________________
206 EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
(VOL. XXVIII Similarly the consonant after r is doubled, e.g., line 2, -Ormmi; line 5, Harër-ddakahina; lines 9 and 19, durgga ; line 10, karnna ; line 21, saruva ; line 25, Velicherlla ; line 28, udakaira ddhard; line 33, barllo ; line 36, sarvvē. The final » (nakarapolu) at the end of a pāda is given, e.g., line 4, Oudvahan.
In the Telugu portion giving the boundaries, the word rāyi (stone) is written with only the initial vowel i (short) as rāi; purnānusvāra is used where ardha anusvāra is used now, e.g., line -35, vāṁgu; túrpurgommuna.
Lines 1 to 4; the charter opens with a prayer to Gaņēsa and to the Varāha incarnation of Vishnu who raised the earth from the ocean. Lines 4 to 6; the family of the donor is said to have been descended from the Sun-God who is also praised. Lines 6 to 12; in that family was born Kapildvara and to him was born Purushottama. To the latter was born Pratāpa-Rudra. The charter ratifies the gift of the village, Velicherla, by Pratāpa-Rudradēva Gajapati to a Brāhmana on the 3rd tithi, Friday, of the bright half of the lunar) month of Kürttika of the (oyolio) year (Pramodadany-äbdavarë) which corresponded to the Saka year indicated by the chroLlogram kara-rām-abdhi-sitāṁ su, (2, 3, 4, 1).
As this date is important to clear some fallacies created by the historians regarding the relations of Krishnadēvarāye of Vijayanagara and Pratapa-Rudra Gajapati, I undertake to discuss this first before I proceed to comment on the text of the document. Mr. Venkatarangayya, who published this oopper-plate grant, said that the date corresponded to 1510 A. C., October, 4, Friday ; but on examination it is found that the tithi on that day was not tritīyā but partly prathamā and partly dvitāyā. The editor of the journal (J.A.H.R.S., Vol. XI, pp. 57.) argued thus :-Unfortunately the Saka samvat and the cyclio year do not agree ; for Saka 1432 (expired) coincided with Paridhävi (sic), Saka year 1433 expired or 1434 current alone (sie) would corretpond to the cyclic year Pramodūta. The date of the grant in Christian era would be equivalent te Priday, 24th October, 1511 A.C.
In the Madras Epigraphical Report for 1921, para. 70, it is said that Pramodāta corresponded to 1610-11 A. O. None of these examinens seem to have understood the passage giving the date rightly. I quote here the verses (lines 22 to 24) to make it clonr.
Line 22. kara-räm-dbdhi-fitärbu-sarikhwakar Saka-vatsare PraLine 23. modo(da)d-any-ābda-varē māsi Kärttika-nāmani sukla-tritiyyā-divase BhaLine 24. rggavasya cha võsare, etc.
Hare the cyclic year Pramoda or Pramodüte correctly corresponds to the Saka year 1432; but the compound Pramodo dāld-any-ābda-vare clearly indicates that the year other than (next to) Pramoda, i.e. Prajāpati-consequently, the Saka year next to that quoted in the inscription, viz., 1433 seems to be intended. The date now resolves itself to Saka 1433, (cyclic year) Prajapati, (the lunar month) Kärttiks suddha 3, Bhargava's (week-)day, which corresponds to 1611 A. C., October 24, Friday.
Sinoe the grant was made when the king was holding court in the great fort of Undrakonda, it is oortain that he was in the south in 1511-12 A. C.; it was his arka 17 as his father died in 149697. That the Gajapati king was in the south about 1511 A. C. is corroborated by ather sources of information. Tbe Kafakardjavamsavali says that, when, in the 17th year (of reigo) Cuttack Yus attacked by the Mogul called Hansen Shah, the king (Pratapa-Rudra Gajapati) who want
1 Further sources of Vijayanagar History, No. 94. The rest of the parenge mention the regnal year wars and not as anka. However since the Gajapati rulers invariably reckoned their reign in anlas, we may understand by warsha only the anks your.
