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NO. 3.)
ARANG PLATES OF MAHASUDEVARAJA.
an elephant is standing on a water-lily, with its trunk raised above her head. In the proper right corner there is a figure of an expanded water-lily and in the proper left that of a conch (sankha). Below is the legend in two lines. The rims of the plates are not raised. The plates measure 6'4" in length and 3.2' in breadth. The weight of the plates is 48% tolas and that of the seal 45 tolas. The letters show through on the back of the plates, especially in the case of the last plate which was too thin and was, therefore, cut while incising the second and third letters of L. 21. The engraver has, therefore, left 1" of the breadth on the back of the last plate unincised. The first plate contains five lines of writing on its second side and the second plate has the same number of lines on its first side. The second side of the second plate and the first side of the third contain each six lines of writing, while the second side of the third plate has only four lines.
The characters belong to the box-headed type in which the inscriptions of the Vākāțakas and the Räjim and Balodā plates of Mahāśiva Tivararāja, are written. The sign of the upadhmāniya occurs in 11. 3, 8 and 17, and that of the jihrāmuliya in l. 21. The numerical symbols for 8, 9 and 20 occur in l. 26. The language is Sanskrit and, excepting the five benedictory and imprecatory verses at the close, the whole record is in prose.
As regards orthography, attention may be drawn to the use of ri forri in trida sapati, 1.6 ; of " for anusvāra in adhyarddharsēna, 1. 10 and of gna for jña in svamukh-ägnayā, 11. 25-26. In bhavannti, 1. 21, the anusvāra is wrongly retained after its change to the nasal of the class to which the following letter belongs.
The engraver was Drönasimgha, who also engraved the Khariyar Plates of Maha-Sudēvarāja and the Raipur Plates of the same king, both of which records were issued from Sarabhapura.
The record is dated in the 8th regnal year of the donor Maha-Sudövarāja on the 29th day of Vaisakha. The place of issue was Sarabhapura, which town or city has not yet been definitely identified. Sambalpur town in Orissa, Sirpur (old Sripura) the ancient capital of Mahā. kõsala on the bank of the Mahanadi, in the Raipur District, Sarabhavaram in the Godavari Dis. trict, Sarapgarh or Sarabpur in the Gangpur Feudatory State in the E. S. A. and Sarawa, a village near Sheorinarayan town in the Bilaspur District have been suggested by different scholars as the probable site of the ancient Sarabhapura. These suggestions have been made on the similarity of names only. No authentic evidence has yet been found to confirm the identification. But this seems certain that the dynasty held sway, at least over a part of Mahākosala present Chhattisgarh Division in C. P.--where about seven charters of this family have been discovered. They belong to three different kings viz., Mahā-Sudēvarāja, Mahā-Jayarāja and Mahā-Pravararāja.
Mahā-Pravararaja's charter was issued from Sripura, which is no other than the capital town of Mahakösala referred to in the Rājim and the Balodā Plates of Mahasiva Tivararaja who is styled as the supreme lord of Kõsala (Kösalādhipati). The other charters were issued from Sarabhapura. Whether Sarabhapura was also the capital of Prasannamätra and of his son Månamätra is not known. No copper charters of either have yet been brought to light.
A silver coin of Sri-Prasannamätra, the grandfather of Mahā-Sudēvarāja and Maha-Pravara raja and the father of Maha-Jayarāja, with the legend inscribed in beautiful box-headed characters was recovered from the bed of the Māna or Māndhriver near Salhepali, a village lying in the
10. I. I., Vol. III, pp. 291 ff. and above, Vol. VII, pp. 108 f. [Soe below p. 22 n. 4.-Ed.] This river is a tributary of the Mahanadi--the groat river of Mabakosa la otherwise known w Chitrötpali.
