Copper plates from Patagandigudem (Kallacheruvu), set I — reign of Siri-Ehavalacāntamūla

Editors: Arlo Griffiths, Vincent Tournier.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00055.

Hand description:

Lettering typical of the 3rd century CE.

Languages: Middle Indo-Aryan, Sanskrit.

Repository: Early Andhra (tfb-eiad-epigraphy).

Version: (a154659), last modified (837ddf3).

Edition

⟨Page 1v⟩ ⟨1⟩ siddham· || namo bhagavatos sarvvajñāyā ||

vijayakkhaṁ⟨2⟩dhāvārā dhaṁṇakaḍāto māhārājā Asamedha⟨3⟩yāji-Akkhaya-hiraṁṇa-koḍi-ppadāyiḥ Ikkhākūṇaṁ ⟨Page 2r⟩ ⟨4⟩ raṁño sirī-Ehavalacāntamūlavaṁmmā Aṇavetī

⟨5⟩ Ettha pithuṁḍe sābhittāṇehi mahāvihārasa Ava⟨6⟩raddāre cātusāle Amhehi kāritaṁ Etassa ya khaṇḍa⟨Page 2v⟩⟨7⟩-pulla-saṇṭhappasa cātusāle Āgaṁtuka-vatthavvāṇa pavva⟨8⟩yitāṇaṁ vissāmaṇatthaṁ rañ(o) Eha⟨va⟩la-vatthamāṇa-vattha⟨9⟩vehi pavvayitehi Avaraddāraseliyehi ⟨Page 3r⟩ ⟨10⟩ Aryya-yakkha-pamuhehi Aṇuṭṭhiya sāsanaṁ ⟨11⟩ kāritaṁ

Akkhaya-nivviṁ kātūṇaṁ raño Appaṇo ⟨12⟩ puṇṇappāyaṇāyu-bala-vaddhaṇatṭhaṁ Ayandatāraka⟨ṁ⟩ ⟨Page 3v⟩ ⟨13⟩ kātūṇa pithuṇḍe mahāvihārasa nagarassa Uttara-di⟨14⟩sāye mahāsetīye mahācelakasa Eṭṭhassa k(ū)la⟨15⟩ttha-paddaggāma-patthe halaṁkkhettasa niyattāṇā bat(t)ī[sa] ⟨Page 4r⟩ ⟨16⟩ 302 nidejaṁ nipoli ||

pithuṇḍassa Uttara-disāye va ⟨17⟩ hatthi-vārī pachima-disāye puppha-kalase ha⟨18⟩laṁkkhettasa niyattaṇa-catusaṭṭhi 604 nidejaṁ nippoli ⟨Page 4v⟩ ⟨19⟩ Avaraddārī cātusālassa halo bhikhu-bhogaṁ kātūṇa ⟨20⟩ samya-dattaṁ

Āṇattī mahātalavara Aggasūro saṁvacharaṁ ⟨21⟩ himā 4 divasaṁ 3 jeca Ettakā rājāṇo raja⟨Page 5r⟩⟨22⟩mattā vā talavara-mahātalavarā vā jo Etassa halaṁ-bhi⟨kkhu⟩⟨23⟩-bhogassa rāgeṇa kodhena vā lobheṇa moheṇa vā ⟨24⟩ harati harāveti vā haraṁntaṁ vā Aṇuvattati so ⟨Page 5v⟩ ⟨25⟩ (paṁ)ca(-ma)(pāta)k(e)ṇa sa(ṁy)ujyatītt(i)

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ bhagavatos • Understand bhagavatas or bhagavate. Cf. same form in EIAD 54. — ⟨1⟩ sarvva- ⬦ sarva- F.

⟨3⟩ hiraṁṇa-koḍi- ⬦ hiraṇakoḍi- F.

⟨4⟩ raṁño ⬦ rāñāṁ F.

⟨5⟩ cātusāle ⬦ cātusālaṁ F.

⟨8⟩ vissāmaṇatthaṁ ⬦ vissamaṇatthaṁ F. — ⟨8⟩ Eha⟨va⟩la- ⬦ Ehala- F.

⟨10⟩ sāsanaṁ ⬦ sāsaṇa F.

⟨12⟩ Ayandatāraka⟨ṁ⟩Ayandatārakaṁ F.

⟨14⟩ k(ū)lattha-paddaggāma-patthe ⬦ kulatthapaṭṭaggāmapanthe F.

⟨15⟩ bat(t)ī[sa]batī(sa) F.

⟨16⟩ nidejaṁ _ nipoliti dejaṁ _ ti poli F.

⟨17⟩ puppha- ⬦ puppa- F • Cf. puppa- in EIAD 53, l. 1. But it seems possible to read puppha- here.

⟨18⟩ nidejaṁ nippoliti dejaṁ ti ppoli F.

⟨21⟩ raja- ⬦ rāj(ā)- F.

⟨2223⟩ halaṁbhi⟨kkhu⟩bhogassa F • The restoration of the akṣara kkhu is imposed by halo bhikhu-bhogaṁ in l. 19.

⟨24⟩ harāveti ⬦ hārāveti F. — ⟨24⟩ haraṁntaṁ ⬦ haraṁttaṁ F.

