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218
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[Vol. XXXII
The inscription does not supply any new historical information either with regard to the king or to his date. As many as seven inscriptions belonging to his time have been discovered so far and the present record will be the eighth. Two of his copper-plate grants have been already published in the pages of this journal. His Sirsi plates are dated in his 35th year showing that he ruled at least for 35 years. According to the revised chronology of the Kadamba dynasty, Ravivarman has been assigned to the period circa 484-519 A. D.
The grant was issued from Vijaya-Panktipura. The other known grants of this king have been issued either from Vaijayanti or Palātikā.' So the present inscription is the only one known so far, which is issued from Panktipura. I have shown elsewhere that this Panktipura should be identified with modern Hangal in the Dharwar District of Mysore State and that it is not another name of Vaijayanti as supposed by Dr. Sankalia. Panktipura is also mentioned as Pänktipura in the Kirukuppatur grant of Kadamba Krishnavarman II. Here it occurs as Pămktipura-vishaya which is evidently the region round about Hangal. In later records the placename appears as Pantipura or Panthipura and is subsequently replaced by Panurgal which is the earlier name of modern Hangal.
In connection with the gift of the land the following expression occurs in the record : Kärppatëdvara[m=iti chaturvviméats-nivarttanan pukkoli kshetrar....
The portion given in brackets is damaged as a chip of the copper has peeled off there. Howover the traces of the letters can be seen and the reading chaturvvim sati can be restored without difficulty. But it is difficult to make out the two aksharas after Kärppatēsvara which I have proposed to read asom=iti. If this reading is accepted, then Kārppatēśvara may be the name of the land granted. Probably the land belonged originally to a person or god called Kärppatēbvar. The meaning of pukkoli is also not clear to me. It might suggest the variety or kind of land granted. This #xpression occurs also in the Sirsi plates referred to above and in a copperplato grant of the Bhoja king Käpälivarman.' At the end of the record, there is an endorsement referring to a house-site and some land in the village. The purport of this endorsement is not clear.
The village Variyakā may be modern Bargi about 14 miles to the south-west of Kuntagani.
TEXT
First Plate 1 Bvasti [l*) Vijaya-Panktipurē Svāmi-Mah[äsēna-mā]trigap-Anu2 fddh]'yāt-ābhishikto Mānavya-(sagð]otro Hăriti-(putra)"h=pratikrita-svä3 ddhyāya-charchohim-Kadambånäm=mahārāja-bri-Ravi[va]rmmā Variyaka
1 Nilambar plates, above, Vol. VIII, pp. 146 ff; Sirsi plates, ibid., Vol. XVI, pp. 264 ff.
JOR, Vol. XVII, p. 42.
• Valjayanti was the capital of this Kadamba dynasty and is identified with modern Banayisi in the North Kanara District while Palagikā is identical with modern Helsi in the Khanapur Taluk of the Belgaum District.
• JOR, Vol. XVIII, pp. 188-89.
• Karnatak Inscriptions, Vol. II, No. 1; for the correct reading of the place-name, see JOR, Vol., XVIII, p. 189.
• Ind. Ant., Vol. X. p. 251.
Above, Vol. XXXI, p. 233 and note 7. The aptual forms in thede records are pulkali and pukkolli. . From the original plates and impressions.
The portion covering letters given in the bracketa has peeled off ; but still traces of the letters are seca on the Plates, since the engraving is fairly deep.
** Rond charchcha parāpāte.
