Epigraphia Indica Vol 14

SR No.: 032568
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Sten Konow, F W Thomas
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India
Publication Year: 1917
Total Pages: 480
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 24 MB

Page 81

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
Vou: XIV.
No. 2.-DANDAPALLE PLATES OF VIJAYA-BHUPATI: SAKA-SAMVAT 1882.
BY G. VENEOBA RAO, MADRAS. The copper-plates which bear the subjoined insoription were obtained by me on a short loan from the monagar of Dandapalle, & village in the Palamner taluka of the Chittoor district, during my official tour in 1913. They have been briefly noticed in the Madras Epigraphical Report for 1913, page 119, paragraph 53.
The plates are five in namber, each mesenring about 91' by 57". The edges are folded over, flattened and slightly raised into rims, in order to secure the protection of the writing from coming into contact with the written sides of the adjoining plates. The tops are neatly curred in the form of a bow slightly turned upwards at the edges where these meet the plates. The curved tops have, as usual, a hole in the centre to allow the copper-ring to pass through. The ring, which is plain and circular, bears no seal attached to it. It had been out before the plates were secured by me.
The first plate bears writing only on its inner side, while the rema'ning four are written on both their sides. Plates one to four are numbered in Telaga-Kanarese namerals on their first written sides. The fourth plate, ending with the asnal imprecatory verses, indicates that the record must have closed with it. The fifth plate bears no number, and there are no rims on its inner face, which bears writing; this shows that the writing on that side of the plate may not have been originally intended. Consequently the last plate must have been added subequently as a post-script whereon the boundaries of the land grapted had to be engraved in the vernacular of the country.
The engraving is fairly deep and well oreonted. The characters are Nandināgari, almost of the same type as those of the Satyamangalam plates of Devaraya II, published with a faosimile plate on pp. 35 to 41 of Ep. Ind., Vol. III; and the languagos employed are Sanskrit verne ard Kanarose prome. The signature of the king at the end appears as " Sri Triyambaka" in Kannada characters.
The following palmographioal and orthographical peouliarities aro worth noting. The rise of the anusujra is very arbitrary. In cases where natarally a class nasal or a final m would be used the anusodra is substituted. The vowel is throughout written as T, and in two chrOS (11. 144 of and 1630 ) with superscripts. Very little difference in form is perceptible between bha and ta. The double letters ddu and ppa are represented by two fall forms of da and pa written side by side with a single top line, and the conjunat consonant kkha in 11. 121 and 126 by khkha. Thesymbols for tha and dha are the same as the modern symbols, but vine vora. The bard or intensified is represented byť (11. 123, 135, 154, 175, 177, 186 and 191). The difference between la and la is indicated by a ligatare in the case of the former, which is absent in the latter. We often find the dental la nsed instead of the cerebral la, ovidently owing to Sanskrit influence, even though the latter is expected according to the vernacular pronunciation, e.g. Henfro (1.55), vfu (1. 56) and frame (1. 145). Vie Dorna, la is used for la in Kalyandya
In his List of Antiquities, Vol. I, p. 169, Mr. Sewell has voted the existence of the plates. It may be added that there have since been presented by the owner to the Madras Museum and are deposited there.
* LL 100 to 102 attor v. 46, 11. 109 to 110 after v. 48, 11. 116 to 118 after v. 49, L. 180 sfter v. 56 sad Il130 to 149 after , 69 consist only of portions of verses. Probably there has been some mistake in the engraving of the text. It is not imporsible that the first and the third trgonente, which are both half-vers in the Mandardata metre, should be read together to form one rerne. In the wond, fourth and Afth we have portion of well, Salini and Indranajra.
. LL. 144 to 146 and 11. 169 to 192.
• The Madro Museam plaken of Srigiri-Bhupila of sbout this period (Ip. Ind. Yol. VIII, 806 L.) are attested similarly