Elūra grant — reign of Devavarman, year 13

Editors: Anonymous editor.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00159.

Hand description:

Language: Prakrit.

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

Version: (9fa90aa), last modified (35386f0).

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 Hultzschf. The recent consensus however is that it represents siddham.

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

⟨9⟩ babhura- ⬦ ba(bhura)- Hultzschf.

⟨12⟩ duvaggāṇa Hultzschf • Emend duvaggāṇaṁ

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

⟨17⟩ narak(e) • Hultzschf notes: “This word looks almost like narakô”.

⟨19⟩ bhūmiḥ • Hultzschf 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 Hultzschf. 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_Ayyangar1918

Gopalan1928

Gai1969

Krishnan1989a

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” (Hultzschf). 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” (Hultzschf).
  3. 3. This word, which appears in several other Śālaṅkāyana grants in various forms, is taken to mean “headman (of village)” (see Sircar1966). 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” (Sircark). 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” (Hultzschf), 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” (Hultzschf).
  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” (Hultzschf).
  8. 8. Hultzsch notes: “The Sanskṛit original of duvagga seems to be dvârga, which may be taken in the sense of dvâstha” (Hultzschf).