya ◊ vijayasaṁvvaccharāṇi (15) terasa 10 3 ◊ pauṣakālapakkhadasamī[ya]

IAnuṣṭubh

a 4a 6 (16) ṣaṣṭiṁ varṣasahasrāṇi ◊ b svargge krīḍati bhūmidaḥ

c (17) ◯ °ācchettā cānumantā ca ◊ d tāny eva narak[e] vaset·

IIAnuṣṭubh

a (18) bahubhir vasudhā dattā ◊ b bahubhiś cānupālitā

c (19) yasya yasya yadā bhūmiḥ d tasya tasya tadā phala[m·]

plate 1b (dextrorotatory-spiral)
(1) sirīvijayaveṅgīpurā ◊ bhagavato
(2) ◯ cittarathasāmipādānu-
(3)jjhātassa ◊ bappabhaṭṭārakapādabhattassa plate 2a 2
(4) paramamāhessarassa ◊ sālaṅkāyanassa
(5) ◯ °assamedhayājino
(6) mahārājasirīvijayadevavammassa plate 2b 3
(7) vayaṇena ◊ °elūre mududapamu[kho]
(8) ◯ gāmo bhāṇitavvo ◊ °etassa
(9) babhurasagottassa ◊ gaṇasammassa plate 3a 4
(10) sundarapadesamhi ◊ bhūminiyattaṇān[i]
(11) ◯ vīsaṁ 20 gharaṭṭhānaṁ ◊ °addhiyamanussāṇaṁ
(12) duvaggāṇa ya gharaṭṭhānaṁ ◊ parihārarakkhaṇaṁ plate 3b 5
(13) samāṇattaṁ ◊ °evaṁ savvaparihārehi parihari-
(14) ◯tavvo ya ◊ vijayasaṁvvaccharāṇi
(15) terasa 10 3 ◊ pauṣakālapakkhadasamī[ya] plate 4a 6
(16) ṣaṣṭiṁ varṣasahasrāṇi ◊ svargge krīḍati bhūmidaḥ
(17) ◯ °ācchettā cānumantā ca ◊ tāny eva narak[e] vaset·
(18) bahubhir vasudhā dattā ◊ bahubhiś cānupālitā
(19) yasya yasya yadā bhūmiḥ tasya tasya tadā phala[m·]

<ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xml:lang="pra-Latn">
					          <pb type="plate" n="1b"/>
					          <fw type="pageNum" place="marginleft">
                  <g type="dextrorotatory-spiral"/>
               </fw>
					          <lb n="1"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5500">sirīvijayaveṅgīpurā</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5501">bhagavato</w>
					          <lb n="2"/>
					          <space type="binding-hole"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5502">cittarathasāmipādānu<lb n="3" break="no"/>jjhātassa</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5503">bappabhaṭṭārakapādabhattassa</w>
					          <pb type="plate" n="2a"/>
					          <fw type="pageNum" place="marginleft">
                  <num value="2">2</num>
               </fw>
					          <lb n="4"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5504">paramamāhessarassa</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5505">sālaṅkāyanassa</w>
					          <lb n="5"/>
					          <space type="binding-hole"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5506">°assamedhayājino</w>
					          <lb n="6"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5507">mahārājasirīvijayadevavammassa</w>
					          <pb type="plate" n="2b"/>
					          <fw type="pageNum" place="marginleft">
                  <num value="3">3</num>
               </fw>
					          <lb n="7"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5508">vayaṇena</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5509">°elūre</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok5510">mududapamu<unclear>kho</unclear>
               </w>
					          <lb n="8"/>
					          <space type="binding-hole"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5511">gāmo</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok5512">bhāṇitavvo</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5513">°etassa</w>
					          <lb n="9"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5514">babhurasagottassa</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5515">gaṇasammassa</w>
					          <pb type="plate" n="3a"/>
					          <fw type="pageNum" place="marginleft">
                  <num value="4">4</num>
               </fw>
					          <lb n="10"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5516">sundarapadesamhi</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5517">bhūminiyattaṇān<unclear>i</unclear>
               </w>
					          <lb n="11"/>
					          <space type="binding-hole"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5518">vīsaṁ</w>
					          <num xml:id="tok5519" value="20">20</num>
					          <w xml:id="tok5520">gharaṭṭhānaṁ</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5521">°addhiyamanussāṇaṁ</w>
					          <lb n="12"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5522">duvaggāṇa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok5523">ya</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok5524">gharaṭṭhānaṁ</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5525">parihārarakkhaṇaṁ</w>
					          <pb type="plate" n="3b"/>
					          <fw type="pageNum" place="marginleft">
                  <num value="5">5</num>
               </fw>
					          <lb n="13"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5526">samāṇattaṁ</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5527">°evaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok5528">savvaparihārehi</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok5529">parihari<lb n="14" break="no"/>
                  <space type="binding-hole"/>tavvo</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok5530">ya</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5531">vijayasaṁvvaccharāṇi</w>
					          <lb n="15"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5531bis">terasa</w>
					          <num xml:id="tok5532" value="10">10</num>
					          <num xml:id="tok5533" value="3">3</num>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok5534">pauṣakālapakkhadasamī<unclear>ya</unclear>
               </w>
				        </ab>

