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No. 8.]
CONJEEVERAM PLATES OF KRISHNADEVA-RAYA: SAKA 1444.
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places. Instances of this have been pointed out in the text. Hore and there we find the confusion of long and short i and . We have =pratichin disam-asritan, 1. 87, for pratichirh disamasritai; disi sthitam, 1. 88, for disi sthitam ; pratyuha-, 1. 51, for pratyaha; purvakan, 1. 85, instead of pūrvakan. In the third plate i and u are represented only by a loop over the consonants. There is a redundant anusvāra previous to the double consonants nya and nya, o.g. pumnyair, 1.7, for punyair=; -avannyām=, 1. 28, for savanyāms; -dānānnys, 1: 30, for däninys; -hirannya., 1. 85, for -hiranya-. We have instances of redundant anusvāra before other consonants in-akhyā nm, 1. 79, instead of -akhyāms, and -samyuktanmaikabhögyam, 1. 81, for-samyuktamēka. bhogyam. Visargas are very often left out. If in some places they are wanting, they are superfluous in others. The letters ya, va, pa, ta and na assumo forms which are capable of passing easily one into another. There is confusion between the letters $a, shi, sa. We have nijavasē, 1. 16, for nijavasē; turiskar, 1. 18, for turushkam ; -asēshēshu, 1. 34, for -asēsheshu ; -shisaya., 1. 81, and -shisya-, 1. 82, for -fishya. We find the use of ta for tha in jatapratishļāns, 1. 53. The termination for the imperfect and the pluperfect 3rd person singular is omitted in a few instances, thus vyatant, 1. 20, instead of vyatanit; -akärshi, 1. 30, instead of rakärshit. In 1. 36 we have .dharchkamţită instead of dharotkanthitā. Such forms occur in the plates of Venkata I and II. As in the Vilupaka grant of Venkata Il for instance, a conjunct consonant is expressed by combining the full form of the first with the secondary form of the second consonant. This is specially noticeable in the case of rya. In certain cases, howover, ther sign is written over the line. Nna and ning are invariably expressed by adding the amusuára before the consonants na and na. Instead of double consonants only one of the consonants is written in some cases, thus muudabhūtasman-, 1. 12, instead of Eudabhūttasman- ; nivrityai, 1. 33, instead of w rittyam ; -rajadushya-, 1. 35, for -rajašcushya- ; datavana, 1. 85, instond of dattavi
The inscription records the grant of the villages Kțishnarayapuram and Katapattu by Krishnadeva-Raya of the second Vijayanagara dynasty, who was at the time oncamped on the banks of the river Krishna. The donee is Chandrachūda Sarasvati, the head of the Conjeeveram Matha, reputed to have been founded by the great Sankaracharya. In the line of apostolic descent Chandrachada was the disciple of Mahādēva Sarasvati. Ho is styled Sivachetas (having his mind devoted to Siva), yatirāja (prince among ascetics) and dhimat (philosopher). He is also described as an expounder of the śāstras, as living at Conjeeveram, and as a great exponent of the doctrine of māya. It may therefore be inferred that the donee was a teacher of the Sankaracharya matha. This is supported by the terms of the grant, shisayaprashisyar(fishyaprafishyair) bhögyam, 1. 81 f., .e. the land was to be enjoyed by the donee and his descendants in the apostolic line. The religious seat of these teachers is known as Kamakatipitha, probably after the goddess Kamakõtyambikā of Conjeeveram. The matha itself is known as Saradā-matha to this day.
The vilmges are given in perpetuity as sarvaminya, to be enjoyed by the donee and his descendants in the apostolic line. The grant makes it clear that the villages had clearly marked boun. daries. It is interesting to observe that the king reserves no right to himself over the land thus given away. All rights of property in the land, the products on it, in it and over it belong to the donee for ever, together with any unforeseen or unearned increments that might accrue on the same. The terms of the grant display a knowledge of the technicalities of the law of property.
1 Ep. Ind., Vol. IV, pp. 269 ff.
? Indra Sarasvati or merely Sarasvati is the appellation of all the Acharyas of the Kamakoli pitha of the Särada Matha of Conjeeveram. The Acharyas of the Sringeri Matha founded by one of the Sankaracharyas style themselves Bharati. See below No. 8.
R 2
