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No. 22.]
TWO GRANTS OF PRITHIVICHANDRA BHOGASAKTI.
225
vali, (and) Mahadevapuri joined to Drugalēgahvana; to the north the Ganga. The agrahāra, which has the other name of Purushottamapuri, has thus been formed with the four boundaries well-determined in this manner.
(Ll. 117-20) Now rules for the conduct of the Brahmanas. This land shall be enjoyed by these (Bramanas) and their descendants, following always the righteous path; it shall not be mortgaged or sold. No quarter shall be given to prostitutes; the custom of gambling also shall be prohibited; (and) weapons and (such) other things shall not be used These Brahmaņas shall (always) be intent on (performing) good deeds. There shall be no forced contribution (for the expenses of) royal officers halting at and departing from (the agrahāra)".
(Ll. 120-41) Now the praise of a gift of land :
(Here follow twenty-three benedictive and imprecatory verses.) (Line 141) May there be bliss and great fortune!
No. 22.-TWO GRANTS OF PRITHIVICHANDRA BIOGASAKTI.
By MADHO SARUP VATS, M.A., AND D. B. DISKALKAR, M.A.
In August 1936 when Mr. Vats was Superintendent, Archæological Survey, Western Circle, Poona, three grants consisting of seven copper plates were sent to him by the Collector of Nasik. They were found with a Marathi Patel family, surnamed Shid, of Anjaneri village in the headquarters Taluka of the Nasik District. Three of the plates were found to make one grant, marked A and two another, marked B, both issued by a king named Prithivichandra Bhōgasakti. Lines 1-25 of the former are identical with lines 1-27 of the latter. The remaining two plates were found to make a third grant of the Gurjara king Jayabhata III. Below are described the first two grants mentioned above as A and B.
Each of these grants was held together by two copper rings. To one of the two rings of the one marked A is affixed a tubular seal containing the figure of a lion in relief. The surface of the seal is circular and 13" in diameter. The three plates of this set along with the rings and the seal weigh 308 tolas. There is also the figure of a boar engraved in the middle of the second half of the second plate of this grant. The plates measure 12 to 123 inches in length and 7 to 8 inches in width. As usual, the first and the third plates are inscribed on the inner faces only. and the middle plate on both the sides. The inscription consists of 55 lines of writing, 14 on each of the first, second and fourth faces and 13 on the third one.
A circumscribed lotus is incised on the uninscribed outer face of the first plate, while a large figure of conch shell appears upside down across the outer face of the third plate which bears a postcript record of king Tejavarman in 9 lines.
The two plates making up the second grant measure 113x73 to 73 inches. One of the two rings of this grant is missing and the remaining one has a tubular seal similar to that found in A. The weight of the two plates forming this grant together with the ring and the seal is
1 Such restrictions date from ancient times. See, for instance, vv. 31 ff. of the Sirpur inscription of the time of Maha-Sivagupta, above, Vol. XI, pp. 192 f.
The same expression occurs also in the Paithan plates. It was first interpreted by Dr. Fleet as referring to the exemption of the king's servants from fines either for staying at or for setting out on journeys from them. (Ind. Ant., Vol. XIV, p. 315). Later on he gave the alternative explanation that "the expression....may refer to fines' i.e., forced contributions of money or supplies obligatory on the holders of villages on such occasions" (C. I. I., Vol. III, p. 98, n. 2). Three is no doubt that the latter is the correct interpretation.
