Copper plates from Kantēru (set I) — reign of Nandivarman (II?)

Authors of digital edition: Arlo Griffiths (argr), Vincent Tournier (vito).

Language: Sanskrit (san) [Script (other) (script_other)].

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

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00163.

File path: texts/xml/DHARMA_INSEIAD00163.xml.

Version: 2026-07-17 15:34 (ce35bbc), last modified 2026-07-17 15:34 (ce35bbc).

Edition

⟨Page 1b⟩⟨marginleft: 1⟩

⟨1⟩ svasti vijayave(ṅgīpurād) (bha)gavaccitraratha-

⟨2⟩ svāmipādānudhyāto bappabhaṭṭārakapā-

⟨Page 2a⟩

⟨3⟩ dabhaktaḥ paramabhāgavataḥ śā(la)ṅkāya-

⟨4⟩ ṇo mahārājaśrīnandivarmma kudrāhāre

⟨Page 2b⟩⟨marginleft: 2⟩

⟨5⟩ viṣaye kuruvāḍagrāme munuḍasahitā

⟨6⟩ grāmeyakāṇāṁ jñāpayati svasti |Asmābhiḥ

⟨Page 3a⟩

⟨7⟩ brāhmaṇāya maudgalyasagotrāya

⟨8⟩ prasiddhāya svāmicandrāya Asmatkulago-

⟨Page 3b⟩⟨marginleft: 3⟩

⟨9⟩ (tradharmayaśo)bhivr̥ddhyarddham· Asmin grāme dvādaśa

⟨10⟩ bhūminivarttanāni pradattāni tad avetya

⟨Page 4a⟩

⟨11⟩ [A]māsyām paṭṭikā dattā ∥ bahubhir vasudhā dattā

⟨12⟩ bahubhiś cānupalitā | yasya yasya yadā bhūmi--

⟨13⟩ s tasya tasya tadā phalam·

⟨Page 4b⟩⟨marginleft: 4⟩

⟨14⟩ ṣaṣṭivarṣasahasrāṇi svarge krīḍati bhūmidaḥ Ākṣeptā cābhimantā ca tāny eva narake vased iti

Apparatus

⟨4⟩ -nandivarmma ⬦ -nandivarmma⟨o*⟩ Lakshmana Rao 1930 • We do not understand what Lakshmana Rao meant: -nandivarmma to be corrected to -nandivarmmo or -nandivarmm(o)? We suggest reading -nandivarmmo or, more likely, -nandivarmmā.

⟨5-6⟩ munuḍasahitā grāmeyakāṇāṁ jñāpayati svasti Lakshmana Rao 1930 • We suggest reading mutuḍasahitān· grāmeyakān ājñāpayati Asti. See EIAD 166, lines 8-9: mutuḍasahitān grāmeyakān sam⟨ā⟩jñāpayati Asti.

⟨9⟩ -vr̥ddhyarddham· Lakshmana Rao 1930 • We suggest reading -vr̥ddhyarttham·.

⟨11⟩ [A]māsyām Lakshmana Rao 1930 • We suggest reading Amāvāsyām, but the formula would still be incomplete. Several words seem to have been omitted in this part of the grant (Lakshmana Rao 1930, pp. 32, n. 4).

Translation

⟨1–6⟩ Hail! From the victorious city of Veṅgī, the glorious great king Nandivarman, who is favored by the feet of the lord Citrarathasvāmin, devoted to the feet of his lord and a supreme devotee of the Lord, the Śālaṅkāyana, orders the villagers along with the headmen in the village of Kuruvāḍa in the province of Kudrāhāra:

⟨6–10⟩ ‘There are in this village, given by us to the famous Svāmicandra, who belongs to the gotra of the Maudgalyas, for the sake of increasing the merit (dharma) and fame or our lineage and gotra, twelve nivartanas of land.’

⟨10–11⟩ Knowing this, a charter has been given on a new-moon day.

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 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.

Bibliography

First described, edited and translated by Lakshmana Rao 1930. In the absence of published facsimiles, the text is presented here following Lakshmana Rao, with suggestions in notes based on parallels, to be confirmed if the original plates kept in the Chennai Government Museum become accessible. Our translation is based on the readings proposed in our apparatus. Extra punctuation added by Lakshmana Rao has been removed. Lakshmana Rao 1930, p. 23 states that the plates are numbered, but does not indicate the plate numbering in his edition. We have added them below, assuming their location from parallels.

