________________
78
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[VOL. XIX
of Noni which in the Chhattisgarhi dialect of Hindi means 'a maiden,' as it does in Oriya and Bengali. The ladies of rank apparently had the termination "alla" added to their names, as we find other queens of the same family bearing names like Avalla, Lachhalla, Rājallā, Rambhallā, Jäsalla, Sōmallä and Trialla.
In noticing these few points which the charter brings to prominent notice, I have been actuated by the idea that the time has come when a broader view of the manner of studying these records might well be taken, than has been hitherto the case. Up to this time attention was chiefly concentrated on kings, dates and places, but these unusual finds reveal a lot of unusual ethnographical and other data, which is well worth collection.
TEXT.
[Metres : Vv. 1, 4, 10, 11, 12, 17-23, Anushtubh ; v. 2 Upendravajra ; v. 3, Sragdharā; vv. 5, 6, 8, 9, 14, Vasantatilaled ; vv. 7, 15, 16, Upajāts; v. 13, Sikcharini ]
First Plate.
1 चम् ॥ श्रोम्' नमो व्र(ब्रह्मणे | निर्गुणं व्यापकं नित्य शिव "परमकारर्थ । भाववाच्यं परं ज्योतिस्तस
2 ( नमः ॥[१॥ * ] यदेतदग्रेसरमम्ब (म्ब) रस्य ज्यो । । तिः स पूषा पुराणः । अथास्य पुत्री मनु
पुरुषः
3 रादिराजस्तदन्वयेभूवि [1] वीर्यः ॥ [२] ॥*]
देवः श्रीका
वो: चितिपतिरभवषयं भूतधाचा
4 सप्ताद्रिव (विभ्य हिमगिरिसुता [शेष ] सन्तोषितेयम् । दोईखाक (का) सेतुप्रतिगमितम
5 हावारिवाप्रवाह' व्याधूतच्च च पूजागुरु जनितरुषं रावणं यो वव (बब ) न्ध* ॥[२] तन्स (वंश) प्रभवा भूपा व (ब)
6 भूवुर्भुवि हयाः । तेषां वन्स (वंशे) च चेद्यादिचितीस : (गः) कोलोभवत् । [४] काट (ट) वह पतिरकी - 7 णेशसा (शा) कंभरोपतितु[रुष्कार ] घूजवानाम् । चयं न स्तंभी जय
आ[द]ाय को [भ] हरिदन्त (ति)
8 स्व विचितो विन राजा ॥[५] अष्टादशारिकरिकुंभविभङ्गसिन्हा: (सिंहाः) पुत्रा [] (ब) भूवर तिसो (यो) यं
9 पराच तस्य । तत्राग्रजी नृपवरस्त्रिपुरोश पासीत्पाखें (खें) च मण्डलपतीन्स चकार व (ब) बून् ॥[4॥ * ) तेषा
1 Represented by two different signs. [The first symbol possibly stands for सिद्धिरस्तु see above, Vol. XVII, p. 352.Ed.]
[The dandas are unnecessary.-Ed.] Here the space enclosed by the two vertical lines and just below it in the second line was reserved for making a hole for stringing the first plate with the second plate, but the hole was finally made at the bottom instead of at the top.
Compare with the 3rd élōka of the Benares copper-plate inscription of Karnadeva (Ep. Ind., Vol. II, p. 305). 4 Elsewhere this reads as शेष य (800 Ep. Ind, Vob I, p. 34 slokai).
