Malgā Plates of Indrabala, Year 11

Version: (048a990), last modified (d59dd56).

Edition

Seal

śr¡ī-I!ndrarājaḥ

Plates

⟨Page 1r⟩

⟨Page 1v⟩

⟨1v1⟩ svasti ās¿i?d indrasamaḥ kṣitaukṣit¿a?pati śaktyā k{t}riyābhir guṇair u-

⟨1v2⟩ tphullāmalacāru¡v!im¡v!avadanā ya śrī sadā sevate yo devadvijasādhupa-

⟨1v3⟩ ṇḍitajanasyā⟨⟨dhā⟩⟩rabhūto¡ha vā! siddhādhyāsitahematuṅgaśikharaḥ śail¿ai?ndrarāj¿ā? yathā

⟨1v4⟩ jātas tasyātmaj¿ā? ’pi prakaṭa¡gha!jaghaṭ¿a?ghaṭṭana{}ś cārumūrttir nitya dātābhimā-

⟨1v5⟩ nī raṇacapalapa(ṭu)¡! bhrāntaparyanta()rti nirjit¡v!ārātipakṣa¡! prasabham apah¿i?-

⟨1v6⟩ t¿o? ye¡c!a lakṣmī viśālā sa śrīmān śrīniketaḥ pratimatisuciraḥ Indra-

⟨1v7⟩ rāj¿ā? narendraḥ maṇḍakāt paramamāheśvar¿ā? mātāpitṛpādānudhyātaḥ śrī-

⟨Page 2r⟩

⟨2r1⟩ sām¿ā?nta-Indrarājaḥ {c}cheṇḍaparaṅgaviṣayaprati¡vaddhaḥ! Ākāśarāṣṭre gula-

⟨2r2⟩ grāmakelekhyā⟨⟨lagrāmā⟩⟩mantamarake buḍayyake grāmak¿u?ṭadroṇāg¡ī!ka-

⟨2r3⟩ gaṇḍak¿ā?nāyakadevavārik¿a?n sarvvā¡m! eva pramukhān yathā prativāsina¡! samājñā-

⟨2r4⟩ payati viditam astu bhavatā yathāsmābhir aya grāma sodraṅgaḥ s¿a?parikaraḥ-

⟨2r5⟩ Acāṭabhaṭapraveś¡ī! sanidhiḥ sopanidhi{}ś coradaṇḍa¡yalitaḥ! catuḥ¡ś!ī-

⟨2r6⟩ mādhānaparyanta Ācandr¿a?rkakṣititārakānirodh¡ena! mātāpitror ātmanaś ca pu¡n!-

⟨2r7⟩ bhivṛddhaye ś¿a?ṇḍilyagotravājasaneyamā{d}dhyandinanāgasvāmipu¡v!a-

⟨Page 2v⟩

⟨2v1⟩ bhavasvāmin¡asya! pratipādit¡e!ty avagamya yathocitabhogam upana-

⟨2v2⟩ yantaḥ Ājñāśravanavidheyair bhūtvā sukhaṁ prativ¿ā?stavyam iti svayam ā-

⟨2v3⟩ jñāpanā ye cāsmadva¡!śe sam¿ū?tpadyante rājāna{}s tair ap¡anīya! dattir anu-

⟨2v4⟩ pālanīyā¡t!umodanīyā ca yaś cem¿o? datti vilopam āpādayiṣyati sa-

⟨2v5⟩ pañcabhir mahāpātakaiḥ saha saṁyukta¡! sy¿a?T bahubhir vasudhā bhūtvā raj¿a?ne

⟨2v6⟩ sagarā¡j!ibhi yasya yasya yadā bhūmis tasya tasya tadā phalaṁ ṣaṣṭi-

⟨2v7⟩ var{i}ṣasahasrāṇi svarge modati bhūmidaḥ Ācchettā cānumantā

⟨Page 3r⟩

⟨3r1⟩ ca {t}tāny eva na⟨⟨ra⟩⟩ke vaseT svadattāṁ paradattām vā yo haret¿i? vasundharā kapilāśataghā-

