________________
10
No. Donee
40 Sarap-Arya
41 Madhava.
42 Vissana
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
Donee's father
Götra
Mallan-Arya
Yallanna.
Bhaskara.
Yajus
do.
do.
Of these Nos. 33-34 and 41-42 are specifically stated to have received only half a share each. This seems to suggest that the other Brahmanas received one full share each. There were altogether 40 shares; but 2 shares were divided equally among 4 Brāhmaṇas.
Kasyapa
Kausika.
[VOL. XXXIII
Věda or Säkhä
. Kutsa
Verse 29 of Section I (lines 55-58) shows that the land granted by the charter under study was called Kriddevy-uttarakhanda,i.e. the northern part of Kriddēvi, while the next verse mentions the land granted by Raghudeva in favour of the 40 Brahmaņas as Kriddēvi-khanḍa situated on the bank of the Gōda, i.e. the Godavari (called Gautami in verse 1 of Section III). The three concluding stanzas of the section mention Raghudevapura which was made an agrahara (i.e. a rent-free holding for being owned by Brahmanas) by Raghudeva. It is thus clear that the northern part of what was formerly called Kriddevi-khanda was made an agrahara and granted in favour of a large number of Brahmanas and that the agrahara was re-named as Raghudevapura after the donor Raghudeva. The grant was made for the priti or favour of the god Vasudeva (Vishnu). It was endowed with the privileges of ashta-bhoga and ashta-bhuti. There is no doubt that Kriddevikhanda or Raghudevapura on the Godavari or Gautami is the same as modern Raghudevapuram, about 14 miles to the north-west of Rajahmundry, headquarters of a Taluk of that name in the East Godavari District of Andhra. It is situated on the left bank of the river.
Section III of the inscription (lines 119 ff.) describes the boundaries of Raghudevapura situated on the bank of the Gautami (i.e. Godavari). To the north and north-west of the village, the Vriddha-Gautami (i.e. bigger Gautami) was flowing and, to the east of the river, there was an antaripa (an island or a promontory) and the Laghu-Gautami (i.e. the smaller Gautami) flowed beyond it. To the east of the Laghu-Gautami, there was a big stream flowing from the Gautami and, to the east of this stream, there was a row of palmyra trees and beyond them a big Pippala tree. On the way to the Pippala tree (or, at the same place near it), there was a big Vata tree and near it, on the same mound (sētu), some palmyra trees. To the north-east of these, there were two bamboo bushes and to their east a tamarind tree. To the north-east of that tree, there was a Baha tree and to its east another tamarind tree. There were two Paläsa trees to the north-east of that tree and a Plaksha tree stood to the north-east of the Palasas, and near them, on the same mound, there were the Gōdineni-taṭāka (tank), one Pippala tree and two Vata trees. To the north-east of these, there was a stone pillar while a second stone pillar stood towards the east of it. From the second pillar towards the east began a big mound (sētu) which ran towards the south. There was a big Pippala tree on it and also the bank of the Mudikava (possibly the name of a tank or stream). To the south of these, there were some Kadamba trees and, to the south-east of the trees, there stood a Madhubibhüra [tree] very near a stone pillar. There was Kesava's tank to the south of the pillar and behind the tank there was a curved road marked by a pointed stone, which came from or led to the locality called Kötelapumta. On the said road towards the south-west, there were several Ghōsha and Tāla trees and to the west of them stood two Pippala trees on the road to or from Muggullu. To the north of them, there was a big Pippala tree as well as a temple of Sankara (Siva). Behind the temple, the Gautami was flowing in the west and there were the temple of Chintalamma and a big Pippala tree on its bank. To the west of these, the Gautami flowed straight in a small stream, to
1 The same privileges are also referred to in such other records as the Kondavidu plates of Ganadeva. Cf. -aibraryy-ashtakam ash ta-bh8ga-sahitam in lines 31-32 (Ind. Ant., Vol. XX, p. 391).
