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No. 4.]
POONA PLATES OF PRABHAVATI-GUPTA : THE 13TH YEAR.
was recognised by Mr. Vincent A. Smith in his Early History (3rd edition, p. 28) and in his admirable article on the Väkatakas (J. R. A. 8. for 1914, pp. 317 ff.), where he has exhaustively dealt with the subject in all its aspects, as also by Mr. D. R. Bhandarker, who in his
Epigraphic Notes' (Ind. Ant., Vol. XLII, p. 160) has proved herefrom that Dēva-gupta was another name of Chandra-gupta II. Besides being the earliest genuine copper-plate grant of the Gapta period, and the only one giving the genealogy of the Imperial Guptas, it removes for the first time the veil over the relations of the Vākāțakas with the Imperial Guptas, and places the chronology of the Vākātakas on a sound basis. The prevalent view regarding the period in which the Vakātukas flourished, which was based on Dr. Fleet's opinion, has to be recast, and the opinion of Drs. Bhagvanlal and Bühler is confirmed.
The date is given as the twelfth of the bright half of Kärttika, in the thirteenth year. This might be either from the accession of Rudra-sēna II or from that of the young prince, in whose name the queen-mother was ruling ; the former supposition appears to be more probable. The period to which the record might be assigned would be the first quarter of the fifth century A.D., contemporary with the closing years of Chandra-gupta II and the opening Fears of Kumāra-gupta I.
Of the localities mentioned, Nandivardhana has been identified by Rai Bahadur Hira Lal with the modern Nägardhan in the Nagpur District of the Central Provinces (Ep. Tad., Vol. X, p. 41). We are unable to identify the other places mentioned.
TEXT.
Seal. 1 Väkātaka-lalāmasya 2 (kra] ma-prāpta-nfipa-śriya(h) [*] 3 jananyā yuva-rājasya 4 śāsanam ripa-śása [na] (min) [ll]
Plate 1. 1 Siddham [10] Jitam=bhagavatā [*Svasti Nandivarddhanād=āsīd=Gupt-ādi-rā [j]
Malh[a-raja2 It margin Sri-Ghatotkachas-tasya sat-putro mahārāja-sri-Chandraguptas-tasya
drishtama ) sat-patroz 3 nēk-Asvamēdha-yāji Lichchhavi-do hitros wahādévyan Kumāra-dēvyām-utpanno 4 mahārāj-ūdhirāju-sri-Samudraguptas-tat-pat-putras-tat-pada-parigrihitaḥ 5 prithivyām-a-prutiratha sarva-rāj-och hattās chatur-udadhi-salil-asvadita6 yasa nokal-go-hirayyu-kati-salasra-pradah parama-bbäravato mahi-ra7 j-adhiraja-Sri-Chandraguptas-tasya dulita Dhirupa-sagotri Näga-kula-sainblū. 8 tāyā[m] Sri-mulādevyäni Kuběra-nāgāyām=utpann=obbaya-kul-alan kāra-bhūta=
tyanta-bbaguvad-bhaktā 9 Väkātakanām Mabüraju-sri-Rudrasēnasy-ügru-mabishi Yuvaraja10 sri-Divakarasēna-janani Sri-Prabhāvati-gupta Supratishth-ābārē
Plate 2. Širsha-grāmasya
dakshina-pārsvē
Kadāpiñjanasy
11 Vilavanakasya parvu-pārsvė
āpara-pārsvē
From the original plates.
Realdeehitro. * Read ochchhella.
? Real drishtan. • Real sat.. • Reul waika.
