Epigraphia Indica Vol 09

SR No.: 032563
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: E Hultzsch, Sten Konow
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India
Publication Year: 1907
Total Pages: 498
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 28 MB

Page 345

268
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
(VOL. IX.
commences. The four inscribed sides contain 35 lines of well-engraved writing. The size of the letters is between 1 and 3". The characters belong to the box-headed' variety of the southern class of alphabets and are similar to, but less angular than, those of the Dudia plates of the Vákataka Pravaragûna II., published with a facsimile above, Vol. III. p. 260. They include the subscript sign of the rare jh, in Ajihita, 1. 31, the sign of the jiliimúliya, in súnôhKuntala”, 1. 30, and forms of the final f, in samrit, 1. 4, and of the final + (which does not show in the facsimile), in rachanit, 1. 35. The conjunct nn is everywhere written by a sign which is really the sign for nn (in sannivesita, 1. 6, utpannasya, 1. 23, and elsewhere); visarga is denoted by two hook-shaped lines (e. g. in súnók, 11. 11 and 20); the signs for d and dare well distinguished. e.g. in -viisakuls, 1. 1, and shodarys, 1. 2; and there are two forms of the letter v, e.g. in -viisukid-, 1. 1, and vachan it, 1. 33. -The language is somewhat ungrammatical Sanskrit, and the text is all in prose. In line 10 a passage of no less than 27 aksharas has through care. lessness been omitted by the writer. As regards orthography, the rules of saindhi are constantly neglected (as in the three cognate grants); the (long) i is several times written where the vowel should be short, and (the short) i is throughout employed for both i and i ; the vowel ri is used instead of ri in pautrinah, l. 16, and -sriyah, 1. 27, and instead of ri in fri-, 11. 17 and 25. Besides, the dental and lingual nasals are confounded in kúrunya-, l. 12, mano, l. 13, and -unus.irinah, 1. 20; the word ansa is written as ansa in line 6, and vamsa as vansa in lines 8, 24, 27 and 33: sh is doubled after r in varshsha., 1. 14, and dh before y in -addhyaksha, 1. 35. With
patir-abhyao for paty-abhyao in line 28, where the r of patir looks like a sandhi-consonant, we may compare-bbalam-aišvaryya-for-bbalaiśvaryya, in line 15 of the Dudia plates, abore, Vol. III. p. 261, where m is used in a similar way.
With two exceptions, the text down to the word Prararasenasya in line 26 is practically identical with that of the three published grants of the Vakataka king Pravarasena II. ; like those grants, it gives the genealogy of this king, commencing with Pravarasena I., and enamerating after him his son's son Rudraseng I., his son Pșithivishêna I., his son Rudrasena II., and his son (from Prabhavatigapti, the daughter of the Malurájáidhirija Dêvagupta) Pravarasêna II. Of the exceptions referred to, one is that our inscription commences with Vimbára. vdsak id-, from (his) residence Veinbåra,' in the place of which the Chammak and Dudia plates of Pravarasena II. have Pravarapurit, from Pravarapura.' Our grant therefore was to have been issued from Vombara, a place which I have not been able to identify. The other point of difference is that, whila the grants of Pravarasena II. commence with dsishtam, or drishtam svasti, or drishtam siddham, this inscription contains no such expression, but at the beginning of line 1, before the word Vimbáras, leaves an empty space just where one would have expected something like drishtam. The omission and the vacant space, in my opinion, are rather significant. Contrary to what I have said in my remarks on the Dudia plates, above, Vol. III. p. 259, I am convinced now that drishtam (and the Pråkpit dithan of the Mayidavolu and Hirahadagalli plates') must really be taken in its ordinary sense of seen,' and that it is similar to the modern true copy' or examined' of official letters or Government orders. Such a remark
1 In preparing the accompanying facsimile, the last line on the first side of the second plate unfortunately was at first overlooked, it is really line 18, and the lines marked in the facsimile is lines 18-34 are really lines 19-35.
There is a final min line 27 (line 26 of the facsimile), but it seems to be out of place where it stands.
Other passages where loks distinctly like Anandhi-consonaut are tena manika. Por tanindka. in Ind. Ant. Vol. XIX, p. 309, line 10, and prardiayitaryd manyathd for prardiayitaryd anaythd in Gupta Intor. p. 267, lino 18. • See above, p. 267, note 2.
Nos. 617 and 618 of my Southern List. • Compare the remarks of the late Prof. Böbler, abore Vol. I, pp. 9 and 10, and of Prof. Hultzsch above, Vol. VI. p. 88. Sir W. H. Sleman, Speaking of certain kings of Oude, in his Journey through the Kingdom of Oude, Vol. I, p. 179, says that to their orders a seal was affixed in their presence bearing the inscription mohaliza shud, it has been seen. Like drishtam, jiltam is used in the body of an inscription in Jours. As. Soo. Bengal, Vol. LXIX, Part I, p. 92, 1.21 (jdtammaldantri-frf-Mahakéna).