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No. 33-HILOL PLATES OF YEAR 470
(1 Plate)
H. D. SANKALIA, POONA
(Received on 30.6.1959)
These plates are reported to have been discovered in a field at Hilol in the Dehgam Taluk of the Ahmedabad District. They had come into the possession of Shri K. N. Dalavi, Deputy Collector of Nadiad, who brought them to Shri N. A. Gore, Librarian of the Asiatic Society, Bombay, for being deciphered. At the suggestion of Shri Gore, Shri Dalavi very kindly handed over the plates to me for decipherment. I am thankful to Shri Dalavi and Shri Gore for their kindness.
The set consists of two plates secured by a copper ring. But, as there are two additional holes in each of the plates, originally there should have been three rings, one of which might have carried the seal. The plates measure 3.5 cm. (14") x 14.8 cm. (5")x2 cm. ("). The diameter of the ring is 3.5 cm. (13") and its thickness 0.7 cm. ("). The holes for the ring are about 14 cm. (") in diameter and the plates have a raised border, 0-4 cm. (") broad, for protecting the writing.
The inscription which is on the inner side of the plates is in perfect state of preservation, except for two or three small cracks. One of these near the lower rim of the first plate has slightly affected some letters in the last line and another on the top has likewise damaged a few letters in the first line. They appear to have been there before the plate was inscribed. The first plate contains 9 lines of writing and the second 12 lines. On the outside of the second plate, there are the letters Sri Chandraditya. The engraver began with a bold well-spaced hand, so that in the first plate the letters are at an average 0-9 cm. (") high; but they tend to become smaller towards the end. In the second plate, which looks comparatively crowded, the average size of letters is 0.4 cm. (4") high.
The characters are of the Kutila type, having triangular heads on each letter, and may be compared with those of the inscriptions of Durgagana and of Nanna of the Tiwarkhed' and Multai plates. The letters has been written in more than one form, e.g. (i) having a triangle but looking bike Devanagari (cf. mahabhisthāna in line 1; ghatan in line 9; dana in line 10); (ii) having a square body, with the triangle at the top left and an oblique stroke at the right bottom, found in most cases; cf. Chandradityēna in lines 3-4 shana and vini in line 4; madhyandina (where there is no triangle) in line 5, and in lines 6 and 8; (iii) without the vertical stroke and loop and looking like t (cf. Chandradityēna in line 10).
The language is corrupt Sanskrit with a number of Prakrit or Deaf words in the geographical and personal names. Often the sentences are left incomplete and sandhi rules are not observed.
1 The inscription was previously published by Dr. H. G. Shastri in Vallabh Vidyanagar Research Bulletin, Vol. I, 1957, pp. 34-38. See also his article in the Gujarati monthly journal Buddhi Prakash, Vol. 99 (October 1952), pp. 294-97.
Dr. Shastri says (Vallabh Vidyanagar Research Bulletin, op. cit., p. 34) that there were two rings intact when the plates were first found in 1952 and that the second or middle ring bore the letters fri-Chandraditya.
Bühler, Indische Palaeographie, Tafel IV: Ojha, Bharatiya Prachin Lipimälä, p. 62.
Ind. Ant., Vol. V, p. 180.
Above, Vol. XI, p. 279.
Ind. Ant., Vol. XVIII, pp. 330 f.
(813).
