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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
(VOL. XII.
In order to describe the plates, I shall call the first one A, the plate beginning with vibhischa B, the plate beginning with janapadan (engraved on both sides) C, and the plate smallest in size D. Though B is a little heavier in weight and is slightly dissimilar to A at the corners, it seems to be a genuine portion of the original document. Though the document is not concluded on plate B, it appears from the context that one or two sentences only were engraved on another, concluding plate, which is now missing. As this plate begins with vibhicha, it is certainly in continuation of a missing plate which had bha as its last letter. Neither plate C nor D is its next preceding plate. It therefore appears that the original grant consisted of four plates, the second and the last of which are missing.1
When the original grant was first tampered with, the ring was cut open, and the plate C and another new forged plate (subsequently removed) must have been put in. My reasons for this supposition are, that in the first place the plate B cannot be linked with C, and in the second place the text after sukhëna prativastavyan (plate C, 1. 21) is missing. That plate D is a later careless forgery by the son of the grantee named in plate C, is perfectly clear. The very words occurring on plate C have been repeated with soine variations in plato D. The name of the grantee in plate C (11. 18, 19) is Udayakara, son of Vidyā kara, grandson of Jayakara (miswritten Vrayakara, compare line 11 of plate D) and great-grandson of Lakshmidhara, while the grantee appears in plate D as the son of Udayakara, bearing the name Bhābhakara Sarman. The reasons for these changes or forgery are not of course now apparent.
This copper-plate grant, as it is now edited, was found buried in a field, recently brought under cultivation, in the year 1908 in the village of Kélgā in the Uttara-tira division of the Fondatory State of Sonpur. The river Mahanadi flows right through the State of Sonpur, and the portion lying to the left or the north of the river is called the Uttara-tira division, while the portion to the right or to the south is named Dakshina-tīra. It is to be noted that the village granted has been described to be situated in the Uttaravalli-vishaya in the 8th line of the genuine plate A. The village Kélgã, where the plates were unearthed, is about 18 miles to the north of Sonpar town; and about seven miles from this village of Kelgi is a village called Achënda which I identify with Attēņda mentioned in the 9th line of plate A. It may also be noted that the village Kamalapura mentioned in plate (1. 17) as well as in plate D (1. 10) is also in the Uttara-tira and is within a short distance from the village Kelgã.
If we abstract from a slight difference in size (due wholly to irregularity in giving proper shape to the plates), the plates A and B may be said to be alike, having been ongraved at the same time by one engraver with letters fully similar. The first plate (A) is thinner, and is broken slightly at the right hand upper corner. The weight of plate A is 25) tolas and that of B is 35 tolas. There is a crack in the middle of plate A extending from ra of paramēsvara (1. 6) to he of maheśvara (1. 5). Both these plates (irregularly shaped) measure generally 8 inches x 4 inches. On the reverse side of plate B (at the top) a few letters in one line were attempted to be engraved; but they are not quite legible because of imperfect impression. Plate C was made almost similar to plates A and B. It measures 81" x 44 and has a weight of 37 tolas. The fourth plate or plate D is wholly dissimilar to the other plates. It measures 7" x 41 and has a weight of 331 tolas. The hole perforated at the
1 It is I think more probable that there were only three plates, and that the words inscribed on the reverse of plate B are the last ones of the original grant. The first balf of the line forms the continuation of the last line on the obverse. The last half of the liue probably gave information about the writer. The missing plate was probably inscribed on both sides.-S. K.]
* [Kamalapura is perhaps a Sanskritisation of Kalga.-8. K.]
