Cīpurupalle plates of Viṣṇuvardhana I
Editor: Dániel Balogh.
Identifier: DHARMA_INSVengiCalukya00002.
Hand description:
Halantas. l1, T: if correctly read, this is a very small character at baseline, without a line above. L8 matimāN: also very small at baseline, and seems to have a _vertical_ line above it. L12 gotrābhyāM: indistinct. L19 vaseT: small at baseline; may have a fairly long stem upward.
Original punctuation. l16, a short vertical floating at mid-height. L17 same. The closing symbol appears to be composed of three dots in a triangular arrangement.
Language: Sanskrit.
Repository: Eastern Cālukya (tfb-vengicalukya-epigraphy).
Version: (c66dc65), last modified (3468c87).
Edition
⟨Page 1v⟩ ⟨1⟩ svasti{ḥ}⟨.⟩ śrīma¡(T)!-caluky¿ā?⟨a⟩-kula-jalanidhi-samudito nr̥pati-niśākaraḥ sva⟨2⟩-bhrūlatā-bhaṅga-namita-r¿a?⟨i⟩pu-nr̥pati-makuṭa-maṇi-prabhā-vicchurita-caraṇāravinda⟨3⟩-dvayaḥ satyāśraya-śrī-vallabha-mahārājaḥ⟨.⟩ tasya priyānujaḥ sthala-jala⟨4⟩-vana-giri-viṣama-durggeṣu labdha-siddhitvād viṣamasiddhiḥ d(ī)nānātha-dvija-vasu-vr̥ṣṭi⟨5⟩-pravarṣaṇatayā kāmadhenuḥ yuvatiṣu madanāyamāna-cāru-śarīratvān makara-dhvaja⟨ḥ⟩ ⟨Page 2r⟩ ⟨6⟩ sva-dānārṇṇav¿au?⟨e⟩ṣu parimagna-kali-prabhāvaḥ Aneka-samara-vijaya-samudi(ta)⟨7⟩-vimala-yaśo-viśeṣa-vibhūṣita-sakala-diṅ-maṇḍala(ḥ) manur iva vinaya-jñaḥ pr̥thu⟨8⟩r iva pr̥thu-k¿i?⟨ī⟩rttiḥ gurur iva matimāN parama-brahmaṇyaḥ śrī-viṣṇuvarddhana-mahār¿a?⟨ā⟩jaḥ ⟨9⟩ dimila-viṣaye kālvakoṇḍa-grāmādhivāsinaḥ kuṭuṁbinas samavetān imam arttham ā⟨10⟩jñāpayati
yathā Adh¿i?⟨ī⟩tāvagata-veda-vedāṅgasya brahmaśarmmaṇaḥ pautrābhyāṁ Adhi⟨Page 2v⟩⟨11⟩gata-sva-śākhā-codita-sva-karmmānuṣṭhāna-tatparasya du⟨r⟩gaśarmmaṇaḥ putrābhyā⟨ṁ⟩ veda-ve⟨12⟩dāṁgetihāsa-purāṇa-dharmmaśāstrādy-anekāgama-¡tatva!-vidbhyāṁ gautam¿ā?⟨a⟩-gotrābhyā(M) ⟨13⟩ ¡taittirika!-caraṇābhyāṁ viṣṇuśa⟨r⟩mma-mādhavaśarmmabhyāṁ (pḻaki)-viṣaye ceṟupūra⟨14⟩-grāmam adhivasat¡aḥ! śrāvaṇa-māse candra-grahaṇa-nimitte sarvva-kara-parihāre⟨15⟩ṇ¿a?⟨ā⟩grahārī-kr̥tya sva-puṇyāyur-ārogya-yaśo-⟨’⟩bhivr̥ddhaye grāmo ⟨’⟩yaṁ dattaḥ⟨.⟩ Asya ⟨Page 3r⟩ ⟨16⟩ kaiścid api na bādhā karaṇīyā, Atra vyāsa-g(ī)tau⟨.⟩
I. Anuṣṭubh
bahubhir vvasudhā dattā
abahu ⟨17⟩ bhiś cānupālitā
byasya yasya yadā bhūmiḥ
ctasya tasya tadā phalaṁ,
dII. Anuṣṭubh
ṣaṣṭiṁ varṣa⟨18⟩-sahasrāṇi
asvargge modati bhūmidaḥ
bĀkṣeptā cānumantā ca
ctāny eva narake ⟨19⟩ vaseT
dśrīmati ma(tsya-ku?)le prasūtaḥ sva-bhuja-bala-pratāpāvanata-ripu ⟨20⟩ r ājñaptir aṭavidurjjayaḥ⟨.⟩ saṁ 10 8 mā 4 di 10 5<bulletTriangle>
⟨Page 3v⟩Apparatus
⟨1⟩ svasti{ḥ} • Fleet notes that what looks like a visarga is probably a punctuation mark, "imperfectly cleared out." He probably refers to the physical cleaning of the plates. In the scanned estampage, the presence of a visarga seems quite certain. — ⟨1⟩ śrīma¡(T)!-calukya- ⬦ śrīmac-⟨c⟩alukya- JFF; śrīm(ān) calukya- ACB • Though not clear in the scan, it seems likely that there is a halanta T here. Burnell may have seen it as a halanta N, but his text implies a conjunct with n. No ā is discernible in the facsimile.