⟨3r2⟩ tīnām enasā pratipadyate khilabhugnā tu yā bh¿u?mir yā ca bhuktā daśāpar¿e? śata-

⟨3r3⟩ (va)¡n! tu yā bhuktā na rājā ha¡n!tum ar{a}hati Āsphoṭayanti pitara pravalgant¿a? pitāmahā

⟨3r4⟩ tvam ekosm¿i?tkule jā¡! sa ¡mattrā! bhaviṣyati prāpsyase vipulān bhogān pūrvvadatt¿e?sya tat pha-

⟨3r5⟩ laṁ punar dehīti dānā¡bhi! punar bhogī bhaviṣyasi Iha lokakṛtaṁ karma tat parattrop¿i?-

⟨3r6⟩ bhujyat¿i? talasiktasya vṛkṣasya phalaṁ śākhāsu dṛśy¿i?t¿i? likhitañ ca rājapu¡ttā!devena

⟨3r7⟩ Utkīrṇa suvarṇak¿a?r¡a-Is!varaputre⟨⟨ṇa⟩⟩ droṇākena samāptañ c¿a?da śāsana jy¿a?ṣṭapra⟨⟨tha⟩⟩-

⟨Page 3v⟩

⟨3v1⟩ mapakṣa U{ra}ttarabhādrapad¿a? Aṅgār¿ā?vār¿a? {d}divasa Ekādaś¿a? pravarddhamāna-

⟨3v2⟩ vijayarājyasamvat¡p!araḥ 11

Apparatus

Plates

⟨1v3⟩ °rāj¿ā?o°rāj¿ā?o SS; °rājo AMS.

⟨2r5⟩ praveś¡ī!aḥpraveś¡ā!aḥ SS; praveś¡ī!aḥ AMS.

⟨2r6⟩ °pitror°pittror SS; °pitror AMS.

⟨2v4⟩ āpādayiṣyatiāpādayiṣyat SS; āpādayiṣyati AMS.

⟨2v5⟩ bhūtvā raj¿a?ānebhūtvā rajāne SS; bhūtvā raj¿a?āne AMSPresumably, bhuktā rājabhiḥ was intended.

⟨3r2⟩ bh¿u?ūmirbh¿u?ūmir SS; bhūmir AMS.

⟨3r4⟩ ¡mattrā!nas trātā¡mattrā!nas trātā SS; ¡matrā!nas trātā AMS. — ⟨3r4⟩ vipulānvipulan SS; vipulān AMS.

⟨3r5⟩ parattro°parattro° SS; paratro° AMS.

⟨3r6⟩ dṛśy¿i?at¿i?edṛśy¿i?at¿i?e SS; dṛśyat¿i?e AMS. — ⟨3r6⟩ likhitañlikhitan SS; likhitañ AMS.

⟨3v2⟩ 111 SS; 1 AMS.

Translation

Seal

The illustrious Indrarāja.

Plates

⟨1v1⟩ Success! Hail!

1v1–1v3.

There was on earth a king (or Kṣitipati as a personal name) who was equal to Indra through his power, deeds, and good qualities; who is continously served by the goddess Śrī whose face is pure and beautiful like the splendour of the full moon; who was supportive of gods, twice-born, Sādhus, Pandits, and men, in the same manner as king Śailendra whose lofty golden peaks are inhabited by Siddhas.

1v4–1v7.

To him was born a son whose impact was as clear as that of a troop of elephants; who had a handsome appearance; with a mind that is always set on giving; who is strong and unpredictable in battle; and whose fame has extended in all directions. That illustrious king, an abode of beauty, who takes pleasure in worship, was Indrarāja!

