________________
76
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[Vol. XXVII
the Mēsha-sankranti falling in Chaitra. The grant was evidently made to the Brāhmaṇa for reciting certain sacred texts on the occasion of the rishura or Mēsha-sankranti.
The Supratishtha āhāra in which the village Vēlusuka was situated is already known from two other Vākātaka charters, viz., the Poona plates of Prabhavatigupta and the Köthüraka grant of Prava rasēna II. Its location was uncertain until the discovery of the Köthūraka grant. I have already shown in connection with the identification of the places mentioned in that grant that the āhāra roughly corresponded to the modern Hinganghāt tahsil of the Wardha District. The present grant indicates that the ahira extended a little southwards and comprised the northern parts of the Warora and Yeotmal tahsils of the (hända and the Yeotmil Districts respectively. The village Velusukn in which the donated land was situated cannot now be traced, but it seems to have occupied the same position as modern (hinchmandal which lies just on the south of the elbow of the Wunnā, for all the boundary villages mentioned in the present charter can be traced in the vicinity of it in the respective directions. Thus Gridhra-grāma is Gadeghāt about 8 miles to the west and Nili-grāma is Niljai about 5 miles to the east of Chinch mandal. Kadambasaraka is Kõsara about 2 miles to the north. Kökilā is modern Khairi which lies about 4 miles to the north-west. The road from Mardi to Khairi passes by Chinchmandal at a distance of only about a mile to the south. All the boundary villages can thus be satisfactorily identified in the vicinity of Chinchmandal. It is again noteworthy that Chinchmandal lies only about 5 miles to the south of Wadgaon where the plates were found. The river Hiranya is the modern Erai which flows from north to south in the Waroră tahsil and ultimately joins the Wardha. Ekärjunaka where the donee resided is probably Arjuni on the left bank of the Erai, about 16 miles north-east of Warorã, the chief town of the Warora tahsil.
TEXT
First Plate 1 [at] [ *] ferografa (at)arAkrafiAZTA ( ArcaFAITETASUT(59) fa
2
partage (fa) faha:*"[**gazadenfara:
3 farver(sv) [7] FT HET? arkrat Herrafa (wit) SUTAT4 स्य सूनोः सूनोरत्यन्तस्वामिमहाभैरवभक्तस्य अंस[भा]"
5 रसन्निव (वे) शितशिवलि[ङ्गो द्वहनशिवसुपर (रि)तुष्टसमुत्पादित[रा)6 marmt(at) *(#1) fanaatit (ft) TCH (E)&(af) farfumarat
291
7 श्वमेधा[व*]भथस्नातानां भारशिवानां महाराजश्रीभवनागदौहित्रस्य
Tad this epithet not been used, the grant might have been supposed as made on the occasion of the Dasahara. vrata which is performed on the tenth tithi of the bright fortnight of Jyështha. But it is doubtful if the wata was In vogue as early as the fifth century A.D. [This may be only the conce's epithet and may have no reference to any recitation at any partioular vishu.--Ed.]
Above, Vol. XV, pp. 39 ff.
Above, Vol. XXVI, pp. 155 ff. . From the original plates.
• Expressed by a symbol which is imperfectly incised. Perhaps they are imporfectly inciso symbols of the sun and the inoon.
• Read Sadyaskkra
Read simrajo • The engraver at first incised ch, which he later on changed into bha.