⟨2⟩ -bhrūlatā-bhaṅga-namita- ⬦ -bhrūlatā-bhaṅg¿a-?⟨ā⟩namita- JFF; -bhrūlatāvajñ¿a?⟨ā⟩namita- ACB • I find Fleet’s emendation unnecessary. His insistence on ānamita may be a relic of Burnell’s reading.
⟨9⟩ kālvakoṇḍa • There may be a small and faint vowel mark (e or i) on top of the regularly formed l. In l19, le in kule is cursive, without a separate vowel mark on top.
⟨13⟩ °śarmmabhyāṁ • I accept the above reading by Fleet and Burnell, but note that the scanned facsimile seems to show °śarmmabhyāḥ. — ⟨13⟩ (pḻaki)- ⬦ (pūki?)- ACB JFF • The improved reading was suggested in Hultzsch 1907–1908, p. 318 on the basis of paḻaki-viṣaye in line 11 of INSVengiCalukya00003 and is perfectly plausible from the facsimile.
⟨14⟩ a◯dhivasat¡aḥ! • In a footnote, Fleet suggests emending to adhivasatā (mayā) or adhivasadbhiḥ (asmābhiḥ) and translates accordingly. I prefer to assume that this word was intended to apply to the donees (adhivasadbhyām), since adhi-vas seems to be the standard term for domicile (compare line 9).
⟨19⟩ ma(tsya-ku?)le JFF ⬦ matsya[1×]li ACB. — ⟨19⟩ -ripu ⟨20⟩ r ACB ⬦ -ripu{ḥ} ⟨20⟩ r JFF • What Fleet reads as a superfluous visarga seems noise to me; the dots are too far apart.
Translation by Dániel Balogh
(1–10) From the ocean that is the majestic Calukya lineage there arose a moon of a king whose pair of lotus feet is strewn with the light of gems on the diadems of enemy kings bowed down by the [mere] frown of his elegant brows: King (mahārāja) Satyāśraya (Pulakeśin II), the Favourite of Fortune (śrī-vallabha). His dear younger brother His Majesty the supremely pious King (mahārāja) Viṣṇuvardhana—who is [known as] Viṣamasiddhi because he prevails even over forts in adverse (viṣama) [conditions] on land, water, woodland and hills; who is a cow of plenty (kāma-dhenu) through his showering of rains of goods on the destitute, the helpless and the twice-born; who is Makaradhvaja (Kāma) thanks to his beautiful body which appears to young women like Madana (Kāma) [himself]; who has drowned the power of the Kali [age] in the oceans of his gift-giving; who embellishes the entire circle of directions with the mark of his spotless fame arising from victory in many a battle; as versed in discipline (vinaya) as Manu, as widely (pr̥thu) reputed as Pr̥thu, as intelligent as (Br̥haspati) the Guru—instructs the gathered householders (kuṭumbin) inhabiting the village Kālvakoṇḍa in Dimila district (viṣaya) of the following matter.
