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No. 22.)
MAHAKOSALA PLATES OF MAHABHAVAGUPTARAJADEVA.
135
(V. 34.) The Gürjara (lord?) onters the Himalaya devoid of power and the lord of Gauda lies in the watery fort of the sea. There lives in Vanavåsa the lord() of Kuntala........
(V. 35.) The King Köyüravarsha (gave)...... to the ascetic who possessed merit and whom he had himself honoured ......
(Vv, 36-37.) (The villages) Pakka...., as well as Sarasadollaka, Vakkaçõllaka, Rajyauchchvēkõ(?),..,.,.nässpundikā,...... pura, Khayellik(?)......Abhitapalli......and Sarasvati.
(Vv, 38-40.) The twelfth part of these as well as the Kavacha-kshetra Samantapätaka and Vats....,.Bhadvachiura, Tujumvå and Kukkudiyā along with the village of Rajó (the king) gave by means of a grant to the great (asoetie) who was versed in the Vedāntas.
(V. 41.) The king made the grant with all honours and out of devotion to him (and also gane?) & city crowded with citizens.
(V. 42.) (He also) gave to the Sivs called Sömanātha, (the villages of) Karodhaka, Brahmapuri...... kapomikā and Nannisvara-kshetra.
(V. 43.) May this allowance (vritts) to the Saiva-ascetics granted by the illastrious Yuvarajadēva last till the end of kalpas, being protected by the future kings.
(V. 44.) The praigeworthy Madhu who was the son of the illustriots Trayivardhana of the Bharadvāja lineage, composed this eulogy with sweet words.
(V. 45.) This (prasasti) was written on stone with clear letters by the scribe, the intelligent Sivanāga, the son of Avvõka.
(V. 46.) (It was) incised by the engraver Mādhara....who was the son of Mahësvara, was gifted and was (as clever as) Visvakarmar.
No. 22.--THE MAHAKOSALA HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S PLATES OF MAHABHAVA
GUPTARAJADEVA.
By PANDIT LP, PANDEYA. In October 1992, this important charter was presented to the Maha-Kõula Historical Society, Bälpur (via Räigarh, District Bilaspur, C. P.), by a gentleman in whose family it had been lying for years. Definite information about its find-spot is lacking but it is said that the plates were discovered in a field in the course of digging.
This charter eonsists of three copper-plates each measuring about 8I" in length sad 4-2 in breadth which are strung on a big circular ring of the same metal. The ring is 4-2" in diameter to which is fixed a circular seal measuring 16" in diameter. On the seal'is engraved the figure of a stænding bull with two horns and a raised Kump facing the proper right. Above the figure of the bull is the mark of a crescent moon and below it the legend in two lines, which reads :-(1) Sri-Mahābhavagupta (2)rājadēvasya. The plates have no raised' rims and they with the ring and the seal weigh 120 tolas.
Of the three plates, the first is inscribed on the inner side only while the second and third plates bear writing on both sides. The first plate contains nine lines of writing, the second seven lines on each side and the third bas eleven lines on the inner and four lines on the outer side. The letters on both the sides of the second plate are comparatively big, each mensuring rd of an inch. In the inner side of the third plate the letters in the last five lines are smaller than those of the first six lines. The writing on the plates excepting a few lines on the first side of the third plate is in good preservation.
The characters belong to the acute angled ' type of the Northern script, attributable to the 7th and 8th centuries: A.D. The letters have been nicely and clearly engraved and the majority