⟨25⟩ (paṁ)ca(ma)(pāta)k(e)ṇa ⬦ [2+] mahāpātareṇa F. — ⟨25⟩ sa(ṁy)ujyatītt(i)[1+] ujjati ti F • The last akṣara might also be read ttī. We in fact expect ti.

Translation

(1) Success! Homage to the Bhagavant, the Omniscient One!

(1–4) From the victorious royal headquarters, from Dhaṇṇakaḍā (Dhānyakaṭaka), the King Siri-Ehavalacāntamūlavamma of the Ikṣvākus, Great King, sacrificer of the Aśvamedha, giver of unperishing tens of millions of [pieces of] gold, gives (the following) order:

(5–11) “Here in Pithuṇḍa we caused to be made by sābhittānas (?) a quadrangular compound at the western gate of the Great Monastery. For its repair of broken and shattered [parts], for the repose of renunciants who [will] arrive and who (presently) reside in the quadrangular compound, the (following) royal order was issued, to be carried out (anuṣṭheya ?) by the Avaraddāraseliya renunciants residing in the plot of King Eha⟨va⟩la, headed by Aryayakkha (Āryayakṣa):

(11–20) ‘Having made a permanent endowment, having made [it permanent] as long as moon and stars, in order to expand the king’s own merit and to increase his lifespan and power, to the Great Monastery in Pithuṇḍa 32 nivartanas of plowable land are to be given (nideya) [and] registered (?), in the northern direction of the town, at the Great Shrine of the mahācelaka Eṭṭha, on the road [leading to] the village Kulatthapadda. North of Pithuṇḍa, west of the elephant grove, in Pupphakalasa, sixty-four — 64 — nivartanas of plowable land are to be given [and] registered (?). Having made [this] plowable land (hala) the revenue of the monks of the quadrangular compound at the western gate, the gift is completed (samyagdattam).’

(20–25) The executor is the Great Talavara Aggasūra (Agraśūra). In the year, in the 4th (fortnight) of winter, on the 3rd day. Who [among] the local kings and king’s officers, or Talavaras and Great Talavaras, out of passion, anger, greed or delusion, takes away or causes to be taken away plowable land from this monks’ revenue, or accepts one who takes away, is endowed with the five great sins.”

Commentary

(5) The word sābhittāṇehi is connected by Falk 1999–2000, p. 276 with abhitrāṇa, and interpreted as “preservation worker”.

(14) In mahāsetīye, the reading is secure, although Falk 1999–2000, p. 279 contemplates reading khī. Since alternation of spellings c/s is not unknown in South India, we are inclined to agree with Ramachandra Murthy 1999, p. 114 that we should understand mahācetīye, a term commonly occurring in the Nagarjunakonda inscriptions.

(14) The epithet mahācelakasa may be interpreted as either pointing to a prominent standard-bearer (PD, s.v. celaka), as Falk 1999–2000, p. 279 did, or as a religious figure, since P./BSkt. cellaka (also BSkt. cailaka) occurs in Buddhist texts, where it qualifies either novices or monks. Cf. BHSD, s.v. celaka; PD, s.v. celaka; Oguibénine 2005, p. 48. Hence, Ramachandra Murthy 1999, p. 114 translates this compound as “chief mendicant”. We tentatively favor the second interpretation.

(16) The hapax legomenon nipoli is tentatively assumed to be an abbreviation for a MIA expression equivalent to Sanskrit nibandhapustake likhitavyam (cf. Arthaśāstra 2.7.1–2 nibandha-pustaka).

(17) In hatthi-vārī, we recognize vāri, MW, s.v.: “a place for tying or catching an elephant”. The Sanskrit equivalent hasti-vārī is also found in EIAD 188, l. 20.

Bibliography

First edited by N. S. Ramachandra Murthy (1999); improved edition by H. Falk (Falk 1999–2000). Re-edited and translated by Arlo Griffiths & Vincent Tournier, with contributions by Stefan Baums and Ingo Strauch, making use of photographs taken in Hyderabad in 2016. That first digital edition was hosted at the experimental site Early Inscriptions of Āndhradeśa and the XML source code deposited at Griffiths and Tournier 2025. The code was adapted for DHARMA by Arlo Griffiths & Vincent Tournier in 2025.

Primary

[R] Ramachandra Murthy, N. S. 1999. “Pātagaṇḍigūḍem plates of Ehavala Chāntamūla.” JESI 25, pp. 114–123.

[F] Falk, Harry. 1999–2000. “The Pātagaṇḍigūḍem copper-plate grant of the Ikṣvāku king Ehavala Cāntamūla.” Silk Road Art and Archaeology 6, pp. 275–283.

Secondary

ARIE 1997–1998. Annual report on Indian epigraphy for 1997-98. Edited by T. S. Ravishankar. New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India, 2011. Appendix A, item 1.

IAR 1997–98. Indian Archaeology 1997-98: A Review. Edited by Kasturi Gupta Menon. New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India, 2003. [URL]. Page 206, item 4.

Raghunath, K. 2001. The Ikṣvākus of Vijayapuri: A study of the Nagarjunakonda inscriptions. Delhi: Eastern Book Linkers. Pages 152–153, item 37A.