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No. 36-LUCKNOW MUSEUM PLATE OF VIJAYACHANDRA, SAMVAT 1221
V. N. SRIVASTAVA, MATHURA
(Received on 22.9.1958 ) In the year 1951, when I was Custodian in the State Museum, Lucknow, Sri K. D. Bajpai, the then Archaeological Officer and Officiating Curator of the Lucknow Museum, very kindly gave me six copper-plate grants of the Gahadavāla kings for decipherment and publication. One of the said grants, which were purchased from Messrs. Mataprasad Sitaram of Varanasi in 1948, is published in the following pages.
This is a single plate measuring about 1'61' broad by 1' 21' high and engraved on one face only. In the upper part, it has a ring-hole about in diameter. The plate contains 30 lines of writing which is in a good state of preservation. The size of individual letters is about *". The characters are Nāgari, and the language is Sanskrit. Except once in line 8, the letter b has been indicated by the sign for v. As regards orthography, the palatal sibilant is often employed instead of the dental.
The inscription opens with the well-known verses which invoke the blessings of the goddess Sri and give the genealogy of the donor and ends with the usual benedictory and imprecatory verse. The formal part of the grant from line 11 to 23 is in probe and is worded like most of the published grants of the Gābadavāla dynasty.
The charter was issued by Paramabhattāraka Mahārājādhirāja Paramësvara Vijayachandradava, the successor of P.M.P. Govindachandradēva who was the successor of P.M.P. Madanapaladēva, the successor of P. M. P. Chandradēva, 'who by his own arm acquired the sovereignty over Kanyakubja (Kanauj)'. The charter is dated Friday, the seventh tithi of the bright halt of the month of Phalguna of the year 1221, which is equivalent to 1164 A. D. It states that, after bathing in the Yamunā near Machchhosa, che king granted the village of Kanhavara in the Valai pattala to the Brāhmaṇa Thakkura Narasimhagarman of the Vasishtha götra, who was the son of Thakkura Bharatha and grandson of Thakkura Surāpanda. The name of the writer is not mentioned.
I am unable to identify the localities mentioned in the grant.
TEXT [Metres : Verses 1, 3, 13, 14, 16-22 Anushubh ; verses 2, 23 Indravajrā ; verses 4, 7 Sárdulavikridita ; verses 5-6, 8, 11-12, 24 Vasantatilaka ; verse 9 Drutavilambita ; verse 10 Malini ; verse 15 Salini.] 1 प्रोम् स्वस्ति ॥ अकुण्ठोत्कण्ठवैकुण्ठकण्ठपीठलुठत्करः । संरम्भः सुरतारम्भे स
fy: T TL a: 1158*] greitgeitafaa' T E 1970STY feat TENT*[The details of the date regularly correspond to Friday the 19th February 1165 A. D. Two other copperplato grant of Gihadavkla Vijayachandra, dated rospectively in V. 8. 1924 and 1228, are so far known. See Bhnodarkar's List, Nos. 333 and 336. This is thus the oarliest of his records as yet discovered. -Ed.).
The corroof name of the place is Kaulimbi, modern Komm in the Allahabad District. -Ed.). • From fnked in prossions.
