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No. 32]
FOUR COPPER PLATES FROM SORO.
201
Uttara-Tosali and Dakshiņa-Tõsali. The latter included Köngöda-mandala, which according to some scholars was to the south-west of Puri and might have extended as far as the borders of the Ganjam District. As regards the extent of Uttara-Tösali, light is thrown by the Neulpur grant of Subhākaradēva' and also by the present copper plates. The Neulpur plate records the grant of certain villages in Uttara-Tösali which are to be located in the Balasore District. All the four plates published here refer to grants of land in Sarēph-āhāra which also was situated in Uttara-Tõsali. Sarēphā (or Sarepha) should be identified with Sõro in Balasore, in the vicinity of which the present copper plates were discovered. In the Revised Rent-roll of Shah Sujah (circa A.D. 1650) Sõro appears as one of the principal divisions of Sarkar Jalesar. It is also mentioned as Sõro-dandapāta in the Mädaļā- pāñji. Even now Sõro is an important station in the Balasore District. Varukāņa, the name of the adjoining vishaya, is perhaps to be identified with the present Baruã pargana which appears as Barwa, a mahal under Sarkar Bhadrak, in the Ain-i-Akbari. The other localities I am unable to identify.
A.-Plate of Mahārāja Sambhuyasas; the year 260.
TEXT.
Obverse. 1 Om [*] jaya-skandhāvārāt=Tamparavadama(?)-vāsakāch=chhruta vinaya-vibhū2 shanaḥ pranayi-jana-yathëshța-bhogya-vibhavaḥ sarvva-dik-parisara3 pratishthit-ananta-punya-kirttir=apann-ābhaya-mantra-dikshito nija4 bhuja-parakrama krānta-sattru-pakshaḥ prajā-pālana-dakshiņo Mudgala.. 5 kul-āmva(mba)r-ēndu-sri-chūļā-maniḥ paramadaivata-va(ba)ppa-pād-ānuddhyāto Mahā6 raja-sri-Sambhuyaśāḥ kusali Uttara-Tosalyäm varttamüna-bhavi7 shyan-mahäsämanta maharaja-rajaputtra-kumārāmaty-oparika8 vishayapati-tadãyuktaka-dandavāsika-sthānantarikan-anya[m)9 sucha Vallabha-jātiyān Sarēpha-(ph-a)hāra vishaya-mahāmahattare10 kültakõlas-ady-adhikaraṇam mānayati viditam-astu võ yath=ai
Reverse. 11 tad-vishaya-samva(mba)ddha-Sarēph-asanga-grāmēto Ghantakarnna.kshēttrē timpir-ā12 shtau sasya-sahitā vāstu-hasta-sata-dvaya-samētāḥ s-Õparikarāḥ 13 s-õddēšā[ h] sarvva-pidā-varjjită a-chandr-arkka-samakāla mātā-pittro14 Twatmanaś=cha puny-abhivriddhayē Bhāradvāja-sagottra-Kānvēya15 Bharaṇasvāminé pratipăditās=tad=ēsh=āsmad-dattiḥ pratipäla
Cf. above, Vol. XXI, p. 38. 2 Above, Vol. XV, p. 1. Misra, Orissa under the Bhauma Kings, 1934, p. 3. M. Chakravarti, J. P. A. 8. B., 1916, pp. 46, 48.
The reading may be Väru(or Varu)koņa. Names of villages ending in kona are not uncommon; cf. Bukudraraköna in the Indian Museum Plates of Devendravarman' (above, p. 74) and Värahakona in the Saktipur copper plate of Lakshmanasēna' (above, Vol. XXI, p. 214). It may be pointed out that there is a place called Märkona (on the B. N. R.) only ten miles to the south-west of Soro.-Ed.]
. See J. P. A. S. B., 1916, p. 44.
Expressed by a symbol. & For this reading I am indebted to the Editor.
This word, which was omitted at first, has been added below. 10 [Reading appears to be Sardph-oftsu]ága-yramé, i.e., in the village in the vicinity of Sarēpha. -Ed.]