(10–16) To wit: to the two grandsons of Brahmaśarman, who had studied and understood the Vedas and Vedāṅgas, the sons of Durgaśarman, who had mastered the injunctions of his own school (śākhā) and was engaged in performing his ritual duties, [namely] to Viṣṇuśarman and Mādhavaśarman of the Gautama gotra and the Taittirīya school (caraṇa), who know the essence of many (texts of) lore (āgama) such as the Vedas, Vedāṅgas, Itihāsas, Purāṇas, treatises of law (dharma-śāstra) and so on, and who are residents of the village Ceṟupūra in Pḻaki district (viṣaya), on the occasion of an eclipse of the moon in the Śrāvaṇa month I have given this village, converted to a rent-free holding (agrahāra) by a remission of all taxes in order to augment my own merit, vitality, health and glory. Let no-one pose an obstacle to this [provision]. In this connection, [these] two [verses] were sung by Vyāsa.
I
II
(19–20) The executor (ājñapti) is Aṭavidurjaya, born in the majestic Matsya family, who has bowed down his enemies by the strength and valour of his own arms. Year 18, month 4, day 15.
Translation by Foulkes 1870
(1–3) Prosperity. The royal moon risen above the ocean of the glorious Chalakya race, whose two lotus-like feet glitter with the radiance of the gems of the crown of rival kings bowing down before him like creeping plants, defeated by his frowns, is the illustrious Satyashraya Vallabha Majaraja.
(3–10) His beloved younger brother, the surmounter of difficulties, who has succeeded in penetrating inaccessible fortresses situated in the midst of plains, lakes, forests and mountains; the cow of plenty, raining down showers of wealth upon distressed and poverty-stricken brahmans; the crocodile bannered one, (the Hindu Cupid,) who by his beautiful form inspires young maidens with love; the destroyer of the spirit of misery, (Kali) drowning it in the whirlpools of the ocean of his benefactions; adorned with unsullied and highly distinguished glory arising out of its many wars and conquests; reverenced throughout the world like Manu, full of renown like Prithu, and accounted wise as Vrihaspati; an orthodox worshipper of supreme Brahma, the illustrious Vishnu Vardhana Maharaja issues his commands in this present matter to the assembled heads of families inhabiting the village of Kalvakonda, in the district of Dimila, as follows:—
(10–16) In order to promote his own religious merit, length of days, good health, and fame, on account of the eclipse of the moon which took place in the month of July, the above-named village has been granted to Vishnu Sharmma and Madhava Sharmma of the Gautama tribe and the ¿Jaittiriva? sect, of the village of Chejhuplara in the district of Plaiki, learned in the Vedas, Vedangas, ¿Itikasas?, Puranas, Dharma Shastras, and many other technical books, the sons of Durga Sharmma, zealous in the performance of the rites of his order as prescribed in his own section of the Veda which he has thoroughly studied, and the grandsons of Brahma Sharmma, a successful student of the Vedas and Vedangas, to be converted into a brahman settlement (¿Agraphara?) free of all taxes. Let no one molest them in the enjoyment of it; in accordance with the following two verses of the Jyana Gita:
I
First,
?Lands have been bestowed by many persons;
?By many also they have continued to be protected;
?Whosoever and whatsoever those lands may have been,
?He has obtained a corresponding reward.
?II
Secondly,
?The bestower of land shall be happy in heaven,
?For sixty thousand years:
?And both he who resumes it,
?And he who concurs in the act,
?Must dwell in hell for the same number of years.
?(19–20) …1
Translation by Fleet 1891
(1–3) Hail! A very moon of a king, risen from the ocean which is the glorious Calukya family; having the two water-lilies, which are [his] feet, inlaid with the lustre of the jewels in the diadems of hostile kings who are bowed down by the frowning of his creeper-like arched eyebrows;— [such is] the Mahārāja Satyāśraya, the favourite of fortune.
