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FEB. 2, 1872.]
VALABHI PLATES.
45
moo
ON TWO COPPERPLATES FROM VALABHI,
BY PROF. RAMKRISHNA GOPAL BHANDARKAR, M.A. The following are translations of the second side by side with Brahmanism, and the worship halves of two copperplate grants sent to the of inages formed part of the religion. Editor from Bhaunagar. The second and small- The genealogy of the Valabhî dynasty has er one, 12 inches by 81, is greatly damaged ; and been given at p. 17. The dates gathered from the letters are indistinct in many places. The the copper-plate grants I know of are given other is 123, inches by 10and is in a better below. I believe, for reasons elsewhere given, state of preservation—the right hand edge only that the æra used in these grants is that of the being broken off.
Shaka King The grantor in No. I. is Dharasena IV., Dharasena II................272 Sh. or 350 A.D. the same as in the one translated at page 14. Shiladitya I. ...............286 Sh., 364 A.D. The date is also the same, viz. 326, the month Dharasena IV. (2 grants) 326 Sh., 404 A.D. being Mâgha instead of Aşhâdha. The first Shiladitya II. (2 grants) 356 Sh. „ 434 A.D. nine lines and a half have not been translated, as
PLATE I. the description of the kings in them is in almost
Shri Dharagena, the great Maheshevery respect the same as in the corresponding
var A, the great lord, the king of kings, the great portion of the last and other Valabhỉ grants.
ruler, the universal sovereign, who meditates on his The grantor in No. II. is Shiladitya I., the
grand-father's feet, enjoying good health, commands son and successor of Dharasen a II., the king all whom it may concern Be it known to you that in Mr. Wathen's first plate. The figured date is- for the increase of the religious merit of my mother
and father I have (assigned] to the assembly of the reverend mendicant priests of the Maha yan &
(school) coming from the four quarters to the The first figure, having only one side stroke,
monastery constructed by Divira-pati Skandarepresents 200. The value of the second we bhat a in the village of Yodha va ka in know from Dr. Burn's Chalukya and Gurjara Hestava prah & rain Surashtra, the four plates to be 80, and the last stands for 6; so divisions of the same village of Yodha vakathat the whole is 286. But the date usually
viz., three for the purpose of [providing] clothing, assigned to the father of Shiladitya from
food, t (means of] sleeping and sitting .... and Mr. Wathen's plate is 332. I have shown
medicine ; for the purpose of [providing] the means that this date has been misread and misinter
of worshipping and washing the glorious Buddhas, preted. The first figure in it stands for 200, and
viz., fragrant ointment, incense, flowers, and oil for
lamps, and for executing repairs to the monastery the value I have assigned to the second from
(lit. for putting aright the broken parts); and the evidence available is 70. The date there- the fourth part of the same village for the further fore is 272.
digging, clearing or repairing of the tank dug at These two plates, broken and mutilated as
the same place by Divirapati Skand abhat a, they are, are very interesting. Those hitherto
and thus for providing water just at the door, (lit.
at the root of the feet). In this manner, by pourdiscovered record grants of land to Bráhmans ;
ing water, the village is assigned as a charitybut both these record grants of land to Buddhist
grant to the monastery, and the tank along with its monasteries or vihárás. In the larger plate the
appurtenances, and whatever is on it, with the village of Yodha va ka is assigned to a creatures living therein, the revenue in grain or Vihará constructed by the minister Skan- gold, the defects in its condition, and whatever dabh ata, who appears to have been a pious may grow in it spontaneously. The grant is exBuddhist. We see from these, that the Valabhi
clusive of whatever may have been given to gods
or Brahmans before ; is not to be interfed with kings patronized the Buddhists as well as the
by the officers of the king; and is to last on the Bráhmans: Buddhism flourished at the time
principle of a hole in the earth, as long as the moon, In paper recently read at a meeting of the Bombay B. R. As. Society. Vide inf.
ball of rice in the Bhikshu's bowl. † Pinda-pata, is explained as farat fra
To the list of expressions the senses of which are not
accurately known, given by Prof. Dowson, I might add ITETA. Pinda is a ball, i. e. of rice in this case, and gra y which vucurs in several plates. I have pdta is dropping; hence it means the dropping in of however translated it as in the text.