⟨1v7–2r4⟩ From Maṇḍaka, the illustrious sāmanta Indrarāja, who is entirely devoted to Viṣṇu and is favoured by his father and mother, issues the following command to all the residents and chief persons of the settlements Sālagrāma and Amantamaraka (or Mantamaraka) in the village of Gulagrāmaka situated in the Ākāśa rāṣṭra and forming part of the Cheṇḍaparaṅga viṣaya, (the chief persons) including the superintendent of the temple (devavārika), the military officer (nāyaka), minting officer (gaṇḍaka), tax officer (droṇāgraka), and village headman (grāmakūṭa):

⟨2r4–2v1⟩ Let it be known to you that for the increase of religious merit of father, mother, and ourselves, this village extending to its four boundaries has been granted by us to Bhavasvāmin, son of Nāgasvāmin of the Śāṇḍilya gotra and the Vājasaneya-Mādhyandina school. The grant of the village comes along with the right to tax on permanent and temporary tenants, the right not to be entered by irregular or regular troops, and the right to hidden treasures and deposits, with the exception of the fines imposed on thieves, and is to be enjoyed as long as the moon, the sun, the earth, and the stars will endure.

⟨2v1–2v5⟩ Knowing this, you should be obedient to the orders received from the donee and render the proper shares of periodical offerings, while living happily in this village. This grant was issued by my own order and those kings who will be born in our family should also consent to it and protect it! And whoever will cause the obstruction of the enjoyment of this gift, he will bring upon himself the guilt of the five great sins!

2v5–2v6.

The earth has been enjoyed by many kings, beginning with Sagara: Whoever possesses the land at any time, to him belong the fruits at that time!

2v6–3r1.

A giver of land dwells in heaven for sixty thousand years; he who confiscates it or allows another to confiscate it will dwell for the same period in hell!

3r1–3r2.

He who would steal land, either given by himself or by others, would commit the crime equal to the killing of one hundred brown cows.

3r2–3r3.

Waste land what has newly been taken up for cultivation and cultivated land what has been enjoyed for more than ten years up to a hundred years, that land a king is not entitled to confiscate!

3r3–3r4.

Fathers in the world of the dead clap their hands upon their arms, and grandfathers leap from joy, saying: You are the one who has been born in our family; you shall become our deliverer!

3r4–3r5.

You will receive great merit as that fruit of what has been given before. From that gift, give again! Truly you will become again an enjoyer!

3r5–3r6.

Work done here in this world, that is enjoyed in the other world; just as the fruit of a tree, watered at its roots, is observed on its branches!

⟨3r6–3v2⟩ This charter has been written by the rājaputra Deva; has been engraved by Droṇāka, son of the goldsmith Īśvara; and has been completed in the first fortnight of the month of Jyeṣṭa, in the Uttarabhādrapada nakṣatra, on a Tuesday, the eleventh day, in the year 11 of the increasingly victorious reign (of Indrarāja, presumably).

Commentary

There is uncertainty about the reading of the year. The inscription ends with two slightly curved horizontal strokes, together expressing the number eleven. The second stroke could also be taken as a punctuation mark. In the latter case, the charter would have been issued in the first regnal year. Since the stroke deviates from the other punctuation marks in the charter, the year eleven is accepted here.

Bibliography

First edited by Sircar and Sankaranarayanan [1963] 1959–1960 from the original plates; published again by Shastri 1995, pp. 86–92; re-edited here by Natasja Bosma based on the published photographs (edition of the seal based on Sircar and Sankaranarayanan).

Primary

[AMS] Shastri, Ajay Mitra. 1995. Inscriptions of the Śarabhapurīyas, Pāṇḍuvaṁśins and Somavaṁśins, Part II: Inscriptions. New Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Motilal Bandarsidass. Pages 86–92.

[SS] Sircar, Dines Chandra and S. Sankaranarayanan. [1963] 1959–1960. “Malga plates of Samanta Indraraja.” EI 33, pp. 209–214.

Secondary

Bosma, Natasja. 2018. Dakṣiṇa Kosala: A rich centre of early Śaivism. Groningen: Barkhuis. [URL]. Pages 22–24, 46, 239–240.

Shastri, Ajay Mitra. 1978–1979. “A note on the Malga plates of sāmanta Indrarāja.” Sri Venkateswara University Oriental Journal 21-22, pp. 19–25.