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AUGUST, 1890.)
BHOJ GRANT OF KARTAVIRYA IV.
243
The plates, of which the first and last are inscribed on one side only, are three in number, each measuring about 87" by 1' 23". The edges of them were raised into- rather high rims, and the writing is essentially in a state of perfect preservation throughout. But many of the letters are filled up with se hard an incrustation of rust, which cannot be cleared out, that they hardly show at all in an ink-impression; and this inscription can be properly read only on the original plates. The ring on which the plates are strung, passes through ring-holes in the upper part of each plate. It is about " thick, and 41" in diameter. It had not been cut, when the grant came under my notice. The seal, in which the ends of the ring are secured, is oval, about 31" by 21". It has, in high relief on a deep countersunk surface, the figure of a mau kneeling on his right knee and facing full-front, and holding in his left hand what seems to be a sceptre, and in his right hand some small object which is not recognisable. The full details of the figure cannot be made out; but it seems to be a representation of Garuda. This, however, is rather peculiar; for, the family, a member of which made the grant recorded in this charter, - the only copper-plate record of the family that has as yet came to my notice,- had the crest of an elephant and the banner of a golden Garuda ; and, on the analogy of the Chalukys grants, the seal ought to shew the elephant-crest. - The weight of the three plates is about 15 lbs., and of the ring and seal, 3 lbs. 3 oz.; total, 18 lbs. 3 oz. - The characters are Nagari. The viráma is represented by a sign which might be mistaken for the subscript long u; but that the latter is represented throughout this record by two strokes, each of which might ordinarily suffice for it. The letter b is represented throughout by a v, with a dot in the centre of the loop. The Dravidian r is represented by a double r, in 'árruvan", line 103 ; instances of the same practice, in other inscriptions in the Nagari characters, occur in márra-káridu, = mára-kondu (ante, Vol. IV. p. 276, line 87), and in kirruvalasigú, = kiruvalasiga (Jour. Bo. Br. R. As. Soc. Vol. IX. p. 244, line 13); and even in Sanderson's Kanarese Dictionary the practice is the same, in the few instances in which any attempt is made to distinguish the r from the ordinary r. The average size of the letters is about ". The engraving is regular and good. The letters are fairly deep; but, the plates being massive, they do not show through at all on the reverse sides of the first and last plates. Where the letters are not filled ap with rust, the interiors of some of them shew, as usual, marks of the working of the engraver's tool; but this is confined chiefly to the curved strokes; and the engraving for the most part is very firm and clean. - The language is Sanskrit. As far as the end of line 85, the record is in verse; except for a short passage of gadya or alliterative prose, in lines 61 to 64. The rest is substantially in prose. But one verse is introduced in lines 105 to 108. And, in addition to four of the customary benedictive and imprecatory verses quoted in lines 112 to 120, the inscription ends with two verses which give the names of the composer and the writer of it. - In respect of orthography we may notice (1) the use of sh for the visarga before k and p, in su-karash=kalit-odayah, line 36, and yasash-pura, line 42, and in other instances in lines 40, 44, 57, 71, 74, 75, 80, 83, 91, 107, 117, 118; that it is only an affectation, is indicated by such instances as séshah kenicha, line 29, and kalpa-bhujah parájitah, line 31; (2) the doubling of bh after r by bh (instead of by b), in garbhbha, line 42, and in other words in lines 64, 66, 67, 70; (3) the doubling of chh (by ch, in the proper manner) after the anusvára, in lásichchhana, line 88, and abhivasichchhana, lines 88-89; and (4) the representation of rn by rạn, e. g. in túrnnar, line 29; though the double nn is formed correctly in praleshunna, line 27.
The inscription is one of the Mahamandalakvara Kartavirya IV., of the family of the Battas of Saundatti and Belgaum. It is non-sectarian; the object of it being only to record the grant of a village, to a number of Brahmaņs, made by him while, in conjunction with his younger brother, the Yuvarlija Mallikarjung, he was ruling at the skandhávára or camp of Vênugrama.
The village granted was the modern Bhoj itself, which is mentioned ander the older name of Bhoyija, and is defined as being in the Koravalli (i, e. Koravalli) kampaņa, which was a division of the Kandi Three-thousand district. With it there was given its hamlet,
