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No. 13.)
TWO GRANTS OF DANDIMAHADEVI.
133
255 . . 256 257 ufak 258 #
B.- KAZÅ Pillar Inscription. END OF THE TEXT.!
Fourth Face. . . . Para refragas HZU I HUET 5
taugafTZ [eo] Ayam [*]
No. 13.- TWO GRANTS OF DANDIMAHADEVI.
By F. KIELHORN, PH.D., LL.D., C.I.E.; GÖTTINGEN. The two grants of which at Dr. Haltzech's request I give an aboount here from excellen, impressions supplied to him by Mr. Ven kayya, were preserved in the office of the Collector of Ganjâm and will be deposited in the Madras Museam. There is no information as to where or by whom they were discovered. They have been briefly noticed already in Mr. Sewell's Lists of Antiquities, Vol. II. p. 32 f., Nos. 216 and 217;5 and I have for years been in possession of rubbings of them which formerly belonged to the late Sir A. Cunningham. The grants record donations by a lady named Dandimahadevi, whose ancestors are enumerated in both, in almost identical verses.
A.-DANDIMAHADEVI'S GRANT OF THE YEAR 180. This is a single copper-plate which measures about l'}" brond by 101" high, and is inscribed on both sides. On to its proper right is soldered a seal, half of which sticks to the plate, while the other half projects beyond it. This seal rests on an expanded lotus flower the petals of which enclose it; it is circular and measures 21" in diameter. It bears in relief on a countergunk surface, across the centre, the legend Srimad-Dandimahadevi, in characters resembling those on the first side of the plate; above the legend, a conchant bull facing to the proper right, with the sun and the moon's Crescent above its hump and a conch-shell above its hips; and below the legend, two straight lines over an expanded lotus flower the stalk of which rises out of the margin of the seal.-The writing is well preserved. The size of the letters is between and to" on the first side of the plate, and between about and j' on the second side. Both the general style of writing and the forms of individual letters shew that the two sides of the plate were written by different persons. The writer of the first side, who affects a monumental style of writing, apparently has taken some pride in his work and has done it fairly well; the writer of the second side, who writes in a current hand, has performed his task in a very slovenly manner and committed many blunders, some of which I am unable to correct. The characters on both sides belong to the northern part of Eustern India. They
1 From an inked estampage supplied by Dr. Haltzsch. • Up to this, the text is practically identical with that of the preceding inscription. * The annsodra stands at the beginning of the next line. Rendayu; after this comes a sign the meaning of which I do not know.
The prince IndulAIA of Mr. Bewell's account, to whom is aseribed the fest of having rescued his brother's throne, owes bis existence to the epithet eyedha-bhbgfndra-Illah in verse 6 of the two grauts. Most of the priuces who are really mentioned in the grants have been omitted by Mr Sewell's ivfumant.