<lg xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xml:id="seq3027" met="Anuṣṭubh" n="I" xml:lang="san-Latn">
					          <l xml:id="seq2524" n="a">
						            <pb type="plate" n="4a"/>
						            <fw type="pageNum" place="marginleft">
                     <num value="6">6</num>
                  </fw>
						            <lb n="16"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok5535">ṣaṣṭiṁ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5536">varṣasahasrāṇi</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          </l>
					          <l xml:id="seq2525" n="b">
						            <w xml:id="tok5537">svargge</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5538">krīḍati</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5539">bhūmidaḥ</w>
					          </l>
					          <l xml:id="seq2526" n="c">
						            <lb n="17"/>
						            <space type="binding-hole"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok5540">°ācchettā</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5541">cānumantā</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5542">ca</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          </l>
					          <l xml:id="seq2527" n="d">
						            <w xml:id="tok5543">tāny</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5544">eva</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5545">narak<unclear>e</unclear>
                  </w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5546">vaset·</w>
					          </l>
				        </lg>

<lg xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xml:id="seq3028" met="Anuṣṭubh" n="II" xml:lang="san-Latn">
					          <l xml:id="seq2528" n="a">
						            <lb n="18"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok5547">bahubhir</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5548">vasudhā</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5549">dattā</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          </l>
					          <l xml:id="seq2529" n="b">
						            <w xml:id="tok5550">bahubhiś</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5551">cānupālitā</w>
					          </l>
					          <l xml:id="seq2530" n="c">
						            <lb n="19"/>
						            <w xml:id="tok5552">yasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5553">yasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5554">yadā</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5555">bhūmiḥ</w>
					          </l>
					          <l xml:id="seq2531" n="d">
						            <w xml:id="tok5556">tasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5557">tasya</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5558">tadā</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok5559">phala<unclear>m·</unclear>
                  </w>
					          </l>
				        </lg>

Apparatus

(1b, LM) (dextrorotatory-spiral) This symbol represents oṁ according to Hultzsch 1907-08: 58 . The recent consensus however is that it represents siddham.
(7) mududa- muḷuḍa- EH . Alternative readings mu[d/ḍ]u[d/ḍa]- are possible.
(7) -pamu[kho] -pamukho EH .
(9) babhura- ba[bhura]- EH .
(12) duvaggāṇa EH . Emend duvaggāṇaṁ
(15) -dasamī[ya] -dasamī [10?] EH . But reading <-ya> here is supported by EIAD 160, l. 13.
(17) narak[e] Hultzsch 1907-08: 59 notes: “This word looks almost like narakô ”.
(17-19) Hultzsch reads a double daṇḍa at the end of each of these stanzas, but there seem not to be such punctuation, only miniature final consonants (double daṇḍa might be Hultzsch’s way of rendering such miniature final consonants).
(19) bhūmiḥ Hultzsch 1907-08: 59 notes: “Read bhûmis=”. But inscriptions from the same general area and period often show the reading bhūmiḥ here, so no correction is necessary.