(3–8) — His dear younger brother,—[who is called] Viṣamasiddhi, because he has achieved success against fortresses, difficult of access, on the plains, in the water, in the woods and on hills; who is a very cow of plenty, through raining down showers of treasures on the poor, the helpless and the twice-born; who is a very Makaradhvaja (Kāmadeva), because his handsome form plays the part of Madana (Kāmadeva) among young women; who has drowned the power of [the wickedness of] the Kali age in the oceans that are his charities; who has adorned all the regions with the characteristic of [his] pure fame, that has arisen from victory in many battles; who, like Manu, is acquainted with courteous behaviour; who, like Pr̥thu, is of far-reaching fame; who, like Guru (the regent of the planet Jupiter; the preceptor of the gods), is possessed of wisdom; [and] who is extremely kind to Brāhmaṇs,—
(8–10) — [He], the Mahārāja, the glorious Viṣṇuvardhana (I), issues a command to this purport to the assembled cultivators who reside at the village of Kālvakoṇḍa in the Dimila viṣaya; viz.:—
(10–16) — “To the two sons’ sons of Brahmaśarman, who studied and mastered the Vedas and Vedāṅgas,— the sons of Durgaśarman, who was intent upon performing his own proper rites, prescribed by his own śākhā, which had been duly learned [by him],— [viz.] to Viṣṇuśarman and Mādhavaśarman, who know the true meaning of the Vedas, the Vedāṅgas, the epics, the Purāṇas, the law-books, and many other sacred works, who are of the Gautama gotra, [and] who belong to the Taittirīya caraṇa, by [me] residing at [the town of] Ceṟupūra in the Pūki(?) viṣaya, on the occasion of an eclipse of the moon in the month Śrāvaṇa, this village has been given, as an agrahāra, with exemption from all taxes, for the increase of [my] own religious merit and duration of life and good health and fame. No obstruction [to the enjoyment] of it, should be caused by any one at all.”
(16) — On this point (there are) two verses of Vyāsa:
I
II
(19–20) —[The bearer of] the command (i.e. the dūtaka) is Aṭavidurjaya, born in the illustrious Matsya family(?), who has bowed down [his] enemies by the strength and prowess of his arm. — The year 10 [and] 8; the month 4; the day 10 [and] 5.
Translation into French by Estienne-Monod 2008
(1–3) Prospérité ! Le grand roi illustre Satyāśraya Vallabha, lune des rois levée sur l’océan qu’est la lignée des illustres Calukya, dont les deux lotus, que sont les pieds, sont sertis de la splendeur des pierres des diadèmes des rois ennemis, soumis par le froncement des lianes que sont ses sourcils !
(3–10) Son cher frère cadet, en raison des succès qu’il a remportés contre des forteresses inaccessibles,2 dans les plaines, les mers, les forêts et les montagnes, - il est Viṣamasiddhi, en faisant tomber des averses de pluies de richesses sur les affligés, les hommes sans protecteurs et les deux-fois nés, il est la vache des désirs, du fait de son corps charmant qui déchaîne les passions (dans le cœur) des jeunes femmes, il est le dieu à l’enseigne de makara,3 - lui qui a submergé la puissance de (l’âge) Kali dans les flots de ses dons, lui dont le cercle de tous les horizons est orné de l’extraordinaire gloire immaculée, issue de ses victoires dans de nombreux combats, - tel Manu, il connaît la discipline, tel Pr̥thu,4 il possède une vaste gloire,5 tel le guru,6 - très intelligent, extrêmement pieux, le grand roi illustre Viṣṇuvarddhana, aux chefs de famille, habitant le village de Kālvakoṇḍa, dans le viṣaya de Dimila, rassemblés dans ce but,7 ordonne :
(10–16) [je] donne aux deux petit-fils de Bhramaśarman, qui a appris et compris les Veda et Vedāṅga, aux deux fils de Durgaśarman, qui se consacre exclusivement à l’accomplissement de ses rites personnels, instaurés par sa propre Śākhā, et qu’il a appris, eux qui sont versés dans l’essence des nombreux Agama,8 dans les Veda, Vedāṅga, Īthihāsa, Pūrāṇa et Dharmaśāstra, du gotra de Gautama, de l’école de Taittirīyaka, à Viṣṇuśarman et Mādhavaśarman, habitants le village de Ceṟupūra, dans le viṣaya de Pūki, au mois de Śrāvaṇa, à l’occasion d’une éclipse de lune, ce village, exempté de toute taxe, en qualité d’agrahāra, en vue de l’accroissement de notre propre mérite, de notre vie, de notre santé, de notre gloire. Aucune charge ne doit lui être imposée.9
(16) Ainsi ces deux vers de Vyāsa :
I
II
(19–20) Né dans l’illustre famille des Matsya, celui dont les ennemis se sont inclinés devant la splendeur de la force du bras, l’exécuteur [est] Aṭavidurjaya. Le quinzième jour du quatrième mois de la dix-huitième année (de règne) 634.10
Bibliography
First brought to notice by Master in 1867, who sent the plates to the Madras Government. Described and translated (but not edited) by T. Foulkes (1870, № 1). First edited (probably from estampages) by A. C. Burnell (1878, pp. 137–138, № 27) with a lithograph (of an inked estampage?) in Plate 27. Re-edited by J. F. Fleet (1891) by which time the plates had been lost, so Fleet worked from Burnell’s lithograph. The present edition by Dániel Balogh is based on a collation of the above editions with the estampages published by Burnell.
