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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
(VOL. XXXIV
The palaeography of the insoription is characterised by the use of several forms of the same sign in some cases. Thus final t has three different forme, viz. the Bengali type in lines 9 and 20, the Devanagari type in lines 15 and 16 and a form akin to the Bengali type in line 1. Similarly, two different forms of the risarga sign have been used in line 7. The sign for upadhmānius used in line 24 looks like that of sh. For two types of the medial sign of 4, see guro in line 1 and hētu in line 2. A stroke added to the latter type of medial u as well as to initial u, was regarded by us as merely ornamental while editing the Madras Museum plates of the time of Narēndradhavala. It cannot possibly be regarded as indicating a sign for û even though in a few cases the stroke is absent in our record (cf. nu thrice in lines 12-13). In some cases, p and y are undistinguishable. The initial vowels a (lines 11, 26), ā (line 22), i (lines 23, 25), u (line 17) and 2 (line 10) occur in the inscription. Final n occurs in line 9. B has been written by the sign for v.
The language of the record is corrupt Sanskrit, although it is not so corrupt as in the Madras Museum plates referred to above. Since the letters are carefully engraved, the errors would appear to be due to the writer of the document. But there are many letters re-engraved on erasures of what was wrongly incised previously and the engraver was no doubt responsible for them. The orthography is also characterised by numerous errors. A consonant has sometimes been redoubled after r and anustära has been changed to the guttural nasal before &. The word pala has been written as pla as in some other early Orissan records as the Madras Meseum plates.
The date of the grant is quoted in lines 25-26 as the second tithi of the dark half of Mägha in the year 89. Considering the palaeography of the inscription, this year can be referred only to the Bhauma-Kara era of 831 A. D. Year 89 would thus correspond to 919 A. D., a date which would place our record a few decades earlier than the Madras Museum plates of the time of Narēndradbavala, and this is in complete accord with the palaeography of the two epigraphs. Lines 13-14 show that the grant was made on the occasion of the Vishuva-sankrānti. It may be pointed out in this connection that Pandit Rajaguru reads the passage Samvat 89 as Samva 189. But what he has read as 1 looks more like ta without a top mātrā (cf. finalt in line 15) and also the figure for 7 in line 14. Moreover, the palaeography of our inscription shows that it is earlier than records like the Daspalla plates of the Bhauma-Kara years 184 and 198. It is also difficult to believe that the figures 1 and 7 would have been written by the same sign by the same writer without noticing that it would lead to an avoidable confusion. If the reading Samva 789 is preferred, the year 789 may be referred to the Saka era so that the date would be 867 A. D. But the use of the Saka era was not popular in the area before the tenth century. The palaeography of our record also seems to suggest a somewhat later date.
The record begins with the Siddham symbol followed by the auspicious word svasti. Next comes the reference to Bhimapura whence the charter was issued. The donor of the grant, viz. Mahārājūdhiraja Paramèśvara Bhimasēna of the Nala dynasty, is then introduced as a devout worshipper of the god Mahēsvara (Śiva) and as devoted to the god Yamalingēśvara, apparently Siva in the form of a Linga which was probably the family deity of the king. The kingdom of Bhimasona is apparently mentioned in this section as Khiddirasținga-mandala. It is interesting to note that the draft of the said introductory part of our inscription was adapted from the introductory section of the documents of the Ganga rulers of Svētaka. While this fact associates
1 See ibid., Vol. XXIX, p. 191. note 2.
1 The same figure read by us as i lino 6 of the Marca: Museum plates of the time of Narendradhavala may really be 7.
Above, Vol. XXIX, pp. 143 ff. and Plates. * See ibid., Vol. XXIII, pp. 79, 262, 264, 266, 268; Vol. XXIV. p. 184 ; Vol. XXVI, p. 168; oto.
