- Support
- Five copper plates; their corners slightly rounded off, with plate numbering inscribed in the left margin on reverse side of plates 1-4; h. 19 × w. 6 × d. cm. The middle of every plate, toward the left side, is pierced by a hole through which ran a circular ring, which is now missing.
- Text
- Sanskrit language, Southern Brāhmī script. Beginning on face 1b, 4 lines per face, except for the first and fifth plates which are inscribed on the inner face only.
- Date
- In the twenty-fifth regnal year of king Pr̥thivīmūlarāja. Attributable to the period 400-600 CE on palaeographic grounds.
- Origin
- Unknown.
- Provenance
- Reported to have been found at a rockshelter at Kondavidu Fort in 1987, and acquired the same year by the Department of Archaeology and Museums. Identified at Guntur, Bauddhasiri Museum (acc. no. B.M.G. 171) in February 2016.
- Visual Documentation
-
Photo(s) of estampage(s):
- Krishna Sastry 1990; 1992
Photo(s):- VT 2016
- Editors
- Arlo Griffiths and Vincent Tournier.
- Publication history
- First described and edited by Krishna Sastry 1990: 72-3, 76-7 . Re-edited here from available documentation and after autopsy of the plates.
(1) svasti vijayatāṇḍikoṇḍavāsakād devadvijagurucaraṇasamārādhinā-
(2)dhigataniratiśayapuṇyanicayasya sakaladiṅmaṇḍalālaṅkārabhūtaya-
(3)śasaḥ śrīprabhākaravikhyātamahārājasya sūnur mmātāpitr̥pādānuddhyātaś śruti-
(4)smr̥tivihitapadārtthāvabodhajanitaprajñāvivekaniravagītānupālitā-
(5) plate 2aśeṣavarṇṇāśramadharmmaḥ parānugrahamātraprayojana-
(6)pratipannaiśvaryagurubhāraḥ paramamāheśvaraḥ
(7) śrīmān pr̥thivīśrīmūlarāja °evam ājñāpayati yathā
(8) ya tāḻupākaviṣaye velpukoṇḍa°ūṟukoṇḍamaddiplate 2b 2 -
(9)ceruvu°ātukūrākhyagrāmamaddhyāvasthitaḥ kalvaceṟuvuḷa
(10) nāma grāmaḥ śrīmahāmeghavāhanapratiṣṭhāpitavarddhamā-
(11)nimahāvihāranivāsarater ddhyānādhyayanakarmmānuṣṭhāna-
(12)parasyāryyabhikṣusaṁghasya yathāsukhaṁ caturvvidhapratyaya-
(13) plate 3aparibhogāya sarvvābādhaparihāreṇa sarvvādānaparivāraḥ
(14) tāmraśāsanīkr̥tya mahāmātrapuṇyaśāsanamātāmahī-
(15)puṇyaprāptyartthaṁ pr̥dhivīśrīmūlarājena dattaḥ tad atra
(16) śrutismr̥tivihitasadācārānuṣṭhānaparais sarvvair eva plate 3b 3
(17) rājabhir ayam asmadīyo dharmma °iti paripālanīyaḥ
(18) hastikośavīrakośena ca tathāpy uktaṁ || bahubhir vva-
(19)sudhā dattā bahubhiś cānupālitā yasya yasya
(20) yadā bhūmiḥ tasya tasya tadā phalam iti || – plate 4a
(21) yaś cātra lobhapramādād ajñānakṣudraparivāra-
(22)doṣavaśād vā vilopaṁ kuryāt· tasyāyaṁ smr̥tivihitaḥ
(23) pratyavāyo yathāha nighnatām bhartr̥govipra -
(24) bālayoṣidvipaścitaḥ yā gatis sā bhaved vr̥ttiṁ plate 4b 4