Translation

(1–8) From the illustrious and victorious Veṅgīpura, by the order of the illustrious and victorious great king Devavarman, who is favored by the feet of Lord Citrarathasvāmin, devoted to the feet of his lord father, supreme devotee of Maheśvara, the Śālaṅkāyana, sacrificer of the Aśvamedha, in Elūra, the village headed by (its) headmen is to be addressed:

(8–14) ‘To this Gaṇaśarman of the gotra of the Babhrus, in (this) charming place (i.e. Elūra), are ordered (to be given): twenty 20 nivartanas of land, a house site, a house site for those who receive half the crop and the doorkeepers, along with exemption and protection. And so (it) has to exempted with all exemptions.’

(14–15) In the victorious year (being) thirteen 13, on the tenth 10 (day) of the dark fortnight of Pauṣa.

The giver of land revels sixty thousand years in heaven; the one who confiscates [land] as well as the one who allows [the confiscation] will reside as many [years] in hell.

II.

By many land has been given; and by many it has been protected. Whoever holds land at a given moment, to him does the fruit then belong.

Commentary

(1) bhagavato Hultzsch notes: “The genitive bhagavato refers to Chittarathasâmi, the first member of the following compound. This is of course a grammatical blunder of the officer who drafted the inscription” ( Hultzsch 1907-08: 59 ). The same “blunder” is found in EIAD 162, also formulated in MIA, which makes one wonder if it is really an error; the Śālaṅkāyana plates formulated in Sanskrit plates show bhagavad-.
(7) °elūre “Êlûra, to whose inhabitants the subjoined edict was addressed, is no doubt the modern town of Êlûru (Ellore), 7 miles from Pedda-Vêgi” ( Hultzsch 1907-08: 58 ).
(7) mududa This word, which appears in several other Śālaṅkāyana grants in various forms, is taken to mean “headman (of village)” (see Sircar 1966: 207 ). In fact the reading muḍuḍa is also possible. For parallels, see mududa (EIAD 160, l. 5) and mutuḍa (EIAD 161, l. 4; 163, l. 5; 165, l. 4; 166, l. 8).
(8) gāmo bhāṇitavvo Sircar (on EIAD 160) translates gāmo as ‘villagers’ and explains: “ gāma=Sanskrit grāma, literally ‘a village’, used here in the sense of grāmeyaka ” ( Sircar 1963-1964c: 146–7 ). The same usage of singular gāma is observed in EIAD 160 and 161. In none of these contexts do we feel that translation as a plural is absolutely necessary.
(8) °etassa Hultzsch notes: “The pronoun ‘this’ evidently had been uttered by the king in the presence of the donee, just as êtêshâm in the plates of Vijaya-Nandivarman, l. 5” ( Hultzsch 1907-08: 59 ), i.e. the Vidētūrapallikā Grant (EIAD 165).
(9) babhura- Hultzsch notes: “Prof. Kielhorn suggests to me that this doubtful word may be meant for Babhru” ( Hultzsch 1907-08: 59 ).
(11) °addhiya- Hultzsch notes: “On ârdhika or ardhasîrin see the Mitâksharâ on Yâjñavalkya, I. 166. The Prâkṛit form addhika occurs in Ep. Ind. Vol. I. p. 6, text line 39” ( Hultzsch 1907-08: 59 ).
(12) duvaggāṇa Hultzsch notes: “The Sanskṛit original of duvagga seems to be dvârga, which may be taken in the sense of dvâstha ” ( Hultzsch 1907-08: 59 ).

Secondary bibliography

ARIE 1906: 65–6 (§55), no. A.33
Srinivasa Ayyangar 1918: 36
Gopalan 1928: 73
Gai 1969: no. 863
Krishnan & Sundaram 1989: 13–5 (no. 8)

EIAD 159

Elūra grant — reign of Devavarman, year 13

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Secondary bibliography

EIAD 159

Elūra grant — reign of Devavarman, year 13

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