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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[Vol. XVIIT:
that gold coins of Chandra-Gupta II and Skanda Gupta and silver coins with the figure of peacocks on them have been found in and about the ramparts of the fort there.
The land granted by the Ghugråhäti plate was in a village called Vyāghra-choraka. Three hulya-bowing areas of land were taken away from it and the rest of the hamlet was given to the donee. The boundary indications of the land granted are thus given :-On the east, the goblinhaunted Paukkatti tree; on the south, Vidyadhara Jotika; on the west, a corner of Chandravarmman's fort; on the north, the boundary of the village Gopëndra-choraka. Chandravarmman's fort cannot be any other place than the big fort at Kotalipada.
About half a mile to the north-west from the north-east corner of this fort, there is a forBaken homestead with a tank, which is called Jatibadi or Jaţia's house. It is traditionally remembered to have been the residence of one Vidyadhara and his wife Jaţia Budi. The place is supposed to be haunted. By the north bank of the tank at Jaţiábådi, there run, east-West, two curious parallel embanked roads. The one was, they say, meant for the king and his officers And the other for the common people. This double road appears to have been denoted by the term Joţikå or two roads placed together. The village of Govindapur begins a little north of this place and this was no doubt the Gopēndra-choraka of the plate, the words Govinda and Gopēndral being synonymous.
Who is this Chandra varmman, who was still remembered in his handiwork-the fort at Kotalipada-even in the time of Samachara deva ? This fort, which measures 21 x 2 miles, is the biggest ancient earthwork known in Bengal, the next in size being that at Mahästhan (the ancient Paundravardhana) which is only 1,000 yards x 1,500 yards. He must have been a powerful king who could construct so large a fort, in this low-lying tract, and the discovery of the gold coins of Gupta emperors from the vicinity show that the founder was at least is old as the Guptas. We are at once reminded of the Chandra of the Meherauli pillar inscription who " when warring in the Vanga countries, kneaded and turned back with his breast the enemies who uniting together came against him and thus wrote fame on his arms by his sword." (Fleet, 0. I. I. p. 141.) Fleet emphasised the early character of the palæography of this inscription which is not dated, and Allan, with his usual insight, rejected the identification of this Chandra with Chandra-Gupta II. Finally M. M. Haraprasad Sastri has identified this Chandra with Chandravarmman-son of Simhavarmman of Pushkaraná, of the Susunis Hill inscription,---who was finally overthrown by Samudra-Gupta about the third decade of the fourth century A.D. When we see that a most impressive monument in the shape of a great fort, to which Chandravarmmau's name is applied even in the sixth century A. D. turns up in Kotálipădá near the heart of old Vanga, we are finally convinced that these scholars, and particnlarly X. M. Sastri, are right in identifying the Chandra of the Meherauli pillar inscription, who came and warred in Vanga, as Chandravarmman, of whose advent in Bengal we have now a tangible proof in the shape of the great fort know after him. Chandravarmman's campaigns in Bengal and the foundation of the fortified settlement at Kotalipadas may be approximately duted about 315 A.D.
· [The identification is not convincing.-Ed.]
? In an attempt to identify Chandra with Chandra-Gupta I, Prof. Basak writes: "Where in the evidence that Bengal had over been in the possession of Chandravarmman P ... We bave as yot got no sach historical evidence nor can 106 expect to get it in future." (Ind. Ant., June, 1919, p. 101.) This last statement ouly jeoros ibe necessity of caution in our prediction as to what future may bring up.
Kogalpãţi means the pada or hamlet founded on the ali or num parts of the kof or fort,