(25) harataḥ śāsanākitām· || – tām eva rakṣato yatnā[t·]
(26) nibodha kr̥tinaḥ phalam· naikakalpasahasrāṇi
(27) divi devais sa divyati || – ṣaṣṭivarṣasahasrāṇi
(28) svargge krīḍati bhūmidaḥ °ākṣeptā cānumantā ca tāny eva plate 5a
(29) narake vased iti || pravarddhamānavijayasaṁvatsare pañca-
(30)viṁśatitame °āṣaḍhamāsaśuklapakṣasya prati-
(31)padi svamukhājñā yāvaj jaladhimervvarkka diṅmahī-
(32)nabhasa sthiti tāvat· śrīmūlarājasya loke tiṣṭhatu śāsana (dextrorotatory-spiral)
<ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
<pb type="plate" n="1b"/>
<fw type="pageNum" place="marginleft">
<num value="1">1</num>
</fw>
<lb n="1"/>
<w xml:id="tok6385">svasti</w>
<w xml:id="tok6386">vijayatāṇḍikoṇḍavāsakād</w>
<w xml:id="tok6387">devadvijagurucaraṇasamārādhinā<lb n="2" break="no"/>dhigataniratiśayapuṇyanicayasya</w>
<w xml:id="tok6389">sakaladiṅmaṇḍalālaṅkārabhūtaya<lb n="3" break="no"/>śasaḥ</w>
<w xml:id="tok6391">śrīprabhākaravikhyātamahārājasya</w>
<w xml:id="tok6392">sūnur</w>
<w xml:id="tok6393">mmātāpitr̥pādānuddhyātaś</w>
<w xml:id="tok6394">śruti<lb n="4" break="no"/>smr̥tivihitapadārtthāvabodhajanitaprajñāvivekaniravagītānupālitā<lb n="5" break="no"/>
<pb type="plate" n="2a"/>śeṣavarṇṇāśramadharmmaḥ</w>
<w xml:id="tok6396">parānugrahamātraprayojana<lb n="6" break="no"/>pratipannaiśvaryagurubhāraḥ</w>
<w xml:id="tok6397">paramamāheśvaraḥ</w>
<lb n="7"/>
<w xml:id="tok6398">śrīmān</w>
<w xml:id="tok6399">pr̥thivīśrīmūlarāja</w>
<w xml:id="tok6400">°evam</w>
<w xml:id="tok6401">ājñāpayati</w>
<w xml:id="tok6402">yathā</w>
<lb n="8"/>
<w xml:id="tok6403">ya</w>
<w xml:id="tok6404">tāḻupākaviṣaye</w>
<w xml:id="tok6405">velpukoṇḍa°ūṟukoṇḍamaddi<pb type="plate" n="2b"/>
<fw type="pageNum" place="marginleft">
<num value="2">2</num>
</fw>
<lb n="9" break="no"/>ceruvu°ātukūrākhyagrāmamaddhyāvasthitaḥ</w>
<w xml:id="tok6406">kalvaceṟuvuḷa</w>
<lb n="10"/>
<w>nāma</w>
<w xml:id="tok6407">grāmaḥ</w>
<w xml:id="tok6408">śrīmahāmeghavāhanapratiṣṭhāpitavarddhamā<lb n="11" break="no"/>nimahāvihāranivāsarater</w>
<w xml:id="tok6410">ddhyānādhyayanakarmmānuṣṭhāna<lb n="12" break="no"/>parasyāryyabhikṣusaṁghasya</w>
<w xml:id="tok6411">yathāsukhaṁ</w>
<w xml:id="tok6412">caturvvidhapratyaya<lb n="13" break="no"/>
<pb type="plate" n="3a"/>paribhogāya</w>
<w xml:id="tok6413">sarvvābādhaparihāreṇa</w>
<w xml:id="tok6414">sarvvādānaparivāraḥ</w>
<lb n="14"/>
<w xml:id="tok6415">tāmraśāsanīkr̥tya</w>
<w xml:id="tok6416">mahāmātrapuṇyaśāsanamātāmahī<lb n="15" break="no"/>puṇyaprāptyartthaṁ</w>
<w xml:id="tok6417">pr̥dhivīśrīmūlarājena</w>
<w xml:id="tok6418">dattaḥ</w>
