Rajbhita Stone Inscription of the Time of Mahīpāla I, Year 33

Editor: Ryosuke Furui.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSBengalCharters00060.

Language: Sanskrit.

Repository: Bengal Copper Plates (tfb-bengalcharters-epigraphy).

Version: (3b1ee6e), last modified (d415134).

Edition

⟨1⟩

@

śrīman-mahīpāladevapādīya-pravarddhamāna-vijaya-rājye samvat· 33 Āśvina-dine| śrī-deśi-haṭṭa| śrī-jaya-haṭṭa| śrī-gauḍa-haṭṭīya-samasta⟨2⟩-vaṇig-grāmeṇa| śrī-sonnakādevīmādhava-śāsana Āgaccakāvacch¿u?⟨i⟩nna-grāma| dhātrīpura| saptakhātaka| khanitrapallī| lakkhunna-grāmeṣu| ye ke ’pi|| ⟨3⟩ svasyāṁ svasyāṁ| vāṭikāyāṁ| vājya-bhūmau ca| ✤ guvāka-nālikera-vr̥kṣān·| ¿Ā?⟨A⟩rjayanti| teṣāṁ vāg dattā|

yathā-phalan nālikera-vr̥kṣam prati paṇa trayam·| phala⟨4⟩vad-guvāka-vr̥kṣam prati paṇa Ekaḥ| śrī-sonnakāmādhavasya pūjārtham| prati-samvatsaran tair ddātavyam·|

yatra| prati nālikera-vr̥kṣaṁ hi pa 3 prati guvāka-vr̥⟨5⟩kṣaṁ hi pa 1 Etan niyamitā⟨r⟩thāt·|

yaḥ kaś cid anyathā kurute| tasya dr̥ṣṭena| śrīmad-deva-pādāḥ| Antarādattāḥ| garddabhaḥ pitā| gartta-ṣūkarī mātā| U⟨6⟩ṣṭraḥ pitr̥vyo bhavet·| ¡ṣ!⟨ś⟩apatha Iti|

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ rājye ⬦ rājñe HK; rāje KR. — ⟨1⟩ haṭṭīya ⬦ haṭṭa yai HK. — ⟨1⟩ samasta ⬦ samasū HK.

⟨2⟩ grāmeṇa ⬦ grāmena HK; dhāmeṇa KR. — ⟨2⟩ āvacchunna ⬦ āvacchanna KR. — ⟨2⟩ ye ke’pi ⬦ sekyepi HK; se ke’pi RF KR.

⟨3⟩ vājya-bhūmau ⬦ vājña-sumau HK; yājña (bhī)mau KR. — ⟨3⟩ ārjayanti ⬦ ājayanti KR. — ⟨3⟩ phalan ⬦ phālan HK. — ⟨3⟩ paṇa ⬦ yaṇa HK; pana KR. — ⟨3⟩ phalavad ⬦ phālavad HK; (phī)lavad KR.

⟨4⟩ paṇa ⬦ yaṇa HK; pana KR. — ⟨4⟩ sonnakā ⬦ sannakā KR. — ⟨4⟩ samvatsaran tair ddātavyam· ⬦ samvase rantairddātapyam HK; saṁvatsaran tair dolata vyaṁ KR. — ⟨4⟩ pa 3 ⬦ yaṇṭa HK; pa(na) KR • Both Hok and Kuddus and Ray failed to recognise the second sign as a numeral. — ⟨4⟩ prati guvāka ⬦ priti guvāka KR.

⟨5⟩ hi pa 1 ⬦ di pata HK; hi yatra KR • Both Hok and Kuddus and Ray failed to recognise the third sign as a numeral. — ⟨5⟩ etan niyamitāthāt· ⬦ etam niyamitāthāt HK; etan niyamita|–[t] KR. — ⟨5⟩ tasya ⬦ taṣya HK. — ⟨5⟩ Antarādattāḥ ⬦ antarā dattā KR. — ⟨5⟩ gartta ⬦ gastta HK. — ⟨5⟩ U ⟨6⟩ ṣṭraḥ ⬦ Ustraḥ KR.

⟨6⟩ pitr̥vyo ⬦ pitr̥vye HK. — ⟨6⟩ bhavet· ⬦ bhavetrū HK.

Translation by Furui 2013

(1) Success!

(1–3) On the day of Āśvina in the year 33 of the prosperous and victorious reign of his majesty the illustrious Mahīpāla (I), the [following] word was given (an agreement was made) by the association of all the merchants belonging to illustrious Deśihaṭṭa, illustrious Jayahaṭṭa and illustrious Gauḍahaṭṭa, about all those who cause to grow areca nut and coconut trees at each small garden and vājyabhūmi of their own in Dhātrīpura, Saptakhātaka, Khanitrapallī and Lakkhunnagrāma, which are the villages coming to (belonging to) and demarcated in the donated tract of illustrious Sonnakādevīmādhava:

(3–4) “three paṇas per coconut tree according to the [growth of] fruit [and] one paṇa per fruit-bearing areca nut tree should be given by them every year for the worship of illustrious Sonnakāmādhava.

(4–5) In this regard, it is thus determined according to the cause: for each coconut tree hi[raṇya] pa[ṇa] 3, for each areca nut tree hi[raṇya] pa[ṇa] 1.

(5–6) In full view of the one who does anything otherwise, his majesty the illustrious deity (Sonnakāmādhava) will be withdrawn; his father will be a donkey, his mother a sow of the ditch and his paternal uncle a camel. [This is] the curse.”

Commentary

Bibliography

First edited by Md. Monirul Hok and Md. Abdul Kuddus[1412 BS] 2006from the original with a photographic reproduction; Krishnendu Ray2009 reproduced witout a proper permission an edition by Gouriswar Bhattacharya which had been presented at a seminar; re-edited by Ryosuke Furui2013 based on the photographs taken by himself; re-edited by Ryosuke Furui with revision based on the comments by Arlo Griffiths.

Primary

[HK] M. Monirul Hok and M. Abdul Kuddus. [1412 BS] 2006. “Prathama Mahīpālera Rājabhiṭā śilālipi: pāṭhoddhāra o biśleṣaṇa.” IBSJ 13, pp. 7–18.

[KR] Ray, Krishnendu. 2009. “Socio-economic and cultural study of the Rajbhita (Greater Dinajpur District, Bangladesh) stone slab inscription of the time of Mahipala (I), regnal year 33.” JBA 13-14, pp. 271–277.

[RF] Furui, Ryosuke. 2013. “Merchant groups in early medieval Bengal: with special reference to the Rajbhita stone inscription of the time of Mahīpāla I, Year 33.” BSOAS 76 (3), pp. 391–412. DOI: 10.1017/S0041977X13000451. [URL].