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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
XXXVI.-SUNAK GRANT OF THE CHAULUKYA KING KARNA I.
By E. HULTZSCH, Ph. D. The following inscription is edited from two excellent impressions, kindly forwarded by Mr. H. Oouseng. It is engraved on the inner sides of two copperplates, which were found at Súnak, a village about fifteen miles east-south-east from Pattan, North Gujarat, and about five miles west of Uñjha railway station. They are now in the possession of Mr. Narayan Bharati, a resident of Pattan. When Mr. Cousens copied the plates, they were held together by one ring, which had been out, but not recently. The second ring, which probably bore the seal, was missing. To judge from the impres. sions, the preservation of the plates seems to be perfect.
The language of the inscription is Sanskpit prose. The date of the grant was the day of an eclipse of the moon (somagrahapa), which took place on Monday, the 15th day of the bright half of Vaisakha, in Vikrama-Samvat 1148. Mr. Fleet has favoured me with the following calculation of this date:-"The corresponding European date is Monday, 8th May. A.D. 1091. On this date there was an eclipse of the moon, on the full-moon tithi of Vaisakha of northern Vikrama-Samvat 1148 expired, or southern Vikrama-Sathvat 1147 current. The tithi ended at about 60 ghatia, 68 palas, after mean sunrise (for Bombay); and so the eclipse should be visible in India. There was an eclipse on the same tithi in southern Vikrama-Samvat 1148 expired, on the 24th April, A.D. 1092. But here the week-day was Saturday. In northern Vikrama-Samvat 1148 current there was no eclipse on the given tithi.""
The donor was the mahdrájddhiraja Karnadeva, surnamed Trailokyamalla. This is the Chaulukya king Karna I., who, according to Dr. Bühler,' reigned from Vikrama-Sarhvat 1120 to 1180. The king issued the order, which contains the grant, from Anahila pataka, and addressed it to the inhabitants of a division of one hundred and twenty-six villages, the chief place of which was Anandapura. The grant consisted of a piece of land at Laghu-Dabhi, i.e., Little Dabhi, from the proceeds of which a tank (rápl) at Sdnaka was to be maintained. The land granted in LaghuDabbt was bounded on the north-west by the village of Bandera
Aņa hilapataka is, of course, Anhilvad, the capital of the Chaulukyas, and Anandapura, the modern Vadnagar.' Sanaka is identical with the modern village of Sanak, where the plates were discovered. To Mr. Cousens I am indebted for the following information about the remaining localities, which are mentioned in the grant :-"The Dames you give are still the names of villages in the vicinity of Sanak, and they are placed thus :-PAbhi is about one mile south-west of Sûuak, and Sandera, a village considerably larger than either, is about three miles south-west by west of Dabhi
[The Accompanying facol mile reproduction of the impression is of the size of the originale.-J. B.)
• This place is mentioned in a lator Chaulakys grant; Ind. Ant., vol. VI, p. 210, and vol. XVIII, p. 178. (It is considerable town, 71 miles south of Biddhapur, and the head-quarters, and probably the original soat in Gujarat of the Kadav. Kulambis or Kunbio.-Burgess, Notur or a visit to Gujarde in 1869, pages 59-61.]
[It appears from Oppolser's Canon der Finsternisre, that the lunar eclipse of May 1001 occurred at 8A. 16. A.M. (Bombay time), on Tuesday, 6th May, but being before sunrise it would be reckoned as belonging to the 6th. The moon was in the meridian 60° west of Bombay, and the eclips we partial one of 4 digita. That of 94th April 100% was total and the time of the middle of it wm 8A,8m. 7.M., at Bombay.-J. B.)
• Ind. Ant., vol. VI. p. 918. Anto, p. 161 and p. 998.