<w xml:id="tok6419">tad</w>
<w xml:id="tok6420">atra</w>
<lb n="16"/>
<w xml:id="tok6421">śrutismr̥tivihitasadācārānuṣṭhānaparais</w>
<w xml:id="tok6422">sarvvair</w>
<w xml:id="tok6423">eva</w>
<pb type="plate" n="3b"/>
<fw type="pageNum" place="marginleft">
<num value="3">3</num>
</fw>
<lb n="17"/>
<w xml:id="tok6424">rājabhir</w>
<w xml:id="tok6425">ayam</w>
<w xml:id="tok6426">asmadīyo</w>
<w xml:id="tok6427">dharmma</w>
<w xml:id="tok6428">°iti</w>
<w xml:id="tok6429">paripālanīyaḥ</w>
<lb n="18"/>
<w xml:id="tok6430">hastikośavīrakośena</w>
<w xml:id="tok6430bis">ca</w>
<w xml:id="tok6431">tathāpy</w>
<w xml:id="tok6432">uktaṁ</w>
<pc>||</pc>
</ab>
<lg xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xml:id="seq3039" met="Anuṣṭubh" n="I">
<l xml:id="seq2765" n="a">
<w xml:id="tok6434">bahubhir</w>
<w xml:id="tok6435">vva<lb n="19" break="no"/>sudhā</w>
<w xml:id="tok6437">dattā</w>
</l>
<l xml:id="seq2768" n="b">
<w xml:id="tok6438">bahubhiś</w>
<w xml:id="tok6439">cānupālitā</w>
</l>
<l xml:id="seq2769" n="c">
<w xml:id="tok6440">yasya</w>
<w xml:id="tok6441">yasya</w>
<lb n="20"/>
<w xml:id="tok6442">yadā</w>
<w xml:id="tok6443">bhūmiḥ</w>
</l>
<l xml:id="seq2772" n="d">
<w xml:id="tok6444">tasya</w>
<w xml:id="tok6445">tasya</w>
<w xml:id="tok6446">tadā</w>
<w xml:id="tok6447">phalam</w>
<w xml:id="tok6448">iti</w>
<pc>||</pc>
<pc>–</pc>
</l>
</lg>
<ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
<pb type="plate" n="4a"/>
<lb n="21"/>
<w xml:id="tok6451">yaś</w>
<w xml:id="tok6452">cātra</w>
<w xml:id="tok6453">lobhapramādād</w>
<w xml:id="tok6454">ajñānakṣudraparivāra<lb n="22" break="no"/>doṣavaśād</w>
<w xml:id="tok6455">vā</w>
<w xml:id="tok6456">vilopaṁ</w>
<w xml:id="tok6457">kuryāt·</w>
<w xml:id="tok6458">tasyāyaṁ</w>
<w xml:id="tok6459">smr̥tivihitaḥ</w>
<lb n="23"/>
<w xml:id="tok6460">pratyavāyo</w>
<w xml:id="tok6461">yathāha</w>
</ab>
<lg xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xml:id="seq3040" met="Anuṣṭubh" n="II">
<l xml:id="seq2780" n="a">
<w xml:id="tok6462">nighnatām</w>
<w xml:id="tok6463">bhartr̥govipra</w>
<lb n="24" break="no"/>
</l>
<l xml:id="seq3038" n="b">
<w xml:id="tok6464">bālayoṣidvipaścitaḥ</w>
</l>
<l xml:id="seq2784" n="c">
<w xml:id="tok6465">yā</w>
<w xml:id="tok6466">gatis</w>
<w xml:id="tok6467">sā</w>
<w xml:id="tok6468">bhaved</w>
<w xml:id="tok6469">vr̥ttiṁ</w>
</l>
<pb type="plate" n="4b"/>
<fw type="pageNum" place="marginleft">
<num value="4">4</num>
</fw>
<l xml:id="seq2787" n="d">
<lb n="25"/>
<w xml:id="tok6470">harataḥ</w>
<w xml:id="tok6471">śāsanākitām·</w>
<pc>||</pc>
<pc>–</pc>
</l>
</lg>
