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118 EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[Vol. XXIX No. 15-MUNDAKHEDE PLATES OF SENDRAKA JAYASAKTI ; SAKA 602
(1 Plate)
V. V. Mirashi, Nagpur These plates were found several years ago in the possession of a Patil of Mundakhadi, a village in the Chalisgaon taluk of the East Khandesh District, Bombay State. They were brought to notice by the late Mr. G. K. Chandorkar, who edited them twice--first in the Marathi magazine, Prabhāta of Dhulia, Vol. I, No. 12' and afterwards in the Annual Report of the Bharata Itihasa sarisidhaka Mandala for Saka 1834, pp. 169-177. As no facsimile of the record accompanied either of these articles, I was under the impression that it was not published. Several years ago, while I was studying the Bagumră plates of Nikumbballasakti', I felt the need of critically examining this record in view of its importance for the history of the Sēndrakas, and I tried to trace the original plates, but could not succeed. I was, therefore, agreeably surprised when I received recently a copy of the printed facsimile of the plates from my friend, Dr. M. G. Dikshit. From the date Chaitra, Saka 1829, as well as from the name Prabhāta printed on it, it is clear that the facsimilo was published in the same magazine Prabhāta in the next issue after the text of the record was first edited by Chandorkar. This facsimile has enabled me to correct the readings of some important words in the transcript published by Chandorkar. Again, Chandorkar did not calculate the date or identify the places mentioned in the grant. For these reasons as well as because this is the only record of the Sēndraka prince Jayabakti and is important for the ancient history of Maharashtra, I re-edit the grant here from the aforementioned facsimile published by Chandorkar.
The copper-platos are two in number, and are inscribed on the inner side only. Their size and weight have not been recorded. From the description given by Chandorkar they seem to have raised rims for the protection of the writing. At the bottom of the first inscribed plate and the top of the second, there is a hole for the ring which strung the plates together. This ring is said to have carried & seal with the legend Sri-Jayasakti, but no photograph of it seems to have been published
The record consists of twenty-four lines, twelve being inscribed on each plate. The writing is in a good state of preservation. The record is, however, rather carelessly written and contains a few mistakes here and there. The characters are of the western variety of the southern alphabet as in the other records of the Sendrakas found in Gujarat and Khandesh. The only peculiarities that call for notice are as follows: (1) the initial e resembles 1, but has a long vertical on the right; see esha, line 14; (2) the stroke for medial a is turned upward in the case of j as in -dvijāti-, line 6; (3) 1 has everywhere a straight vertical stroke on the right; see -labdha-, line 2; (4) n generally appears looped as in samunnats, line 1, but it is sporadically unlooped as in sünor-, line 16; (5) a final consonant is shown with a horizontal stroke on the top ; see vasēt, line 21. The jihvamüliya occurs in line 10. Punctuation is indicated by single or double dots. The language is Sanskrit. Except for four benedictive and imprecatory verses at the end, the record is in prose throughout. It may be noted that the writer has used in the eulogy of Bhānusakti the very expression Saradamala-sadārka-mandala-yasasah(yasah), which describes Adityasakti in the Bagumrā plates, and Allabakti in the Käsare plates. Again, the expression Bhava-sunur=iv=āpratihata-saktih which describes Adityasakti in the present plates occurs in connection with Allasakti in the Bagumra and
1 This No. bears the dato Phalguna, Saka 1829 which is plainly a mistake for Saka 1828. The same mistake ooours on the first page of the previous two issues. As stated above, the facsimile of the plates published in the next number bears the date, Chaitra, Saka 1829.
Ind. Ant., Vol. XVIII, pp. 265 ff. • Ibid., Vol. XVIII, p. 267. .G. H. Kharo, Bourou of the Mediaeval History of the Deccan, Vol. III, p. 71. Abovo, Vol. XXVIII, p. 197.
