Indian Antiquary Vol 18

Author(s): John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 30

20
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JANUARY, 1889.
away at each of the four corners, and at the ring-hole. The letters do not shew through on the reverse side of the plate at all. The engraving is good; and but few of the letters shew any marks of the working of the tool. In the upper part of the plate there was a ringhole; but the ring and seal are not now forthcoming. The weight of the plate is 6 lbs. 1 oz.—The average size of the letters is about 8. The characters are Nagari -The language is Sanskrit:
Having regard to the large amount of this record that is illegible, it seems unnecessary to preduce the text in full, by restoring it from perfect grants of the same dynasty. It is sufficient to state that the inscription is one of the Paramabhattáraka, Mahardjádhiraja, and Paramésvara, the illustrious Govindachandradeva of Kanyakubja; that it contains the usual genealogy of the rulers of Kanyakubja, from Yakovigraha to Govindachandra; and that it records a grant, by Govindachandre, of two villages (the names of which are quite illegible) to a Brahman Thakkura named Dêvapalabarman.
Of the legible portion of the inscription, the only thing of importance is the date, which by Dr. Rajendralal has been transcribed incorrectly, and which really is as follows:
(Line 13.) . . . . . . chatuhsaptaty-adhik aikâdasa-sa(ka)ta-samvatsarê Phålgunê mâsi krishņa, pakshồ tritiyayên=tithau Sukra-ding-rk&=pi samvat 1174 Phálgu.
(Line 14.) [na va di 3 (P)] Sukre ... .e., "in the year eleven hundred increased by seventy-four, in the month Phálguna, in the dark half, on the third lndar day, on a Friday; in figures, the year 1174, Friday, Phálgana ya. di, 8]."
Taking this date to be recorded in the Vikrama era, according to either the northern or the southern reckoning the corresponding dates would be as follows:
(1), For the Vikrama year 1174 current,
(a) by the amanta reckoning, Wednesday, 21 February, A.D. 1117;
(b) by the párņimanta reckoning, Monday, 22 January, A.D. 1117. (2), For the Vikrama year 1174 expired,
(a) by the amanta reckoning, Sunday, 10 February, A.D. 1118;
(6) by the purnimanta reckoning, Saturday, 12 January, A.D. 1118.
Of these four dates, the first three evidently are altogether unsuitable; nor do I believe that the tithi intended was the one ending (about 11 hours after mean sunrise) on Saturday, 12th January, 1118, for that tithi did not commence till about 12 h. 50 m. after sunrise of the preceding Friday," and the calculation of the dates of other grants of Govindachandra appear to show that the reckoning followed was the amánta reckoning. Such being the case, I for the present incline to believe that there is some error in the details of the date, and that the year intended was really the Vikrama year 1173 current. For the date corresponding, by the amánta reckoning, to the 3rd of the dark half of Phâlguna of Vikrama 1173, current, is 8 March, A.D. 1116, when the third tithi of the dark balf ended 15 h. 39 m. after mean sunrise, and which was a Friday, as required.
D-Copper-Plate Grant of Govindachandradeva and Rajyapaladva
The (Vikrema) year 1199. In Archæol. Survey of India, Vol. XXII. p. 59, Mr. 4. C. L. Carlleyle mentions two inscribed copper-plates, constituting one grant, which were found at Gagaha,' to the west of the Râpti River, about 21 miles south of Gorakhpur, in the North-West Provinces, and were secured through the kindness of Mr. Lamsden, then Collector of the District. What has become of the original plates we are not told ; and my account of the inscription is from indifferent impressions, made over to Sir A. Cunningham, and transmitted to ma by Mr. Fleet.
0 PhAlguna-ksinhua-tritiys being one of the Kalpddi-tithe (Nee Dharmasindhuadra, P. 62), the ceremony with which the donation was oonnooted probably wm Iraddha ("Lou Kalp Adi-Eithichu friddhi pitri-tripi'), and
fruddha should not be performed during the night.