Elūra grant — reign of Devavarman, year 13

Editors: Arlo Griffiths, Vincent Tournier.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00159.

Hand description:

Language: Middle Indo-Aryan.

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

Version: (a154659), last modified (77e39b7).

Edition

⟨Page 1b⟩⟨marginleft: <dextrorotatory-spiral>⟩ ⟨1⟩ sirīvijayaveṅgīpurā bhagavato ⟨2⟩ cittarathasāmipādānu⟨3⟩jjhātassa bappabhaṭṭārakapādabhattassa ⟨Page 2a⟩⟨marginleft: 2⟩ ⟨4⟩ paramamāhessarassa sālaṅkāyanassa ⟨5⟩ Assamedhayājino ⟨6⟩ mahārājasirīvijayadevavammassa ⟨Page 2b⟩⟨marginleft: 3⟩ ⟨7⟩ vayaṇena Elūre mududapamu(kho) ⟨8⟩ gāmo bhāṇitavvo Etassa ⟨9⟩ babhurasagottassa gaṇasammassa ⟨Page 3a⟩⟨marginleft: 4⟩ ⟨10⟩ sundarapadesamhi bhūminiyattaṇān(i) ⟨11⟩ vīsaṁ 20gharaṭṭhānaṁ Addhiyamanussāṇaṁ ⟨12⟩ duvaggāṇa ya gharaṭṭhānaṁ parihārarakkhaṇaṁ ⟨Page 3b⟩⟨marginleft: 5⟩ ⟨13⟩ samāṇattaṁ Evaṁ savvaparihārehi parihari⟨14⟩tavvo ya vijayasaṁvvaccharāṇi ⟨15⟩ terasa 103pauṣakālapakkhadasamī(ya)

I. Anuṣṭubh

⟨Page 4a⟩⟨marginleft: 6⟩ ⟨16⟩ ṣaṣṭiṁ varṣasahasrāṇi

a

svargge krīḍati bhūmidaḥ

b

⟨17⟩ Ācchettā cānumantā ca

c

tāny eva narak(e) vaset·

d
II. Anuṣṭubh

⟨18⟩ bahubhir vasudhā dattā

a

bahubhiś cānupālitā

b

⟨19⟩ yasya yasya yadā bhūmiḥ

c

tasya tasya tadā phala(m·)

d

Apparatus

⟨1b, LM⟩ <dextrorotatory-spiral> • This symbol represents oṁ according to Hultzsch 1907–1908, p. 58. The recent consensus however is that it represents siddham.

⟨7⟩ mududa- ⬦ muḷuḍa- Hultzsch 1907–1908 • Alternative readings mu[d/ḍ]u[d/ḍa]- are possible. — ⟨7⟩ -pamu(kho) ⬦ -pamukho Hultzsch 1907–1908.

⟨9⟩ babhura- ⬦ ba(bhura)- Hultzsch 1907–1908.

⟨12⟩ duvaggāṇa Hultzsch 1907–1908 • Emend duvaggāṇaṁ

⟨15⟩ -dasamī(ya) ⬦ -dasamī (10?) Hultzsch 1907–1908 • But reading -ya here is supported by EIAD 160, l. 13.

⟨17⟩ narak(e) • Hultzsch 1907–1908, p. 59 notes: “This word looks almost like narakô”.

⟨19⟩ bhūmiḥ • Hultzsch 1907–1908, p. 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.

I
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) bhagavato1

(7) Elūre2

(7) mududa3

(8) gāmo bhāṇitavvo4

(8) Etassa5

(9) babhura-6

(11) Addhiya-7

(12) duvaggāṇa8

Bibliography

First described and edited by Hultzsch 1907–1908. Re-edited here from Hultzsch’s facsimiles.

Secondary

No name. 1887–. Annual report on Indian epigraphy. Madras; Calcutta; New Delhi: Government of Madras; Archaeological Survey of India. Pages 1906: 65–6 (§55), no. A.33.

Srinivasa Ayyangar, R. 1918. Catalogue of copper-plate grants in the Government Museum, Madras. Madras: Printed by the Supt., Govt. Press. [URL]. Page 36.

Gopalan, R. and S. Krishnaswamy Aiyangar. 1928. History of the Pallavas of Kanchi. Madras University historical series 3. Madras: University of Madras. Page 73.

Gai, Govind Swamirao. 1969–1970. “Sakrepatna plates of Pallava Simhavarman, year 41.” EI 38, pp. 98–105. Page no. 863.

Krishnan, K. G. and J. Sundaram. 1989. Uṭṭaṅkita Sanskrit Vidyā-Araṇya epigraphs, vol. III: Sanskrit inscriptions 320 to 600 A.D. Reprint 2006. Mysore: Uṭṭaṅkita Vidyā-Araṇya Trust. Pages 13–5 (no. 8).

Notes

  1. 1. 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 1907–1908, p. 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-.
  2. 2. “Êlûra, to whose inhabitants the subjoined edict was addressed, is no doubt the modern town of Êlûru (Ellore), 7 miles from Pedda-Vêgi” (Hultzsch 1907–1908, p. 58).
  3. 3. This word, which appears in several other Śālaṅkāyana grants in various forms, is taken to mean “headman (of village)” (see Sircar 1966, p. 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).
  4. 4. Sircar (on EIAD 160) translates gāmo as ‘villagers’ and explains: “gāma=Sanskrit grāma, literally ‘a village’, used here in the sense of grāmeyaka” (Sircar [1966] 1963–1964, pp. 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.
  5. 5. 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 1907–1908, p. 59), i.e. the Vidētūrapallikā Grant (EIAD 165).
  6. 6. Hultzsch notes: “Prof. Kielhorn suggests to me that this doubtful word may be meant for Babhru” (Hultzsch 1907–1908, p. 59).
  7. 7. 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 1907–1908, p. 59).
  8. 8. Hultzsch notes: “The Sanskṛit original of duvagga seems to be dvârga, which may be taken in the sense of dvâstha” (Hultzsch 1907–1908, p. 59).