Epigraphia Indica Vol 34

Author(s): D C Sircar
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 77

No. 8-BODDAPADU PLATES OF VAJRAHASTA (TI), SAKA 982
G. S. GAI, OOTACAMUND
(Received on 20.9.1958) While examining a bundle of old impressions in the Office of the Government Epigraphist for India, I came across a set of impressions of a copper-plate grant which was registered as C.P. No. 1 of 1925-26 in the Annual Report on South Indian Epigraphy for that year. It is stated in this Report that the record belongs to an unknown king of the Eastern Chālukya dynasty and is dated in Saka 982. On an examination of the impression, I found that the information given in the Report was not correct and that the inscription really belongs to the Eastern Ganga king Vajrahasta III. In fact, it is the same as the Boddapădu plates of Vajrahasta III published by Shri M. Somasekhara Sarma in the Telugu journal Bharati, Vol. III, No. 5 (May 1926) pp. 83 ff. The inscription is edited here from the set of impressions with the kind permission of the authority mentioned above.
According to Shri Sarma's account, the plates were discovered about 50 years ago by one Appalanäyudu, a resident of the village of Boddapādu in the Srikakulam Taluk, while reclaiming his lands for cultivation towards the east of the village. A linga was also found at a distance of a few yards from the findspot of the plates. This linga which is called Mallikēsvara by the residents of Boddapadu may possibly represent the god Jalēsvara mentioned in the inscription.
The set consists of five plates, each measuring about 8-4" by 3-3". On the left side of each plato is a hole, about 5' in diameter, through which passes a circular ring, about 3.5" in diameter. To this ring is attached a seal which is stated to contain the representation of the crescent moon, bull, goad (ankuba), oonch-shell (bankha), fish, etc. The weight of the set is not recorded. The first and fifth plates are inscribed only on the inner side while the remaining three plates contain writing on both the sides. The writing is in a fairly good state of preservation.
The characters are eastern Någarl. They resemble those of the other charters of Vajrahasta. Of initial vowels, a, a, i, i, u and è occur in the inscription. N in Ach and Achh is separated and placed to the rigbt of the subscript. The symbol for v denotes balso. The language of the inscription is Sanskrit and the text is written in prose as well as verae. As regards orthography, it may be observed that the consonant following is usually redoubled. In the introductory portion of the record in lines 1-39, the same orthographical errors are found in this as well as in other records of the king ; e.g. salilc for salila, prakshyalita for prakshālita, oturiga for otlunga, eto. In a few cases, the rules of sandhi have not been observed.
The record belongs to the reign of the Eastern Ganga king Vajrahasta III who ruled in 1038-70 A.D. As indicated above, the introductory portion comprising text lines 1-39 is identical with that found in the other records of this king. It may be observed that the king is introduced us frimad-Anantavarmmā Vajrahastadevah and not merely as frimad-Vajrahastadevah."
The date of the inscription is given in line 42 as Saka 982, expressed by the chronogram karatasu-nidhi, Uttarayana-sankranti. Besides the present grant, three other records of this king,
1 Cf. above, Vol. XXXII, pp. 310 ff.; Vol. XXXIII, pp. 141 ff. * Of. Ibid., Vol. XXXII, p. 810.
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