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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
(VOL. XII.
No. 25.-MAHADA PLATES OF YOGESVARADEVAVARMAN.
BY B. C. MAZUMDAR, M.R.A.S. This charter was unearthed in the year 1890 st a place not far from the village Mahadā in the Feudatory State of Sonpur. The name of the village Mahadā occurs in the text of the grant. The Mahārāja of Sonpur, B. M. Sing Deo Babadur, bas been good enough to hund the plates over to me for publication.
There are altogether three plates, of which the first has only been inscribed on the reverse. The height of the plates is 34', and the length of the first plate 81" and of the second and third 9". There is at the upper edge, about the middle of the side, a small circular ring hole, through which a plain copper ring was passed, the ends of which had been left unsoldered. The weight of the plates including the ring is 63 tolas.
The characters in the main agree with, or strongly resemble, the modern Bengali letters. The letters ka, ha, pa and ya resemble those old letterswhich have been retained in modern Nāgari, while letters such as sa (8.g. 1. 7), tya (1. 8) and tha in stha (1. 12) strongly remind of Modern Oriyā characters. Orthographical mistakes such as -sadva-for-sabda- (1.1) ; -Birigha-for-sitha. (1.4) are such as are characteristic of modern Osiyā writers. We also find the modern Oriyā pronunciation of si as tu in -rugvēda- (1. 18). This pronunciation colomenced to prevail from the time of the influence of the Ganga-Rājas in Orissa.
The grantor is Sri Yögèsvara Dēvavarman (1. 24), grandson of Sömēsvara Dēvavarman, and the son of Sri Dhārana (or Váraņa) Dēvavarman! (Il. 15, 16 and 17). He is said to have been the raler of Baudh (1.5), and his ancestor is said to have come from Ayodhyā,
-a scion of the Solar dynasty (lines 2 and 3) belonging to the Kāśyapa-götra. Two emblems have been claimed by the grantor for his family-one, a lion on the banner (1.4), and the other & drija-rāja (I. 6). It has been mentioned (1.1) that the kings of this family had attained the pañchamahāśabdas. This designation marks them as feudatories. The grantor is said to have also the title gaja (line 33), though virtually he was a lion (1. 34). It may be noted that Gajapati has long been the title of the Rājās of Puri and Khorda.
The grantee is a Brāhmaṇa Madhusådana (1. 17) of the Vatsa-gotra, & hotri, and a student of the Rigvoda with the Brāhmaṇas (1. 18). The names of his father and grandfather were Purushottama and Gadādhara (lines 14 and 15), respectively. All these names are very generally given to men at the present day in Orissa.
Of the six villages granted, the principal village is Champāmalla, identified by me with Chāmpā-māl in Sonpur. Of the 5 villages (Panchapallika) granted along with Champāmalla, Mahadā and Mēdhā (modern names) could only be identified. The grant was made to secure the good will or grace of the god Vaidyanātha (1. 23), on whose lotus-like feet the grantor bag been described to be a bee (1. 9). There is only one temple in the State of Sonpur which is dedicated to Vaidyanātha. This is the finest temple that exists in Sõnpar. The local tradition is, that Rāja Anangabhima-Dēva of Puri built it. The grant was made on the bank of the river Mahānadi oalled Chitrātpală in this record. The name Chitrotpalā for Mahānadi is widely and popularly known; and Rājā Sir Sudhal Deo, the late Feudatory Chief of Bāmrā, gave the
It is difficult to decide whether the name begins with dha or va, as both the letters look alike in this record. ? A tributary state adjoining the State of Sönpur.
By doija-raja the bird peacock is meant and not the moon, as in the crest of the present kings of Band.
See Ep. Ind., Vol. V, p. 216, n. 3.
* Situated on the bank of the river Tal in the village which is also called Vaidyanatha, about 12 miles Frem Bonpur.
