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No. 19] PHERAVA GRANT OF SAMANTAVARMAN, KING OF KALINGA, YEAR 185 109
The alphabet is of the southern type such as is used in the early Ganga records, and is very neatly engraved. For this reason it offers a great contrast to that of the Dhanantara plates' of king Samantavarman. In spite of slight differences, the alphabets of these two plates show essentially the same characteristics, and may be referred to the sixth or seventh century A. D.
The language is Sanskrit. With the exception of the five imprecatory verses at the end (11. 18-24) the inscription is written in prose. As compared with the other Ganga records, the language is fairly correct and the mistakes are very few.
As regards orthography the following points may be noted. Consonants are doubled after r with a few exceptions such as prakarsha (1.5), chaturbhyo (1. 11), and carsha (1. 21). Consonants k and followed by r are also doubled. The final is indicated by a small-sized letter with a short. horizontal stroke underneath. Same sign is used for b and r, but separate sign for his used in the conjunct mb (ll. 4, 8). Anusvāra is used in place of final m in the imprecatory verses (cf. phalam in 1. 20, palanam in 11. 21, 23 and 24, and bhanguram in 1. 21).
The inscription records the grant of the village of Phorava in Lauhasringāra rishaya as an agrahara to four Brahmanas, viz. Kirttisasarma and his three sons Devasarma, Ravisarmā aud Divakarasarma by the Ganga king Mahārāja Sri-Samantavarman, Lord of Kalinga, in the year 185. The grant was issued from the victorious city of Schotaka.
King Samantavarman of the present grant may be identified with the king of the same name who issued the Dhanantara plates. The opening phraseology is the same in both with one important exception. The latter contain, as a qualifying phrase of the king, "who has the supremacy over the whole of Světaka, won by the strength of his own arms". But in the corresponding passage of the present grant, Kalinga is substituted for the whole of Svētaka ", and this form is continued by all the kings of the dynasty, with the addition of 'whole' (sakala) before Kalinga. Further, the present grant adds the epithet "sakala-Kaling-adhipatir Mmahārājaḥ" (Mahārāja, the Lord of the whole of Kalinga) before the name of the king, whereas the other simply refers to the king as "Śri-Samantavarmā" without any royal epithet. These differences cannot but be regarded as being deliberate, and, therefore, of material significance. It is legitimate to infer that Samantavarman began his career as a local chief of Svētaka, rose to political importance by dint of his own prowess, and possibly conquered a portion of the Kalinga territory. For, in spite of the phrase Lord of the whole of Kalinga, it is difficult to accept, without further corroborative evidence, that Samantavarman's authority extended over the whole of Kalinga, specially when we remember that similar claims are made on behalf of the other kings of Svētaka, while a long line of Ganga kings with Kalinga-nagara as capital had been ruling in Kalinga both before and after the time of Samantavarman.
We know altogether twelve copper-plate grants issued by the kings of the Ganga family from Svētaka. They are connected by the conventional opening phrase, which practically
1 Above, Vol. XV, p. 275.
The reading of the date has been discussed later.
These are:
1. Dhanantara plates, of Samantavarman (above, Vol. XV, p. 275). 2. Phērava Grant of Samantavarman year 185 (the present Grant). 3. Gautami plates of Indravarman (above, Vol. XXIV, p. 180).
4. N. Ganjam plates of Jayavarman (above, Vol. XXIII, p. 261).
5. Vishamagiri plates of Indravarman (above, Vol. XIX, p. 136).
6. N. Ganjam plates of Ranaka Jayavarman-year 100 (above, Vol. XXII, p. 255)
7. N. Ganjam plates of Bhupendravarman (above, Vol. XXIII, p. 265).
8. Svalpa-Velura Grant of Anantavarman (above, Vol. XXIV, p. 129).
9. Ganjam plates of Prithivivarman (above, Vol. IV, p. 198).
10. Baddihimedi plates of Indravarman (above, Vol. XXIII, p. 78). 11. Indian Museum plates of Indravarmaa (above, Vol. XXVI, p. 165). 12. M. Ganjam plates of Dänäravadeva (above, Vol. XXIII, p. 263).
