________________
134
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[Vou. xx.
17 दं चास्मत(द)दानमनाहार्य चैति भाविभिरपि भूमिपालैः पालनीयं । एवं
च । शंखं भद्रासनं छत्र वरावा(खा) परवारणा: । भूमिदा18 न[स्य] पुष्पाणि फलं स्वर्ग: पुरंदर [२] भूमिं यः प्रतिरम्हा(बा)ति
यच्च(थ) भूमि प्रयक(छ)ति [*] उभौ तौ पुन्य(ण्य)काणी नियतो
खगंगामि19 नौ । [*] ममवंशेक्षतिक्षीणे कीपि राजा भविष्यति [] तस्य
दासस्य दासोहं मम की तिर्ण (तिन) लोपर्यत(क) [४सुभ(राभ) भवतु ॥
D.-CHARKHARI PLATE OF HAMMIRAVARMADEVA : [VIKRAMA-SAMVAT
1346
This is the first copper-plate charter of the Chandálla king Hammiravarmadova, whom I brought to notice, a decade ago, in my Damoh Dipaka, the Hindi Gazetteer of the Damoh district in the Central Provinces, from a sati record which I found in the village Bamhni of that district. When I visited the Ajayagadh fort, I came upon another sati stone record mentioning his name, which I included in the new account of the Ajayagadh fort inscriptions revised since the visit of General Sir Alexander Cunningham 88 detailed in his Survey Report Vol. XXI. It appears to me that the Hamirpur district of the United Provinces, in which Mahoba, the civil capital of the Chandēllas, is included, derives its name from this Chandēlla king. Of course, this district which borders on the Charkhāri State, took its name from the town of Hamirpur, which is situated on the confluence of the Jumna and the Betwā, 110 miles north-west of Allahābād.
The record is engraved on a copper-plate 11}' long and 8%' broad, with a raised rim in height running all round the plate and secured on the latter by nails. Its weight is 48 tolas only. In the middle of the first four lines of writing there is a figure of the four-armed goddess Lakshmi holding lotuses and water pots. On the top of the figure there is a hole for a ring which was either not put in or has been taken off and lost. The plate shows signs of corroding without serious damage to letters, which are rather small, their average size being '. Tho engraving is badly executed.
The language of the record is Sanskrit, the style being in the prescribed form used by the Chandellas ; but, from what little the writer composed, it is clear that he was no Sanskritiet, as he has committed many spelling as well as grammatical mistakes. The insertion of the title Sāhi against the names of all the kings mentioned indicates the growing Muhammadan influence, which finally ousted the Chandēllas, apparently during the reign of the grantor of this very charter. Hammiravarmadēva, who styled himself as the Paramabhaffäraka Sahi Raj.
18ee above, Vol. XVI, p. 10, t. n. 4. . The record runs as follows:
L. 1. संवत(त) १९८८ समये धावणसुदि बुधे L.2. सौ बावसभ मेने सा सुभ बीमहाL.३. राजश्रीमौरव-देवराव्य सभी मंग
L.4. परीति Contritrated to Madhurt, a Hindi Journal of Lapknow, no Vol. V. pt.
number
