Guṇapadēya plates, time of Vijaya-Skandavarman

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis (emfr).

Summary: Grant, with all exemptions, of a land at Dālūra to the lord (bhagavant) Nārāyaṇa of the temple (devakula) at/of Kūḷimahātāraka, by Cārudevī, the spouse of the yuvamahārāja Śrīvijaya-Buddhavarman.

Palaeographic description: See Hultzsch 1905–1906 (EI 8.12, p. 144).

On plate 3 recto, the two formulaic imprecatory stanzas are distributed in a pada-wise layout.

Languages: Middle Indo-Aryan (pra) [Southeast Asian Brāhmī (other) (brāhmī_southeast_asian_other)], Sanskrit (san) [Southern Brāhmī (other) (brāhmī_southern_other)].

Repository: Pallava (tfa-pallava-epigraphy).

Identifier: DHARMA_INSPallava00004.

File path: DHARMA_INSPallava00004.xml.

Version: 2026-07-17 15:32 (ecb0276), last modified 2026-07-17 15:32 (ecb0276).

Edition

⟨Page 1r⟩

⟨Page 1v⟩
⟨01⟩ siddha ∥
⟨1v1=1⟩ siri-vijaya-khandava(mm)a-mahārājassa saṁvvacharā [*]
⟨1v2=2⟩ yuva-mahārājassa bhāraddāya(s)sa pal(l)a(v)ā-
⟨1v3=3⟩ ṇaṁ si(r)i-vijaya-buddhavammassa devī [**]-
⟨1v4=4⟩ kura-jānavī cārudevī ka[*] vīya[**]

⟨Page 2r⟩⟨left: 2⟩

⟨2r1=5⟩ rājatalāka-heṭ(ṭh)e pāṇiya[*]-

⟨2r2=6⟩ pād-uttare pāse Ātukassa kasita[*]

⟨2r3=7⟩ chettaṁ dālūre kū(l)i-mahātaraka-devakulassa

⟨Page 2v⟩⟨left: 3⟩

⟨2v1=8⟩ bhagavan-nārāyaṇassa Amhaṁ Āyu-bala-vaddhanī-

⟨2v2=9⟩ yaṁ kātūṇa bhūmī-nivattan(e) cattāri 4 Amhehiṁ

⟨2v3=10⟩ sampadattā taṁ nātūṇa gāmeyekā Āyuttā

⟨2v4=11⟩ savva-(pa)rihārehi pariharatha parihar(ā)pe(tha)

⟨Page 3r⟩
⟨3r1=12⟩ bahubhi(r) vva(s)udhā dattā_ bahubhi(ś cā)nu(pā)litā
⟨3r2=13⟩ yasya yasya yadā bhūmi(ḥ)_ tasya tasya tadā phalam
⟨3r3=14⟩ svadatt¿a?ṁ paradatt¿a?ṁ vā_ y¿e? ha¿ratta? vasundharām
⟨3r4=15⟩ gavāṁ śata-sahasrasya_ hantuḥ pibati duṣkṛtam
⟨3r5=16⟩ Āṇatti rohaṇīgutthā tti ↝

⟨Page 3v⟩

Apparatus

⟨0⟩ ... ⬦ ... EI8.

Translation by Hultzsch 1905–1906

Success!

⟨1⟩ The years . . ⟨of the reign⟩ of the glorious mahārāja Vijaya-Skandavarman.

⟨2⟩ Cārudevī, the queen of the yuvamahārāja, the Bhāradvāja, the glorious Vijaya-Buddhavarman ⟨of the family⟩ of the Pallavas, ⟨and⟩ mother of (Buddhyaṅ)kura, ⟨addresses the following order⟩ (to the official at) Ka(ṭaka):—

⟨5⟩ “The field to be ploughed by Ātuka on the northern side of the drinking-well below the King’s Tank (rājataḍāka), ⟨containing⟩ four—4—nivartanas of land, has been given by Us, making ⟨it⟩ a means for increasing Our length of life and power,¹ to the god Nārāyaṇa of the Kūḷi-Mahāt(ā)raka temple at Dālūra.”

⟨10⟩ “Knowing this, ye, the villlagers ⟨and⟩ officials, exempt ⟨this field⟩ with all immunities, ⟨and⟩ cause ⟨it⟩ to be exempted!²”

⟨12–15⟩ [contain two of the customary verses]

⟨16⟩ “The ājñapti³ ⟨is⟩ Rohiṇīgupta.⁴”

Commentary

For a description of the Prakrit language of this grant, see Hultzsch 1905–1906 (EI 8.12, p. 144), Mehendale 1948, Pischel 1965.

Bibliography

Edited in Fleet 1880 (SOCI no. 74) with visual documentation; corrections in Bühler 1892, p. 2, n. 2 (EI 1.1); corrections in Hultzsch 1900–1901, p. 88, n. 10 (EI 6.1); corrections in Senart 1902–1903, pp. 67, 69 (EI 7.7). Edited in Hultzsch 1905–1906 (EI 8.12) with visual documentation and English translation. Text and sanskritised text in Sircar 1965, pp. 467–469. Edited in Subrahmanian 1966. Text and summary in Mahalingam 1988 (IP 4). Text and French translation of the Sanskrit portion in Brocquet 1997 (B 1).

This revised edition by Emmanuel Francis, based on published estampages and photos of the original plates in the British Library (2016).

Primary

[F] Fleet, John Faithfull. 1880. “Sanskrit and Old Canarese inscriptions, nos. LXV–LXXV.” IA 9, pp. 96–103. Pages 100–102.

[EI1] Bühler, Johann Georg. 1892. “A Prâkrit grant of the Pallava king Śivaskandavarman.” EI 1, pp. 2–10 + 479 (errata and corrigenda).

