Epigraphia Indica Vol 34

SR No.: 032588
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: D C Sircar
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India
Publication Year: 1961
Total Pages: 384
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 20 MB

Page 198

140 EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
(VOL. XXXI in a general sense the name was applied to the whole of South-Eastern Bengal. About the 11th century, the Chandra king Govindachandra is called the lord of Vangāla-dēta which was apparently the original name of Chandra-dvipa or the land around it. This is suggested by the fact that Abul Fazal's Ain-i-Akbari explains the derivation of the name Bangal (Vangăla) from Bang (Vanga) as follows: "its former rulers raised mounds measuring ten yards in height and twenty in breadth throughout the province, which were called äl." Although the suggested derivation may be wrong and Vangāla may have sprung from Vanga + Prakrit ala in the sense of a notable region in Vanga, the moution of the earthen mounds, no doubt meant for keeping off the encroachment of sea-water from the cornfields, certainly refers to a condition prevailing in the southernmost areas of Bengal including the Buckorgunge region even today. With the Chandra (i.e. Vangāla) conquest of Vanga, the name Vangāla became applied to Vanga (i.e. the expanded Chandra kingdom), although tho name originally indicated merely a southern distriot of Vanga. That is why the Muslim authors of the 13th and 14th centuries sometimes referred to East and West Bengal together as Gaur-Bengal (Gauda-Vangāla). The solitary mention of Vangāla in the pre-Chandra inscription under study shows, however, that the name Vangala was not entirely unknown in earlier times since the Early Pālas appear to have been sometimes regarded by their contemporaries as primarily the rulers of that tract. But it is interesting to note that the Pāla conquest of Vanga and Gauda did not popularise the name Vangāla in the sense of the whole of Bengal. This is probably because the Påla kings became soon well known as the lord of Gauda', a designation which was obviously more suitable to them and which they apparently chose in preference to the lord of Vangāla'. The Chandras did not rule over any part of Gauda in the western half of Bengal.
Mr. Gupta's suggestion that Stambha, brother of Govinda III, should be regarded as different from the ruler of that name who rebelled against the Rashtrakūta monarch, because the Manne plates recording a grant of Stambha himself refer to the rebellion, does not appear to be sound. As a subordinate ruler, Stambha applied for the issue of the grant to his overlord Govinda III and it was issued by the imperial record office so that he had himself little more to do with its issue.
Wo also find it difficult to agree with the location of Märäbarva's kingdom in Kosula and the identification of his capital Srībhavana with moderu Sirpur. As a matter of fact, Sarbhon is plainly a modification of Sribhuvana and Mr. Gupta's contention that it is far away from the Vindhya is wrong. Sarbhon in the Broach District is not only near the Narmadā but also close to the Satpuru range which was regarded as a part of the Vindhya in ancient times since the name Vindhya was loosely applied to the whole chain of hills from Gujarat to the Gaya District'. There is epigraphic evidence to show that the rulers of Rajpipla in the Broach District called themselves kings of the Vindhyas'.
An interesting statement in lines 71-72 of the insoription has escaped Mr. Gupta's notice. It says, "Five thousands are payable to the illustrious governor of the district per annum." The charter therefore records a kara-būsana, the annual rent for the gift village being fixed at five tbousand coins probably of copper.. In this case, the village was not inade a rent-free hoding in tavour of the donee. Elsewhere wo have discussed a large nuinber of grants of this type found in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. Recently one such record was found in East Pakistan. The present charter is the first of its kind from the Kannada-speaking area, noticed so far.
1 Soo THQ, Vol. XXXIII, p. 63.
Cf. above, Vol. XXIII, p. 293. 3 Raychaudhuri, Studies in Indian Antiquities, 1932, p. 128. • Archeology 1959-60, p. 56 (No. 19).
See JRAS., 1962, pp. 4 ff.; above, Vol. XXX, pp. 114-18. Of. above, Vol. XXXIII, pp. 51 ff. . Cf. above, Vol. XXXIII, pp. 152-53.