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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
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[VOL. XXVIII
The said Mahadā plates are now the property of the Asutosh Museum of Indian Art attached to the University of Calcutta. They were obtained for examination through the kindness of Mr. D. P. Ghosh, the Curator of that Museum. On a careful examination of the original plates, it was found that a number of very important passages of the record were not properly read by Mr. Mazumdar in his edition of the record. In the first place, the name of the donor of the charter is not Yögēsvaradēvavarman but Sõmēsvaradēvavarman (line 24). Secondly, the name of the father of the donor is to be read as Dhäralladēvavarman (lines 16-17) and not Dhāraṇadēvavarman, as made out by Mr. Mazumdar. Thirdly, there is no mention in the inscription of Vaūdhapura which has been identified with modern Baudh and taken to have been the capital of the issuer of the charter. Lastly, the date of the record is not the 33rd regnal year of the issuer's grandfather (Sõmēsvaradēvavarman I) but really the year 23 (written both in words and in numerals in line 11) of his own reign. Hence the very title of the record has to be changed as the Mahaļā plates of Sömēsvaradēvavarmın' since Yögēsvaradēvavarman, in reality, did not exist at all. In view of all these important factors now brought to light on a re-examination of the plates, the record is re-edited here for the benefit of scholars.
After the introductory siddham symbol and the word svasti the inscription introduces, in lines 1-10, the reigning king Sômēsvaradēva, who is called pafcha-mahā sabda-samanvita, maha-mahimandalesvara, maha-bhupatillu and chakravarttin. Of these titles, the first is known to have been used by feudatories and the last by Paramount sovereigns. This combination of subordinate and imperial titles shows that the issuer of the charter owed only nominal allegiance to the overlords of his predecessors. The same conclusion is further suggested by the titles mahā-mahimandalēbvara and mahā-bhū pati, which were apparently deliberate modifications respectively of the feudatory titles of Mahāmandalesvara and Mahāvyūhapati used by another member of the same family who issued the Kumārasimha and the Patna Museum plates. Other interesting titles used by the issuer of the Mahadā plates are dinakara-kula-nandana (i.e., scion of the solar dynasty), Karikūlānvaya (i.e., of the house of Karikāla), Käsya pa-gotra, Kävēri-nätha (i.e., lord of the river Kävēri) and Varaüra puravar-ūdhi svara (lord of Varaüra or Uraiyür, the traditional capital of the Cholas), all of which refer to the descent claimed by the Telugu-Chödas from the celebrated Chola royal family. The epithet Simha-dhvaja-lanchhana may be either a modification of or a mistake for rakta-dhwaja-siṁha-lāñchhana of the Kumarasimha plates. The expression Ayodhyā-vinirggatasimhāsana-manimakuţa-palla-vardhana-dvijarāja-lānchhana seems to suggest that the issuer of the Mahadā plates claimed to have been enjoying the privilege of using certain insignia brought from Ayodhyā, the ancient capital of North Kõsala. This, no doubt, has a bearing on the claim that the family belonged to the solar race, the main branch of which represented by the epic hero Rāma ruled at Ayodhya. Another interesting epithet of the king, viz., Sri-Vaidyanātha-padapankaja-bhramara, speaks of his devotion to god Vaidyanatha (Siva) whose temple lies on the river Tel, about 12 miles from Sonepur. The mention of the deity also in the Kumārisimha and the Patna Museum plates shows that he was the tutelary deity of the Telugu-Choda ruling family of South Kõsala.
The date of the charter is recorded, in lines 9-13 in the following words : Sri-Somē svaradevaru pravarddhamāna-vijayarājya-samvatsaraíbulu iruvaž-mundum 23 frāhi Māghe māsi sukla-pakshe tithau saptamyāṁ makara-sthitė savitari mina-rāsi-sthita-chandramasi Ravau Rēvatyām-amrita-yoge.
1 Mr. K. G. Goswami of the University of Calcutta, who examined the plates in the Asutosh Museum of Indian Art, also suggested the same reading of the king's name.
Above, Vol. XXVII, p. 326; J.O. R., Vol. XVIII, p. 45.
The passage may also be suggested to stand as Ayodhya-vinirggata[1] simhasana-manimakufa.paffavar. Jhanachoj dvijaraja-lañchchhana[al. In that case, we play think that the king's emblem was both the lion and be dvija-naga (the moon or Garuda).