<lg xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xml:id="seq3041" met="Anuṣṭubh" n="III">
<l xml:id="seq2788" n="a">
<w xml:id="tok6474">tām</w>
<w xml:id="tok6475">eva</w>
<w xml:id="tok6476">rakṣato</w>
<w xml:id="tok6477">yatnā<unclear>t·</unclear>
</w>
</l>
<l xml:id="seq2791" n="b">
<lb n="26"/>
<w xml:id="tok6478">nibodha</w>
<w xml:id="tok6479">kr̥tinaḥ</w>
<w xml:id="tok6480">phalam·</w>
</l>
<l xml:id="seq2792" n="c">
<w xml:id="tok6481">naikakalpasahasrāṇi</w>
</l>
<l xml:id="seq2795" n="d">
<lb n="27"/>
<w xml:id="tok6482">divi</w>
<w xml:id="tok6483">devais</w>
<w xml:id="tok6484">sa</w>
<w xml:id="tok6485">divyati</w>
<pc>||</pc>
<pc>–</pc>
</l>
</lg>
<lg xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xml:id="seq3042" met="Anuṣṭubh" n="IV">
<l xml:id="seq2796" n="a">
<w xml:id="tok6488">ṣaṣṭivarṣasahasrāṇi</w>
</l>
<l xml:id="seq2799" n="b">
<lb n="28"/>
<w xml:id="tok6489">svargge</w>
<w xml:id="tok6490">krīḍati</w>
<w xml:id="tok6491">bhūmidaḥ</w>
</l>
<l xml:id="seq2800" n="c">
<w xml:id="tok6492">°ākṣeptā</w>
<w xml:id="tok6493">cānumantā</w>
<w xml:id="tok6494">ca</w>
</l>
<l xml:id="seq2801" n="d">
<w xml:id="tok6495">tāny</w>
<w xml:id="tok6496">eva</w>
<pb type="plate" n="5a"/>
<lb n="29"/>
<w xml:id="tok6497">narake</w>
<w xml:id="tok6498">vased</w>
<w xml:id="tok6499">iti</w>
<pc>||</pc>
</l>
</lg>
<ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
<w xml:id="tok6501">pravarddhamānavijayasaṁvatsare</w>
<w xml:id="tok6502">pañca<lb n="30" break="no"/>viṁśatitame</w>
<w xml:id="tok6504">°āṣaḍhamāsaśuklapakṣasya</w>
<w xml:id="tok6505">prati<lb n="31" break="no"/>padi</w>
<w xml:id="tok6507">svamukhājñā</w>
</ab>
<lg xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xml:id="seq3043" met="Anuṣṭubh" n="V">
<l xml:id="seq2809" n="a">
<w xml:id="tok6508">yāvaj</w>
<w xml:id="tok6509">jaladhimervvarkka</w>
</l>
<l xml:id="seq2810" n="b">
<w xml:id="tok6855">diṅmahī<lb n="32" break="no"/>nabhasa</w>
<w xml:id="tok6510">sthiti</w>
</l>
<l xml:id="seq2813" n="c">
<w xml:id="tok6511">tāvat·</w>
<w xml:id="tok6512">śrīmūlarājasya</w>
</l>
<l xml:id="seq2814" n="d">
<w xml:id="tok6513">loke</w>
<w xml:id="tok6514">tiṣṭhatu</w>
<w xml:id="tok6515">śāsana</w>
<g type="dextrorotatory-spiral"/>
</l>
</lg>
- (1) -samārādhinā- Correct -samārādhanā-, as indicated by Krishna Sastry 1990 .
- (2) sakaladiṅmaṇḍalālaṅkāra- sakaladiṅmaṇḍalālankāra- VVKS .
- (3) sūnur ssū(sū)nur VVKS .
- (8) ya Emend yat. Krishna Sastry 1990: (n.11) considers the akṣara redundant.
- (8) -°ūṟukoṇḍa- -°uṟukoṇḍa- VVKS .
- (9) -°ātukūrākhya- -°atukūrākhya- VVKS .
