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No. 13.] MANDHATA PLATES OF DEVAPALA AND JAYAVARMAN II.
No. 13.-MANDHATA PLATES OF DEVAPALA AND JAYAVARMAN II. OF MALAVA.
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BY PROFESSOR F. KIELHORN, C.I.E.; GÖTTINGEN.
Of the Paramara kings, who ruled over Målava for more than three hundred years, there have been published hitherto the texts of twelve copper-plate and three stone inscriptions. We have besides short notices of about half a dozen other stone inscriptions, generally of small extent or importance. Of the copper-plate inscriptions, three were first edited by Colebrooke in 1824, two by L. Wilkinson in 1836 and 1838, one by Rajendralal Mitra in 1850, and three by FitzEdward Hall in 1860 and 1861. Of the stone inscriptions, the largest was first edited by Bal Gangadhar Shastri in 1843, and another by FitzEdward Hall in 1859. And from these editiones principes the genealogy of the Paramâras of Malava, with most of their dates, might have been drawn up, about fifty years ago, very nearly as I have given it above, Vol. VIII. App. I. pp. 14 and 15. Moreover, of so important a king as Udayaditya we even to-day hardly possess more than that 'wretched scrawl,' made known in 1840, of a person who knew nothing of Udayaditya's family. I mention this to show how little that is really new we have learnt about Malava, from its own records, for half a century, and to indicate what chances are open to the officials of the Archeological Survey of India to enrich our knowledge of the histhry of that country. For, in my opinion, a systematic search for inscriptions in the ancient Målava country will be sure to bring to light numerous documents of importance. Even now such a search has been well inaugurated.
In 1903 there were discovered at Dhår the inscriptions published above, Vol. VIII. p. 96 ff. and p. 241 ff., highly interesting from a literary point of view. And in 1904 and 1905 were found, at or near Mandhâtâ, the two copper-plate inscriptions now here edited. These plates are of some value inasmuch as they show how Dêvapala, one of the later kings of Malava who was already known to us, was related to preceding rulers, and as they give us the names of two sons of his, Jaitugideva and Jayavarman [II], who, one after the other, succeeded him.
A-MANDHATA PLATES OF DEVAPALA; [VIKRAMA-]SAṀVAT 1282.
These plates were found, in May 1905, near the temple of Siddhêévara at Mandhâtâ, an island in the Narmada (Narbada, Nerbudda) river attached to the Nimar district of the Central Provinces. They were discovered enclosed in a chest made of two stones, 1' 8" long by 1'5" broad. They are now in the Provincial Museum at Nagpur, to which they have been presented by Rao Jaswant Singh of Mandhâtâ. The first account of them was given by an old pupil of mine, Mr. Lele, Director of Education in the Dhar State; and a transcript of the inscription engraved on them, with a translation and notes, was afterwards furnished to the authorities by Mr. Pyari Lal Ganguli, pleader of Nimar. The text and a translation, with an introduction, have also been sent to the Government Epigraphist by Pandit Hiranand Shastri, Curator of the Nagpur Museum. At Prof. Hultzsch's request, I edit the inscription which is on these plates from impressions kindly supplied by Mr. Cousens.
The inscription is on three plates, which are stated to measure about 1'5" broad by 1' high, and of which the second is inscribed on both sides, while the first and third plates are
1 See Gazetteer of the Central Provinces, p. 257 ff.; Constable's Hand Atlas of India, Plate 27, C'd; and above, Vol. III. p. 46. On the temple of Siddhéévara see also Archeol. Barosy of India, Annual Report, 1908-04, D. 57.
Mr. Lele at the time most kindly offered to send me impressions of the plates, but was somehow or other prevented from doing so.. I take the opportunity of thanking him here also publicly for the generosity with which he has made over to me his valuable impressions of the Dhar inscriptions published in Vol VIEL of this Journal