Secondary

ARIE

Gopalan, R. & S. Krishnaswamy Aiyangar. 1928. History of the Pallavas of Kanchi. Madras University historical series 3. Madras: University of Madras. Page 74.

Gai, Govind Swamirao. 1986. Dynastic list of copper plate inscriptions noticed in annual reports on Indian epigraphy from 1887 to 1969. Mysore: Archaeological Survey of India. Page no. 859.

Sridhar, T. S. & R. Balasubramanian. 2011. A catalogue of copper plate grants (1918–2010). Chennai: Commissioner of Museums, Government Museum. [URL]. Page 36.

Display Options Word Wrap Line Numbers Comments Processing Instructions

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<!--Last xsl transformation: 2017-06-20T10:50:05.525+02:00

Data source: 'iksvaku-inscriptions/metadata/EIAD-inventory.xlsx'

- - - - - - - - -

[1] Inventory no. EIAD: 163

[2] Raghunath no.:

[3] Srinivasan & Sankaranarayanan no.:

[4] Tsukamoto no.:

[5] Lüders no.:

[6] Support : 4 copper plates

[7] (Faces:) Lines:

[8] H: 1¼ in.

[9] W: 5¼ in.

[10] D:

[11] H:

[12] W:

[13] Language(s): Sanskrit

[14] Original locality: Kantēru, Tadikonda Mndl., Guntur Dt.

[15] Present locality: CGM (acc. to Sridhar & Balasubramaniam 2011: 36)

[16] Primary bibliography: Lakshmana Rao 1922, 1930

[17] Secondary bibliography: ARIE 1924-25: 73-5, A.2. — DLCPI 1887-1969: no. 859

[18] Visual documentation: none

[19] Substance of inscription: Gift of a land to 1 Brahmin

[20] Remarks:

[21] : SA5 Kantēru Plates Set No. 1

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Nandivarman, who is favored by the feet of the lord Citrarathasvāmin, devoted to

the feet of his lord and a supreme devotee of the Lord, the Śālaṅkāyana, orders

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of Kudrāhāra:</p><p n="6-10"> ‘There are in this village, given by us to the famous

Svāmicandra, who belongs to the <foreign xml:lang="san-Latn">gotra</foreign> of the Maudgalyas, for the sake of

increasing the merit (<foreign xml:lang="san-Latn">dharma</foreign>) and fame or our lineage and <foreign xml:lang="san-Latn">gotra</foreign>, twelve

<foreign xml:lang="san-Latn">nivartana</foreign>s of land.’</p><p n="10-11"> Knowing this, a charter has been given on a

new-moon day.</p><p n="1" rend="stanza">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.</p><p n="2" rend="stanza">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.</p></div><div type="commentary"><!--[Revision required]

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</listApp> --></div><div type="bibliography"><p>First described, edited and translated by <bibl><ptr target="bib:LakshmanaRao1930_01"/></bibl>. In the absence of

published facsimiles, the text is presented here following Lakshmana Rao,

with suggestions in notes based on parallels, to be confirmed if the original

plates kept in the Chennai Government Museum become accessible. Our translation

is based on the readings proposed in our apparatus. Extra punctuation added by

Lakshmana Rao has been removed. <bibl><ptr target="bib:LakshmanaRao1930_01"/>: <citedRange>23</citedRange></bibl> states that the

plates are numbered, but does not indicate the plate numbering in his edition.

We have added them below, assuming their location from parallels.</p><listBibl type="primary"><bibl/></listBibl><listBibl type="secondary"><bibl><ptr target="bib:ARIE"/><citedRange>1924-25: 73-5 (no. A.2)</citedRange></bibl><bibl><ptr target="bib:Gopalan1928_01"/>: <citedRange>74</citedRange></bibl><bibl><ptr target="bib:Gai1986_01"/>: <citedRange>no. 859</citedRange></bibl><bibl><ptr target="bib:Sridhar+Balasubramanian2011_01"/>: <citedRange>36</citedRange></bibl></listBibl></div></body></text>

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