Primary
[ACB] Burnell, Arthur Coke. 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. Pages 137–138, item 27.
[JFF] Fleet, John Faithfull. 1891. “Sanskrit and Old-Kanarese inscriptions: No. 193. Chipurupalle copper-plate grant of Vishnuvardhana I. — dated in his eighteenth year.” IA 20, pp. 15–18.
[TF] Foulkes, T. 1870. “Extracts from letters addressed by the Rev. T. Foulkes, Chaplain of Vepery, to the Chief Secretary to Government, Fort St. George, dated 29th May, and 26th June, 1869, regarding three sets of copper sasanams discovered in the Vizagapatam Districts.” JASB 39 (1), pp. 153–158.
Secondary
Foulkes, T. 1870. “Extracts from letters addressed by the Rev. T. Foulkes, Chaplain of Vepery, to the Chief Secretary to Government, Fort St. George, dated 29th May, and 26th June, 1869, regarding three sets of copper sasanams discovered in the Vizagapatam Districts.” JASB 39 (1), pp. 153–158.
Somasekhara Sarma, Mallampalli. 1955–1956. “Three grants of Chalukya Jayasimha I.” EI 31, pp. 129–138. Page 132.
Hultzsch, Eugen Julius Theodor. 1907–1908. “Timmapuram plates of Vishnuvardhana I. Vishamasiddhi.” EI 9, pp. 317–319. Page 318.
Notes
- 1. Foulkes does not translate the colophon.
- 2. Jeu de mot sur viṣama, « inaccessible », le composé glose le biruda viṣama-siddhi, « qui possède le succès sur ce qui est inaccessible ».
- 3. Kāma.
- 4. Manu et Pr̥thu sont des archétypes royaux.
- 5. jeu de mot sur le nom propre Pr̥thu et l’adjectif pr̥thu, « vaste ».
- 6. Br̥haspati.
- 7. Le syntagme imam artham demeure difficile à interpréter, il pourrait aussi compléter ājñāpayati mais il y aurait alors une redondance avec yathā.
- 8. ou : « eux qui sont versés dans l’essence de nombreux textes sacrés, à savoir les Veda, ... ».
- 9. Le terme bhādha désigne une taxe, cf. insc. 26.
- 10. soit selon l’éditeur le 7 juillet 632 apr. J-C.
Commentary
According to Foulkes (1870, p. 155), Dimila viṣaya may be connected to the village Dimila in Sarvasiddhi taluk, about 5 miles from the coast and 85 miles to the south of “Cheepurupilli”. Burnell (1878) only says the set was found near Vizagapatam in 1867, and that it was (perhaps) in the Government Office at Madras when he published his book. Fleet (1891, p. 15) identifies Chipurupalle with the chief town of Chipurupalle taluk in Vizagapatam district, at 17°34’, 83°10’. This must correspond to Chipurupalle/Cheepurupalle, located precisely at 17.56173756100627, 83.08325312274, 10 km SW of Visakhapatnam (and about 8 km west of the coordinates given by Fleet). Dimila may then be “Dimili village” at 17.511354571406002, 82.87277756342348, 9.2 km from the coast as the crow flies, but only 24 km WSW of the above Chipurupalle (so Foulkes’ information about a distance of 85 miles seems to be wrong). Somasekhara Sarma (1955–1956, p. 132) suggests another Chipurupalli in Anakapalli Taluk (no further location information), but I believe this is actually the same Chipurupalle that I identify above.