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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[VOL. XXXIII
The inscription is written in Telugu characters and in the Sanskrit language, the composition being in verse throughout. As regards palaeography and orthography, the present epigraph closely resembles the Raghudevapura grant, although there are a few minor differences in the shape of some of the characters and signs. The medial signs for è and ō have been used for the corresponding short signs in the name of the village Dorapalem; cf. lines 18 (verse 10), 21 (verse 11) and 24 (verse 12). The date of the charter is quoted in verse 11 in lines 19-23 as the Saka year counted by rasa (i.e. 6), saila (i.e. 7), rama (i.e. 3) and basin (i.e. 1), i.e. 1376, the year being Yuvan of Jupiter's 60 year cycle as prevalent in South India. There is no other detail of the date but that the grant was made on the occasion of a lunar eclipse. It may be pointed out that the year Yuvan of Jupiter's Southern Cycle actually corresponded not to Saka 1376 (i.e. 1454-55 A.D.) but to the expired Saka year 1377 (i.e. 1455-56 A.D.). There occurred two lunar eclipses in the year, one on the 1st May 1455 A.D. and the other on the 22nd March 1456 A.D. The charter seems to have been issued on either of the two dates.
Verse 1 on the plate, as already indicated above, introduces Parasurama Harichandana, the father of Raghudēva, as the younger brother of one whose name must have occurred on the lost first plate of the set. From the Raghudevapura grant, we know that the immediate elder brother of Farasurama was the great Kapilesvara who occupied the Ganga empire in 1434-35 A.D. Verse 2 of our record speaks of Parasurama's younger brother whose name was Rāma. It may be noted that Rama's name was omitted even in the fairly elaborate genealogy of the family found in the Raghudevapura grant. The next two stanzas represent Raghudēva-narēndra, who enjoyed the title Patra and acquired fame for conquering the quarters, as having been regarded, owing to his prowess, as one of his sons by Kapilēsvara Dantiraja (i.e. Gajapati). Verse 5 states how, when Raghudeva-narendra was ruling the earth like king Kartavirya of old, his enemies fled to the hills or made their resting place on the breasts of the celestial nymphs. To make one's resting place on the breasts of the celestial nymphs of course refers to one's death. The representation of the governor of a small territory as a ruler of the earth like Kartavirya is an interesting instance of the exaggeration to which the prasastikāras attached to medieval Indian courts were used. Verse 6 again refers vaguely to the military prowess of Raghudeva-narendra.
Verses 7 ff. introduce the donee of the grant. The first of these stanzas mentions Sūri-bhaṭṭa who belonged to the Kausika götra and resided at Bhimavara. His son Singan-acharya is mentioned in verse 8 and Singan-acharya's son Tirumalu-bhaṭṭa in verse 9. Verse 10 states that the narendra-bhunatha (i.e. the ruler Raghudēva) made a grant of the village of Dōrapalem in favour of the Pauranika (exponent of the Purāņas) Tirumalu-bhaṭṭa. The next stanza states that, in the Saka year 1376, called Yuvan, and on the occasion of a lunar eclipse, Raghudeva granted the village of Dorapalem situated on the bank of the Kaunteya-gangā to the Brāhmaṇa Timmaya. Timmaya is a modification of Tirumalaya. The name Kaunteya-ganga is no doubt applied to the Godavari or one of its mouths. Although the association of the river with any of the sons of Kunti is not wellknown from Indian mythology, there may be a local tradition to this effect current in the area in question. Verse 12 states that, after having given Dōrapalem to the learned Tirumala, Raghudeva-narendra entreated the future kings for the protection of his Dharma, i.e. the gift made by him by means of the charter in question.
The last two lines of the record (lines 25-26) contain more than three-fourths of the wellknown stanza, sāmānyō-yam dharma-sētu, etc., generally found in the imprecatory and benedictory part about the conclusion of a charter.
The inscription mentions only three geographical names. They are the locality called Bhimavara where the donee's family resided, the village of Dōrapalem which was granted by Raghu.. dēva to the Brahmana Tirumalu or Tirumala-bhaṭṭa or Timmaya, and the Kaunteya-ganga on the bank of which the gift village was situated. There are several places called Bhimavaram in