- (9) -grāma- Krishna Sastry 1990: (n.12) needlessly proposes to emend -grāmāṇāṁ.
- (9) -maddhyāvasthitaḥ -madhyavasthitaḥ VVKS .
- (9) kalvaceṟuvuḷa kalvaceṟuvula VVKS .
- (12) caturvvidhapratyaya- caturvidhapratyāya- VVKS .
- (13) sarvvābādhapari- sarvvabādhapari- VVKS . Krishna Sastry 1990 corrects <dha-> to <dhā->. But the reading -bādhāpari- is not attested anywhere in these inscriptions. The reading as it stands could be corrected sarvvabādhapari-, in which case one could argue that the scribe anticipated correct sarvvā- further on in the line. Note, however, that the same reading sarvvābādhaparihāreṇa is preserved in EIAD 175, l. 33; sarvvābādhaparihāram is found in 170, l. 8. It therefore seems necessary to take the compound as sarvva + ābādha-.
- (14) mahāmātrapuṇyaśāsanamātā- Krishna Sastry 1990 corrects <tra> to <trā>, but this does not seem desirable.
- (15) pr̥dhivī- Correct pr̥thivī-. The scribe has omitted the central dot that would have made <th> out of <dh>. Krishna Sastry 1990 has not noticed the error.
- (15) tad atra tadanu VVKS .
- (18) hastikośavīrakośena The editor of Krishna Sastry’s publication (n. 15) proposes to correct to hastikośavīrakośābhyāṁ.
- (18) tathāpy tadhāpy VVKS . Krishna Sastry corrects his reading to tathāpy. It seems unproblematic to read <th>.
- (22) -parivāra- -paricāra- VVKS .
- (22) doṣavaśād vā vilopaṁ -doṣavaśād vivilopaṁ VVKS . With parenthetic ‘corrections’ to -doṣavaśāt vidhilopaṁ.
- (22-23) smr̥tivihitaḥ pratyavāyo smr̥tivihitapratyavāyo VVKS .
- (23) bhartr̥- bhatr̥- VVKS .
- (24) -bāla- -bala- VVKS .
- (24) -vipaścitaḥ vipaścidaḥ VVKS .
- (24-25) vr̥ttiṁ harataḥ vr̥ttiharataḥ VVKS .
- (25) śāsanākitām· Emend śāsanāṁkitām·, as indicated by Krishna Sastry 1990 .
- (25) yatnāt· The final consonant looks a bit more like <n·>, but it seems highly unlikely that this is what the engraver intended.
- (27) divyati Emend dīvyati, as indicated by Krishna Sastry 1990 .
- (30) °āṣaḍha- Emend °āṣāḍha, as indicated by Krishna Sastry 1990 .
- (31) svamukhājñā svamukhājñayā VVKS .
- (32) -nabhasa sthiti The reading is uncertain; one has the impression that the engraver first wrote <ṣṭ> and then tried to correct it into something which may as well have been intended to be <ssth> as <sth>. Emend -nabhasas sthitiḥ, as indicated by Krishna Sastry 1990 .
- (32) śāsana Emend śāsanam·, as indicated by Krishna Sastry 1990 .
By numerous [kings], 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.
The destiny of those who slay their master, a cow, a brahmin, a child, a woman or a learned man, will be the one of him who seizes [the land/livelihood] that is marked by a (royal) charter.
Hear the fruit of the virtuous man who protects it scrupulously: during numerous thousands of aeons he plays in heaven with the gods.
The giver of land revels in heaven for sixty thousand years; the one who seizes [land] as well as the one who approves (of the seizing) will reside as many [years] in hell.
As long as the endurance of oceans, Meru, sun, directions, earth and sky, so long may the charter (or: rule) of Śrī Mūlarāja endure on earth!
- bookmark Krishna Sastry 1992: 1-11. This reproduces the same author’s 1990 publication without any of the notes.
- bookmark ARIE 1995-96: 3, no. A.4
- bookmark Hanumantha Rao et al. 1998: 211-3