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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[VOL. XXIII.
No. 47.-NALANDA PLATE OF DHARMAPALADEVA.
By P. N. BHATTACHARYYA, INDIAN MUSEUM, CALCUTTA. This copper-plate was unearthed in course of excavations in 1927-28 by Mr. J. A. Page of the Archæological Survey of India at Nalandā, Patna District. It was lying among burnt debris in the north verandah of Monastery No. 1, at the same level where the grant of Dēvapāladēva was found. The plate has already been noticed by Dr. Hirananda Sastri in the Annual Report of the Archæological Surney of India, 1927-28, p. 138.
This is a single plate of copper, measuring about 77" broad and 104" high, having the usual highly wrought seal soldered on the top. The seal bears the legend Srimān=Dharmapāladevah in raised letters in one line below the emblem of the dharmachakra. The emblem consists of a wheel flanked on each side by a deer, indicating the Buddha's first sermon at Sārnāth.
The plate is inscribed on both sides. The obverse contains 24 lines of writing. On the reverse, which is very much defaced, some 12 lines can be clearly recognized. Of the rest of the writing it is not possible to offer even a tentative reading. The destruction of the monastery by fire was no doubt the cause of the defacement of the copper-plate.
The characters belong to the northern class of alphabets resembling those of the Khalimpur plate. The following peculiarities may, however, be noted: The left limb of the letter n is not so elongated. as in the Khalimpur, Mungir and Nālandão plates. The forms of the letters kta (1. 12) and ku (11. 5, 10, 14) are almost identical. Separate signs have been used for finalt (e.g., skandhävārāt, 1. 2) and n (e.g., akirttitān, 1. 15). The medial a is expressed in some cases by full strokes and in others by half strokes (cf.orājaḥ, l. 4; mahā, l. 8, etc.). It is worthy of notice, however, that not a single instance of half stroke is found in the Khalimpur, Nälandā and Mungir plates. Similarly the medial i is also expressed both by full and half strokes. The latter form appears in vishaya, 1. 10; kulika, 1. 14; kirtli and jīcinah, l. 15; and likhita, 1. 17. The medial e has been expressed by a short curve in continuation of the mātrā on the left side. The medial o has been expressed in two different ways, sometimes with the half stroke of è together with the vertical stroke for medial a on the right side (cf. puroga, 1. 16; rarjito, 1. 22) and sometimes with a curved line above the consonant together with the right vertical stroke (cf. pāda-padm-opajivinaḥ, l. 15; yath-oparilikhita, 1. 17) as in the Khalimpur and Nalandă plates.
The language of the inscription is Sanskrit, the text being wholly in prose. As regards orthography the only point to be noted is that b is throughout expressed by the sign for v. After the opening words, Om svasti, the inscription proceeds to record the subject matter of the plate, namely a grant by the Paramèsvara Paramabhatļāraka Mahārājädhiräja, the illustrious Dharma. paladēva, the son and successor of the devout worshipper of Sugata (i.e., Buddha) the Maharäjādhiraja Gopāladēva. It was issued from the royal camp of victory at Kapilā (?). The object of the document is to record the gift of the village of Uttarama near the village of Nigüha in the Gayā vishaya of the Nagara bhukti (11. 5-7) and belonging to Jambûnadi vithi. The purpose of this grant cannot be made out owing to the damaged condition of the
12. 8. I., Annual Report, 1927-28, p. 159. * Above, Vol. XVII, pp. 310-327.
See below p. 292, n. 1.-Ed.] J. A.8. B., Vol. LXIII, pl. III. Abore, Vol. XVIII, p. 306, 1. 39. • Ibid., Vol. XVII, p. 320, 1. 9.
Vitki is found here to denote a small sub-division of the rishaya. This term occurs also in the Nalanda plate of Devapala in connection with the village granted in the Gaya rishayu. From the Naihati grant (N. G. Majumdar. Inscriptions of Bengal, Vol. III, p. 74) of Vallalasēna it is found that eithi formed a part of a mandala. See also a dove, p. 159.
