Copper plates concerning the village Vidētūrapallikā — reign of Nandivarman II, year 8

Editors: Emmanuel Francis, Arlo Griffiths.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00165.

Summary: ...

Hand description:

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Language: Sanskrit.

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

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

Edition

⟨Page 1v⟩⟨left: 1 ⟨1⟩ svasti

vijaya-veṅgī-purād bhagavac-citra-ratha-svāmi-pādānuddhyāto bappa-bha⟨2⟩ṭṭāraka-pāda-bhaktaḫ parama-bhāgavataś śālaṅk(ā)yāno mahārājā-ca ⟨Page 2r⟩⟨left: 2⟨3⟩ṇḍavarmmaṇas sūnur jyeṣṭho mahārāja-śrī-vijaya-nandivarmmā ku(drā)hāra-viṣaye ⟨4⟩ videtūrapallikā-grāme mutuḍa-sahitā(n) (gr)āmy¿a?⟨ā⟩n samājñāpayati

Asti ⟨Page 2v⟩ ⟨5⟩ Asmābhir asmat-kula-gotra-dharmma-ya⟨śa⟩ẖ-kānti-kīrtti-pravarddhanāya Eteṣā⟨ṁ⟩ k(u)rava⟨6⟩ka-śrī-varāgrāhāra-vastavyānā(m·) nānā-gotra-caraṇa-svāddhyāyānām· ⟨Page 3r⟩⟨left: 3 ⟨7⟩ sapta-pañcāśad-uttara-śatānām brāhmaṇānām eṣa grāmaḫ pratta⟨ḥ⟩

tad avetya ⟨8⟩ deśādhipaty-āyuktaka-vallabha-rāja-puruṣādibhis sarvv-aparihāraiḥ ⟨Page 3v⟩ ⟨9⟩ pariharttavyo rakṣitavyaś ca

pravarddhamāna-vijaya-rājya-saptama-sa⟨ṁ⟩vatsara⟨10⟩sya pauṣya-māsa-kr̥ṣṇa-pakṣasyāṣṭamyām paṭṭikā dattā ||

tatrājñāpti⟨ḥ⟩ ⟨Page 4r⟩⟨left: 4 ⟨11⟩ mūlakura-bhojaka(ḥ) ||

I. Anuṣṭubh

bahubhir vvasudhā dattā

a

bahubhiś cānupālitā

b

yasya yasya yādā bhūm⟨i⟩

c

⟨12⟩ tasya tasya tadā phalam· ||

d
II. Anuṣṭubh

⟨13⟩ ṣaṣṭi-varṣa-sahasrāṇi

a

svargge k⟨r⟩īḍati bhūmi-da⟨ḥ⟩

b

Ākṣeptā cābhimantā ca

c

tāny eva na⟨ra⟩ke vase⟨t· ||

d

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ -pādānuddhyāto • F corrects to -pādānudhyāto.

⟨2⟩ śālaṅkay(ā)no ⬦ śālaṅkāyano F • If the inscription actually has śālaṅkayano then we are dealing with a mistake of the scribe for the expected śālaṅkāyano. But the apparent absence of might also be an artifact of deficient visual documentation.

⟨2-3⟩ mahārājācaṇḍavarmmaṇas • F emends to mahārāja-caṇḍavarmmaṇas. But the text is correct as it stands, for the name of the king is Acaṇḍavarman (see Sircar [1970] 1965–1966, p. 3).

⟨3⟩ ku(drā)hāra- ⬦ kuḍu(?)hāra- F • The reading is unclear, possibly due to deficiency of the visual documentation, but is confirmed by EIAD 167, line 7.

⟨4⟩ videtūrapallikā ⬦ viḍenyurpallikā B1874; viḍenūrpallikā B1878; videnūrapallikā F • A long ū would not be attached in the manner we see here below n; so we must read . — ⟨4⟩ mutuḍa- ⬦ munyaḍa- B1874; mutyada- F • See F’s note on p. 176. On Fleet’s facsimile, we seem to have ma, but on Burnell’s we clearly have mu. On the term mutuḍa-, see Sircar 1966, p. 207.

⟨5-6⟩ k(u)ravaka- ⬦ karavaka B1874; kuravaka F.

⟨6⟩ -svāddhyāyānām· • F emends to -svādhyāyānām·.

⟨7⟩ pratta⟨ḥ⟩prattaḥ B1874 F.