[EI6] Hultzsch, Eugen Julius Theodor. 1900–1901. “Mayidavolu plates of Sivaskandavarman.” EI 6, pp. 84–89.

[EI8] Hultzsch, Eugen Julius Theodor. 1905–1906. “British Museum plates of Charudevi.” EI 8, pp. 143–146.

[Se] Senart, Émile. 1902–1903. “The inscriptions in the caves at Kârlê.” EI 7, pp. 47–74.

[Si] Sircar, Dines Chandra. 1965. Select inscriptions bearing on Indian history and civilization. Volume I: from the sixth century B.C. to the sixth century A.D. 2nd edition revised and enlarged. Calcutta: University of Calcutta. Pages 467–469.

[TPC] Subrahmanian, T.N. 1966. Pallavar ceppēṭukaḷ muppatu / Thirty Pallava Copper-Plates (Prior to 1000 A.D.) Madras: Tamil Varalatru Kazhagam. [URL]. Pages 369–374.

[IP] Mahalingam, T. V. 1988. Inscriptions of the Pallavas. New Delhi; Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Agam Prakashan. Pages 40–41, item 4.

[B] Brocquet, Sylvain. 1997. “Les inscriptions sanskrites des Pallava : poésie, rituel, idéologie.” Thèse de doctorat, Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle. Paris. Pages 370–371, item 1.

Secondary

Francis, Emmanuel. 2013. Le discours royal dans l’Inde du Sud ancienne : inscriptions et monuments Pallava, IVème-IXème siècles. Tome I : Introduction et sources. Publications de l’Institut orientaliste de Louvain 64. Louvain-la-Neuve; Paris: Université catholique de Louvain, Institut orientaliste; Peeters. Item IR 4.

Gaur, Albertine. 1975. Indian charters on copper plates in the Department of Oriental Manuscripts and Printed Books. London: British Museum Publications. Item 2.

Mehendale, M.A. 1948. Historical grammar of inscriptional Prakrits. Poona: Deccan College, Postgraduate and Research Institute. Pages xvi, 108.

Pischel, Richard. 1965. Comparative grammar of the Prākr̥it languages. 2nd revised edition. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. Page 8.

Notes

1. The Sanskrit equivalent of the words amhaṁ āyu-bala-vaddhanīyaṁ occurs in the Uruvupalli grant; Ind. Ant., Vol. V, p. 52, text line 27f. Instead of vaddhanīyaṁ, the corresponding portions of the Hīrahaḍagalli, Mayidavōlu and Koṇḍamudi plates have vadhanike.
2. The corresponding Sanskrit phrase sarvva-parihāraiḥ pariharata parihārayata ca occurs in the Māṅgaḷūr grant; Ind. Ant. Vol. V, p. 156, text line 30.
3. On āṇatti see above, Vol. VII [i.e. EI 7], p.185 and notes 4 and 5.
4. In rohaṇigutta, rohaṇī is a vulgar form of rohiṇī, which occurs above, Vol. IV [i.e. EI 4], p. 295, text line 5; the usual form in Tamil inscriptions is urōcaṇi.

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<p n="1">The years . . <supplied reason="subaudible">of the reign</supplied> of the glorious <foreign>mahārāja</foreign> Vijaya-Skandavarman.</p>

<p n="2">Cārudevī, the queen of the <foreign>yuvamahārāja</foreign>, the Bhāradvāja, the glorious Vijaya-Buddhavarman <supplied reason="subaudible">of the family</supplied> of the Pallavas, <supplied reason="subaudible">and</supplied> mother of <unclear>Buddhyaṅ</unclear>kura, <supplied reason="subaudible">addresses the following order</supplied> <unclear>to the official at</unclear> Ka<unclear>ṭaka</unclear>:—</p>

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<p n="16"><quote>The <foreign>ājñapti</foreign><note>On <foreign>āṇatti</foreign> see above, Vol. VII [i.e. EI 7], p.185 and notes 4 and 5.</note> <supplied reason="subaudible">is</supplied> Rohiṇīgupta.<note>In <foreign>rohaṇigutta</foreign>, <foreign>rohaṇī</foreign> is a vulgar form of <foreign>rohiṇī</foreign>, which occurs above, Vol. IV [i.e. EI 4], p. 295, text line 5; the usual form in Tamil inscriptions is <foreign>urōcaṇi</foreign>.</note></quote></p>

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<p>For a description of the Prakrit language of this grant, see <bibl><ptr target="bib:Hultzsch1905-1906_04"/></bibl> (EI 8.12, p. 144), <bibl><ptr target="bib:Mehendale1948_01"/></bibl>, <bibl><ptr target="bib:Pischel1965_01"/></bibl>.</p>

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Edited in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Fleet1880_01"/></bibl> (SOCI no. 74) with visual documentation; corrections in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Buhler1892_01"/><citedRange unit="page">2</citedRange><citedRange unit="note">2</citedRange></bibl> (EI 1.1); corrections in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Hultzsch1900-1901_01"/><citedRange unit="page">88</citedRange><citedRange unit="note">10</citedRange></bibl> (EI 6.1); corrections in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Senart1902-1903_01"/><citedRange unit="page">67, 69</citedRange></bibl> (EI 7.7).

Edited in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Hultzsch1905-1906_04"/></bibl> (EI 8.12) with visual documentation and English translation.

Text and sanskritised text in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Sircar1965_02"/><citedRange unit="page">467-469</citedRange></bibl>.

Edited in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Subrahmanian1966_01"/></bibl>.

Text and summary in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Mahalingam1988_01"/></bibl> (IP 4).

Text and French translation of the Sanskrit portion in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Brocquet1997_01"/></bibl> (B 1).

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