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210
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[VoL. XXVI.
at Ghumli in separation from him. There is nothing in the record to bear out this suggestion. The concluding sentence is no doubt difficult to construe; but it is almost certain that the word ätmiyāyāh in l. 18 has to be construed with rājni-Kshēmēsvaryāḥ in l. 22; Kshēmēśvari was thus a queen of the donor. L. 19 describes her as superior to thousands of women in her character. She therefore was not likely to be a lady living in a kind of judicial separation from her husband ; such women were held in contempt by Hindu society. In ll. 21-22, the donor is referring to her constancy to the marriage vow taken in the presence of the sacred fire. She must therefore have been his own wife, and not the wife of a contemporary of his living in separation at his capital.
The village granted was Bhētālikā, situated in the district of Pachchhatri. As its boundaries are not given, it is difficult to identify it with certainty. M. M. Shastri has suggested that it should be identified with Vadala, which is now a railway station on the Junagad State Railway, about 7 miles north of Junagad. There is, however, another village named Bhātēla, about 24 miles north-north-east of modern Pachhtardi, whose name has a greater phonetic resemblance to that of Bhētālikā. It is more probable that this may have been the village granted.
TEXT.:
First Plate. 1 ॐ स्वस्ति [[*] भूताम्बि(बि)लिकातः [*] आशी(सौ)त्संपूर्णप्रकाशशरनि(नि)शा
कररश्मी(श्मि)प्रतानविष(श)दनिषजसो(निजयशो)2 राशिया(श्या)मलितसमस्तशत्रुसामंतसीमंतिनीवदखारविन्दु(न्द)द्युतिः प्रलयकालविज़ुभितज्व3 लनज्वालावलीकल्पा(प्र)तापप्रसर(गे) हेलावादितसकलसुघल्लोकः प्रणमदु(टू)जितानेकसर4 मनिर्यिंतमहाभियनराजंबो जिझतदीर्घोष्णनिश्वासपवनस्पर्ष(0)निर्मलतरीभवन(ब)खदर्पण5 छाया:(यः) पृथिव्यामाञ्चयो(य)भूत[*] करवालेव' परिवारनिरवपेक्षः केवल एव
निर्बु(यूंढानेकसमरसाहस6 महोत्सवः श्रीमसैन्धववंशप्रसूत: समधिगताशेषमह(हा)सामंतश्रीकृष्णराजः [*] तस्य प्र. 7 थितानेकगुणगणसमाजादितसज्जनजनमन[:*]प्रसर[:*] केवलं जननिजभुजवीर्योपार्जितप्रणति
यमो8 प्रभुज्यमानलक्ष्मी(मी)विभवती(स्ती)क्षणोत्खातकरवालनिशितदा(धा)राविस्फुरत्किरणनिवहदूरो
सा1 M. M. Shastri, Report on Twelve Copper-plate Inscriptions f and at Ghumli, p.9. •bid, p. 14.
Edited from ink-impression. • Indicated by a symbol. • The letter looks like khnd read vadand. • Read .samara-nirjila-mahabhijana-rājany-8°.
Read karavila iva. • The letter va in this word is superfluous, road nirapakahab. • Road pranayi-janar
