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No. 22) DIVE AGAR MARATHI COPPER CHARTER; SAKA 982 123 belonging to a village were kept with a private person with the consent of the assembly and that the sum for the maintenance of the assembly was handed over to another person apparently in trust, the names of several witnesses to this deed also being cited. The Brāhmaṇas mentioned in the inscription seem to be very learned persons as several of them have the appellation Shrdargavi, a corrupt form of Sanskrit Shadangavid, meaning well versed in the six Angas of the Veda. The Marathi forms of these names are also interesting. Thus the namo Divödara would correspond to Sanskrit Dāmõdara ; Risiyappa to Rishiappa ; Sidhu to Siddha ; Pavřvadēva with Padmadēva. The record mentions two surnames, Ghaisāsa and Dēvalu, which again are interesting. Early use of the word Ghaisāsa in the form Gahiyasāhasa is met with in the Radhanpur Plates? of Rashtrakūta Govinda, dated Saka 730, where the götra of the Brāhmaṇa is stated to be Bharadvāja. In the Sañjau copper plates of Rāshțrakūta Amõghavarsha, Saka 793, the variant Gahiyasahāsa (or-sābāsa) is found and the Brāhmaṇas belong to the Vaddamukha and Vatsa gotras. The word occurs in several inscriptions subsequent to this period, e.g., in the Chikka-Bägewädi Plates of Yadava Krishna, dated Saka 1171, there are several Brāhmaṇas with the appellation Ghaisāsa whose gotras are variously described as Atröya, Kāģyapa, Kaundinya, Kausika, Götama, JámadagnyaVatga, Bhäradvāja, Mūka, Rathitara, Vaśishtha, Visvamitra, Sandilya, Saunaka and Srivatsa. From these various götras there is reason to believe that the term Ghaisāsa denotes only a position or rank and is not restricted to any particular section of Brāhmaṇas. In the present day however the surname is found among the Dēšastha, Chitpāvana and Karhädā Brāhmaṇas of Mahārāshtra. Regarding the appellation Dévalu, it corresponds to the modern surname Dēvala, found among the Chitpävana Brāhmaṇas. It is perhaps & corrupt form of the Sanskrit word Dēvalaka meaning the worshipper in a shrine or a temple.
The word sthāna in the sense of a village assembly is met with in several inscriptions and does not need any comment.
There are only two geographical places mentioned in the record, viz., Sthitipuri (line 2) and Divē (line 7). Of these the first cannot be identified precisely for want of specific details, but it may probably refer to a small village called Sthita, about three miles to the north of Divē Agar, where the plates were found. Divē is obviously modern Divē Agar, whose name has been Sanskritised into Dipaka-grāma in a 13th century record found in the same village.
I am thankful to Shri P. B. Desai, M.A., of the Government Epigraphist's Office, Ootacamund, for his kind help rendered in recasting this article and making it suitable for publication in this journal.
(See below, n. 5.-Ed.] . Above, Vol. VI, p. 245. * Above, Vol. XVIII, p. 256.
• Ind. Ant., Vol. VII, pp. 305-06. The Bepdigeri plates of the same ruler, Saka 1171, also contain the names of several Brāhmaṇas with the appellation Ghaisāsa ; Ind. Ant., Vol. XIV, pp. 70-72. Ghaisa, Ghalisa and Ghalisisn Aro other variants of the expression occurring in those inscriptions.
*[Mr. P. B. Desai, M.A., of my office observes as follows: The term sthana is never met with in the inscriptions in the sense of a village assembly. Sthana, in general, connotes a post or an office and its earliest use may be traced in the Arthaśāstra of Kautilya. In such designations as the Sthanika, Sthanapati, Sthanacharua, eto., commonly occurring in inscriptions, stara means, holy place, religious establishment', etc. Secondarily athana also seems to have acquired the sense of trusteeship'. In the present inscription (lines 4 and 7) it appears to have been used to denote' trustees'. For a detailed discussion on the topic see, B. A. Saletore, The Sthanikas and their Historical Importance': Journal of Bomb. University, Vol. VII, Part I, pp. 165.-Ed.). • Dikshit : Selected Inscriptions from Maharashtra (Poong 1947): pp. 85-88 (in Marathi).
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