Epigraphia Indica Vol 29

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

Page 20

No. 11
TWO PALA PLATES FROM BELWA The list of officials and others associated with the above three pieces of the gift land is quoted in lines 31-40. This is practically the same in all Päls records. In this list is included servants like chäfas and bhaas (regular and irregular soldiers, or policemen and peons) of various nationalities such as Gauda, Mälava, eto. These are for the first time noticed in the Nalanda plate of Dharmapäls. The privileges to be enjoyed by the donee specified in lines 41-44 are also common with other records of the Pala kings. As in so many other records of the Palas, the above three villages are said to have been granted in the name of (uddi sya) the lord Buddha-bhattāraka for the increase of merit and fame of the king and his parents. The specified land was made a permanent rentfree holding in favour of the Brāhmana Jivadharadēvašarman, who belonged to the Hastidass gotra having the Angirasa, Ambarisha and Yauvanäsva pravaras and was the son of Dhirēsvaradēvasarman and grandson of Vishnudēvašarman. The king's request to the officials and others as well as to the future rulers of the area for the protection of his grant and his order to the cultivators to offer in due time to the donee all dues including bhäga, bhoga, kara and hiranya are couched in the same language as in the other Päla charters. After giving the date (Samvat 5 Srāvana-dine 26) in line 49, the imprecatory verses, found not only in the Bangarh plate of the same king but also in other grants of the Pāla kings, are quoted in lines 50-56. The last two verses of the record mention the dutaka (executor) of the grant and the engraver of the plates. It is said that Mahipāladēva made the mantrin (minister) Lakshmidhara the executor of the charter. The plates are said to have been engraved by the artisan Pushyaditya who was the son of Chandräditya hailing from the village of Pöshali. The artisans of Poshali are also known to have angraved some other records of the Pāla kings such as the Bangarh plate of Mahipala I and the Amgāchhi plate of Vigrahapāla III.
Of the geographical names mentioned in the charter, the jaya-skandhāvāra called sābasagande nagara, which was apparently situated on the Ganges, cannot be satisfactorily indentified. The gift villages, viz., Osinna-Kaivartta vritti (i.e., Osinna which had been once allotted to the Kaivarttas for their service), Nandisvämini and Gaņēkvara cannot also be identified. These three villages
1 Those aro: rajan (subordinate king): rajanyaka (feudatory chief); rajaputra (possibly, noble man); rajd. matya (minister or executive officer): mahasandhivigrahika (minister for war and peace); mahakshapa falika (acoountant); mahasamanta (foudatory): mahasenapati (general); mahapratthara (officer in charge of the palace-gate); mahakärtäkritika not mentioned in our record; dauhaadhasadhanika; mahadandanayaka (judge); mahakumar. amatya (minister of the rank of a prince of the royal blood); rajasthan-Oparika (viceroy); dasäparādhika (minor judge); chauroddharanika (prefect of the police); dandika; dandapafika (police officer); Saulkika (customs officer); gaulmika (officer in charge of a police station); kshetrapa (officer in charge of the royal lands); pränta påla (warden of the marches); koftapala (governor of a fort); khandaraksha or angarakaha; those appointed or commissioned by the above-mentioned; those in charge of elephants, horses, camels, navy and army; those in charge of foals, mares, cows, she-buffaloes, goats and sheep; dütaprishanika; gamăgamika ; abhitvaramära ; head of a district; head of a village ; ferry-man; chäfa, bhafa and other servants of such nationalities as Gauda, Mälava, Khasa, Hapa, Kulika, Karppata and Läta; other unnamed subjects and servants of the king.
Above, Vol. XXIII, pp. 291 ff.
These were : 'ap to its boundaries, grass and pasture land' (sva-sima-lpinayüti-gochara-paryanta); 'with its ground' (80-tala); 'with the space (above the ground)' (8-oddēda); 'with its mango and madhuka trees'; 'with its water and dry land'; 'with its pits and saline spots' (sa-parti-shara); 'with the tax from temporary tenants' (8-6parikara), although this is omitted in our record ; 'with daśapachara (das-aparādha of other records which refers to the fine realised for ten minor offences)!; 'with things recovered from thieves' (84-chaur-Oddharana); 'with exemption from all opprossions'; 'not to be entered by chatas and bhafas (usually interpreted as regular and irregular troops, but may be policemen and peons)'; 'nothing to be taken (by way of tax, etc.)'; 'together with all revenues such as bhaga (royal share of the produce), bhöga (periodical supply of fruits, eto.), kara (taxes), Airanya (tax to be paid in coins), eto.'; 'socording to the maxim of bhumi-chchhidra'; 'to last as long a time as the moon, the sun, and the earth shall anduro'. Bhumichchhidra-nyaya refers to the custom of allowing a person who brings a piece of fallow or jungle land under oultivation to enjoy it without paying rent.