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NOVEMBER, 1882.)
VALABH GRANTS.
805
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VALABHI GRANTS. BY DR. G. BÜHLER, C.I.E.
(Continued from Vol. X, p. 288.) No. XVII.-A GRANT OF SILÊDITYA II, times of the Andhra king Pulu máyi, and DATED SAMVAT 352.
may even go back to the times of Asoka. THE subjoined grant of $iladitya II, a It is important to repeat these fundamental
photograph of which was made over to me principles of Indian epigraphy again and by Dr. Burgess, is written on two plates measur. again, because some Sanskritists, especially ing 12 inches by 13%. The seal has been lost, those who possess a superficial knowledge of but the preservation of the document is in other inscriptions only, will even now base imporrespects perfect. The characters differ to a tant chronological conclasions on the occurcertain extent from those of the other grants rence of what they are pleased to call late or later of the Valabhians. For side by side with the forms of single letters in ancient inscriptions. stiff, antiquated letters used for inscriptions, But to return to our grant, it shows also they show a number of forms which have been very peculiar forms for rue and rú, which, as the taken from the literary alphabet used between u and 1 have been attached to the top of the 400-600 A.D. The most remarkable in- ra, look very much like ga and sa n Pl. I. stances of this kind are-1, the use of a sign, 1. 4, A P. I. 1. 13, etc. Several times a letter, looking like the Valabh na ďfor kú, espe- resembling ya occurs for va, which possibly cially in compound letters ; see e.g. Pl. I. 1. 14, may be something more than a mere mistake. 1. 29; 2, the use of the sign for the same The letter da invariably shows a loop in its letter Pl. II. 1. 6, in the word ratnálankúrena; long drawn tail and a curve to the right at the 3, the use of the ordinary T for va, Pl. II. 1. 15 top. The letters dha, va and cha are frequently in the word chalcravála; 4, the use of J for not to be distinguished from each other. ra, e.g. Pl. II. I. 3, ruchira; 5, the use of or As we already possess grants of Siladitya I forn in compound letters, and nsi, e.g. Pl. I. II, dated Samvat 348 and 356, the present docu11. 14, 15; 6, the use of a horizontal stroke above ment, which is dated on the first day of the a letter, in order to indicate the absence of a bright half of Bhadrapada 352, adds no fresh vowel, Pl. I. 14 and II. 19.
information to our knowledge of the history These peopliarities furnish an important con
of Valabhi. The object of the grant is to tribution to the history of Indian epigraphy,and record the gift of a field consisting of two confirm what I asserted in my article on the pieces of land to Magopadatta ... ), Kivi plate of Jayabhata and the Umetâ Sasana son of Kikkaka (Kikabhai), a Brahman of of Dadda II, and what has since been clearly the Gargya-gotra, who studied the Yajurdemonstrated by Professor Max Müller's dis- veda. The donoe lived at Valabhi, but was eovery of old MSS. in Japan, viz. that neither a native of Anandapura, i.c. probably the ancient Gurjjaras nor the princes and inhabi- of Vadnagar. If the latter identification is tants used in common life and for literary pur- gorrect, we have here another instance of poses the clumsy characters which appear on the the occurrence of the Nagar Brahmans in copper-plates and stone inscriptions. A variety Valabhi. The field was in the village of of alphabets existed at the same time, the use Dhûs hê, which was in Surashtrah or of which probably varied according to the occn- Sorath, and belonged to a town, the name of pation and the education of the writers. Then, which is not quite plain. The Dataka was a as was the case until lately, the learned Brah. rajaputra 'Dhruvasena, to judge from his mans, the merchants who followed the ortho- name, a member of the royal family. I may dox faith, the Bauddhas, the Jainas and mention here that a new Råthor grant, which the professional writers (kárkuns), had each will be published hereafter, clearly shows that their own peculiar alphabet or variety of Dutaka does not mean 'executive officer,' as I letters, derived from the various schools (lekha- cave usually translated it. It means, as is often hald) to which they went. I will now add the case, 'messenger' or deputy,' i.e. the person that this state of things certainly existed in entrusted with the execution of the grant.
