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No. 9-TWO GRANTS OF BHOJA PRITHIVIMALLAVARMAN (2 Plates)
G. S. GAI, OOTACAMUND (Received on 23.4.1958)
Photographs of the two copper-plate inscriptions published here with the kind permission of the Government Epigrapnist for India were obtained in his office during 1949-50. The plates were found somewhere in the Goa territory but the details about their discovery are not known. Both of these inscriptions, called here A and B,belong to the reign of the king Prithivimallavarman of the Bhoja dynasty. The existence of this dynasty is known from a few copper-plate grants. In all, six inscriptions, including the two published here, have been discovered so far. Of these, the Siroda plates of Devaraja are the earliest as they are assignable, on palaeographical grounds, to about the 4th century A. D., while the others belong to the 6th or 7th century A. D. The six inscriptions disclose the names of five rulers, viz. Devaraja, Asankita, Asankitavarman, Käpälivarman and Prithivimallavarman. Unfortunately their relationship to one another cannot be determined in the present state of our knowledge. The records refer only to the ruling kings and do not mention any of their predecessors. For this reason, it is even difficult to say whether Asankita of the Hiregutti plates is the same as Asankita varman mentioned in the Kāpōli plates. These Bhōja rulers seem to have held sway in the west coast area comprising the North Kanara District, Goa and portions of the Belgaum District. Among the charters of the family, the Siroda plates were issued from Chandrapura, the Argā plates from Pamasa-khēta, and the present records from Vrishabhiņi-kheta and Prithivi-parvata. Of these, only Chandrapura has been satisfactorily identified with modern Chandor near the city of Goa.
A
The set consists of two plates, each measuring approximately 6.5" by 2.2". In the middle of the left margin of each plate, there is a hole. (about 1" in diameter) meant for the ring. The whereabouts of the ring and the seal are not known. The first plate is engraved on the inner side only while the second has writing on both sides. There are altogether eleven lines of writing, of which the first plate and the first side of the second plate have five lines each and the second side of the second plate only one line. Some letters in the third and fourth lines of the first plate are damaged. The rest of the writing is well preserved.
The characters belong to what is known as the southern class of alphabets. They generally resemble the characters of the early Kadamba grants and may also be compared with those of the Argā plates of Käpälivarman and the Kapōli plates of Asankitavarman. While these characters are box-headed, those of our record are what may be called hook-headed. They are definity later than those of the Siroda plates of Devaraja and belong more or less to the same period as those of the other Bhoja grants referred to above. On palaeographical grounds, they may be assigned to the latter half of the sixth or the first half of the seventh century A. D. Initial a occurs
1 They have been registered as Nos. 8 and 10 of App. A., A.R.Ep., 1949-50, and briefly noticed above, Vol. XXVI, pp. 337-40. See also Summary of Papers, All-India Oriental Conference, Bombay, 1949, p. 99.
Though the Siroda plates of Devaraja were noticed as early as 1933 and published above, Vol. XXIV, pp. 143 ff., the record was assigned to the Bhoja dynasty at a later date. Cf. above, Vol. XXVI, pp. 337 ff.
The remaining four records are: (1) Siroda plates of Devaraja, referrred to above: (2) Hiregutti plates of Asankita, above, Vol. XX VIII, pp. 70 ff.; (3) Arga plates of Käpälivarman, above, Vol. XXXI, pp. 232-34; and (4) Kapoli platos of Asankitavarman, ibid., pp. 234-36.
(61).