⟨10⟩ tatrājñāpti⟨ḥ⟩ • Understand tatrājñaptiḥ. But the same spelling is found at EIAD 166, line 20.

⟨11⟩ mūlakurabhojakaḥ • F emends to mūlakarabhojakā. But this is not warranted. See EIAD 166, line 20.

⟨13⟩ vase⟨t· ||F notes: “This letter [t] … and the mark of punctuation after it, are omitted altogether in the original, through want of space at the end of the plate.” (Fleet 1876, p. 177).

Translation by Emmanuel Francis and Arlo Griffiths

(1–4) Hail! From the victorious Veṅgīpura, the great king, the illustrious and victorious (śrī-vijaya) Nandivarman, blessed by the feet of the Lord Citrarathasvāmin, devotee of the feet of Bappabhaṭṭāraka, devout worshiper of the Lord, the Śālaṅkāyana, eldest son of the great king Acaṇḍavarman, gives an order to the villagers with their headman (mutuḍa), in the village Videtūrapallikā, in the Kuḍuhāra district:

(4–7) “By us, for the purpose of increasing the merit (dharma), fame, beauty and renown of our family and gotra, this village has been given to these hundred and fifty-seven Brahmins, studying various schools and belonging to various gotras, residents of the Kuravaka and Śrīvara agrahāras.

(7–9) Having understood this, governors, appointees/officers, courtiers/those dear to [us], and royal servants, should exempt it from all taxes and protect it.

(9–10) A charter was given on the eighth of the waning fortnight of the month Pauṣya of the seventh year of [his] prosperous and victorious reign.

The executor (ājñapti) was the freeholder (bhojaka) of Mūlakura.”

I
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.
II
The giver of land revels sixty thousand years in heaven; the one who confiscates [land] as well as the one who agrees [to the confiscation] will reside as many [years] in hell.

Commentary

The name of the village with which the grant has become associated in scholarship was so far generally misread as Vidēnūrapallikā; the correct reading, already observed by Nilakanta Sastri and Gopalachari 1937–1938, p. 281, is Vidētūrapallikā.

(6) -śrīvarāgrāhāra-. Compare this occurrence of agrāhāra (rather than agrahāra) with Ghosh 2015, p. 8 (on Bagh copper-plate inscriptions).

Bibliography

First described and translated by Elliot 1840. Text first published by Burnell 1874, pp. 86–87, with visual documentation (pl. XX). Reedited by Fleet 1876, pp. 175–177, with visual documentation (pl. XVIII), and Burnell 1878, pp. 135–136, with visual documentation (pl. XXIV). Estampages from Sir Walter Elliot in the Bibliothèque nationale de France (manuscript Indien 757, f37r and ff.), British Museum (Registration number: 1969,0401,0.8; see plate 1 verso, etc.). The text is re-edited here by Emmanuel Francis and Arlo Griffiths from the available visual documentation, whose fidelity to the original is not entirely certain.

Primary

[E] Elliot, Walter. 1840. “Note on an Ancient Hindu Grant.” Madras Journal of Literature and Science 11, pp. 302–6.

[B1874] Burnell, A.C. 1874. Elements of South-Indian palaeography from the fourth to the seventh century A.D. 1st edition. London: Stolz & Hirner, Basel Mission Press; Trübner.

[F] Fleet, John Faithfull. 1876. “Sanskrit and Old Canarese inscriptions, nos. XVI–XVIII.” IA 5, pp. 174–177.

[B1878] Burnell, A. C. 1878. Elements of South-Indian palaeography from the fourth to the seventeenth century A.D., being an introduction to the study of South-Indian inscriptions and MSS. 2nd enlarged and improved edition. London: Trübner.

[S] Sircar, Dines Chandra. [1970] 1965–1966. “Three copper-plate charters: 1. Dhārikāṭūra grant of Achaṇḍavarman, year 35; 2. Tūṇḍigrāma grant of Vikramendra III, year 14; 3. Ēkallahāra grant of Trilocanapāla, Śaka 972.” EI 36, pp. 1–18. Page 74.

Secondary

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

Ghosh, Suchandra. 2015. “A hoard of copper plates: Patronage and the early Valkhā state.” Studies in History 31 (1), pp. 1–29. DOI: 10.1177/0257643014558460. [URL].

Nilakanta Sastri, K. A. and K. Gopalachari. 1937–1938. “Epigraphic notes.” EI 24, pp. 279–282. [URL].

Sircar, Dines Chandra. 1966. Indian epigraphical glossary. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.