Epigraphia Indica Vol 28

Author(s): Hirananda Shastri
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 37

8
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
VOL. XXVIIT
of Elephant-riders (Mahämätras). Its President was called Sthavira and the members of the Executive Committee, who seem to have numbered twelve, Pramukhas. The assembly of the Corporation was called Samuha.. The gaña evidently consisted of elephant-riders ;' for one of the elders was called Pilu-pati (Chief of the Elephant Force) and another was Hati-vaidyz (Physician of Elephants). The Corporation had apparently no authority to make any grants of land; for it had to request the ruling prince to make one on their behalf, hut it was allowe' to affis its own seal containing its own peculiar emblem of a goad. This shows that it wielded considerable power in the State.
As for the localities mentioned in the present grant, Nān divardhana from which the plates were issued has already been identified with Nagardhan. This identification has been corroborated by the discovery of the present record. Another name of the place is said to have been Nandardhan which corresponds to Nandivardhana. There is a small village named Nandipuri, about a mile south by east of Nagardhan which may represent ancient Nandivardhana. Achalapura is usually identified with Ellichpur in the Amraoti District, but there is no river named Sūlanadi flowing by its side. The Achalapura mentioned in the present plates as an agrahāra village was probably situated not far from Nandivardhana. The Śūlanadi on the bank of which it lay is probably identical with the river Sur which flows only about 4 miles, east of Nagardhan? Ankollikā which was situated on the bank of the Sūlanadi may be identical with modern Aroli, on the right bank of the Sūr, about 8 miles south by east of Nagardhan, but there are no places corresponding to Achalapura and Sri-Parņikā in its vicinity. Chiichapațţikā is probably represented by the v.llage Chichál, about a mile and a half, north by east of Nagardhan.
TEXTS
First Plate i ma'l*] cafe [1*] trazarale [*] wyrpatatazura: 9744tesat: sterfa2 TH: Front Rowflaaaa aaa aat
The Marathi word mahal meaning an elephant driver is derived from mahamätra (Prakrit, Mahaátta). ? Sthavirta seems to be used in the same sense as Jefthaka of which it is a synonym. The latter term occurs in the Jalakas as the head of a corporation. • The Indor Copper-plate inscription uses pravara in the sense of pramukha. C.I.I., Vol. III, p. 70 text line 8.
For samuha meaning the assembly of the gana, see Brihaspati smriti, XVII, 20. . It is noteworthy that Visvarupa, the oldest commentator of the Yaravalkyu-emriti explains gana us & cor. poration of elephant-drivers and others. Cf. varik-samahā ganah, hasty-urüh-adi-samitha ily anyé : Visvarapa on 7. 8., II, 196.
. For another grant to which the Corporation of Mahamatras has affixed its seal, see the Banaras plates of Hari. raja : Transactions of the All India Oriental Conference, Twelfth Bession, pp. 500 f. This seal also contains the emblem of a goad (not a flag-staff as stated by the editor). In this case the plates also were issued by the Cor. poration, though the grant was made with the consent of the reigning king and his chief queen.
* This river is called Suranadi in 1. 39 of the Ramtek Stone Inscription of the time of Ramachandra, above. Vol. XXV. p. 16. The name of the river seems to have changed from Sulanadi to Surinali in the course of the seven centuries that separate these two records.
. From the original plates and ink impressions kindly supplied by Shri V. K. Aiyar, Superintendent, Govern ment Press, Nagpur.
. Expressed ty a symbol.
10. The place is called arfausa in the Poona Plates of Prabhāvati.gupta (above, Vol. XV, pp. 41 f.) and the Belora plates of Pravarasēna II (above, Vol. XXIV, pp. 260 f.). In two other grants (via., Rithapur plates of Bhavadattavarman, above, Vol. XIX, pp. 100 f. and Kotburaka grant of Pravarasena II, above, Vol. XXVI. pp. 1665.) the place-game appears as afunt