Epigraphia Indica Vol 29

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

Page 16

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
VOL. XXIX
1951-1952
No. 1--TWO PALA PLATES FROM BELWA
(2 Plates) D. C. STRCAR, OOTACAMUND
The village of Belwă lies a few miles to the west of the Hili railway station on the East Bengal Railway, in the eastern fringe of the Dinajpur District, not far from the borders of the Bogra and Rangpur Districts. Some time in 1946, a Santal inhabitant of the village, named Khāsē Siotal, discovered two inscribed copper plates while digging the compound of his house with a view to enlarging a fire-place. Mr. Manoranjan Cupta of Calcutta soon secured the plates with the help of Muhammad Basir Sarkar who is an official at the Zamindar's Katchery at the village of Kasigări, not far away from Belwă. Mr. Gupta studied the inscriptions and published both of them in the Variriya Sahitya Parishat Patrika (Bengali). Vols. LIV, B. S. 1354, pp. 41-56; LVI, B. S. 1356, pp. 60-65, with plates. The original plates were also presented to the Museum of the Vangiya Bāhitya Parishat, Caloutta. One of the records belongs to king Mahipala I (circa 988-1038 A. C.) of the Päla dynasty of Bengal and Bihār, and the other to his grandson Vigraha pāla III (circa 1055-90 A. C.). As, however, the inscriptions appeared to me to have been neither carefully read nor correctly interpreted, I requested, several times, the authorities of the Parishat to lend me the original plates for a few weeks for examination or to supply me with a set of good impressions of each of the inscriptions. Unfortunately neither of these requests was complied with. At laat impressions of both the plates were available to me through the kindness of Mr. T. N. Ramachandran, Superintendent, Department of Archaeology, Eastern Circle. I edit the inscriptions from those impressions.
A.-Plato of Mahipāla I ; Regaal Year 5 The record is incised on a single copper-plate, measuring 13" x 14.6". The weight has not leen recorded. The seal, which closely resembles those attached to other charters of the Pala rulers, is, as usual, soldered to the upper part of the document. It is the celebrated dharmachakra-mudra of the Palas who were Buddhists. It has in the contre a circle with raised rim and beaded border which is surrounded by arabesque work and is surmounted by a chaitya symbol. The npper half of the inner circle of the seal is occupied by the Buddhist Wheel of the LAW' having an umbrella above it and a deer couchant on either side. Below the central
emarcation line, forming & pedestal for the above, is the legend fri-Mahipäladēvasya, the space beneath being covered by arabesque foliage. There are altogether 58 lines of writing on both sides of the plate, 33 lines on the obverse and 25 on the reverse. The incision is deep and clear, and the
1 For an English version of these papers, see Journ. As. Soc., Letters, Vol. XVII, pp. 117-35.
1 In December 1950, when I happened to be in Calcutta, I was allowed to examine the originai plates in the Parisbat's office. My thanks are due to Mr. Gupta and the authorities of the Parishat for this help.
4 DGA