________________
JULE, 1910.)
THREE COPPER-PLATE GRANTS FROM EAST BENGAL.
199
B.-Second grant of the time of Dharmāditya.
This plate (the smallest) is of copper, less dark than plate A ; oblong in shape, being 6 inches loog, 41 broad and to thick ; and without a rim. With the seal it weighs 1 lb., o oz., 13 drams. It is written lengthwise on both sides and both sides are completely filled, so that there is no room for the date. It is in fair preservation except that letters near the margin are sometimes illegible.
The letters are of the Gupta character of the North-Eastern class, about 5 inch in size, but the two sides display a marked difference. On the first side they are fairly well cut and erect, though their shapes are neither good nor neatly finished. On the second side they slope slightly and are often poorly cut, and their shapes are ill-made; indeed in many instances the engraver has bung led his work either by bad workmanship or by mistakes, so that some letters appear as indistinct blurs. It would seem as if the second side were done by a different hand of little skill. $ and 8 ure so much alike that no consistent distinction is perceptible.
A circular seal, 2 inches in diameter, is fastened to the left side of the plate, and is lighter in colour. It has no proper rim. It is in low relief and is much decayed. The emblem in the upper represents a female figure standing in the middle, with what looks like a sapling tree on her right; and close to her left is a very small figure standing. On either side, but not above her, appears an elephant semi-erect. The legend is so much corroded that only a few lotters are legible, but what can be made out agrees with the legend on plate C; thus:Väraka-maydala-visayâdhikaraṇasya.
The language is Sanskrit, and the whole is in prose except the two concluding verses of imprecation. The peculiarities which have been noted in plate A appear here and rather oftener. The following may be specially mentioned
The Prakrit forms laddha (1.3) and jasima (. 18) occur. The plural instrumental is formed with bhi as in pitrbhi (1. 27), but the form in -aih occurs perhaps in l. 9-10; the plural genitive visayāņa (1. 8) occurs; the plural ablative bhavaddhyo (1. 18); vikrtyantāni as nom. pl. neut. of a pass. present participle (1. 14); and perhaps the plural accus. nent. Itsettra (1. 9).
Brāhmana is treated as if ending in an, so that the dative becomes brāhmane (1. 11); but for brāhmanā (1. 20) we should probably read brāhmiņāya. Slola is neater in slokani (I. 24); and other irregularities are vijñāptäh (1. 8); prati paditum (1. 11-12); and arhattya (1. 12).
The affix -ka appears in viniyuklaka (1. 5) and leriyamāņaka (1. 13).
The particle iti appears in the form -li, if my emendations in l. 12 are valid ; and a euphonic r is inserted between two vowels in bhavaddhyo-r-eva (1.13).
Several new words appear, as kārandaya (1. 5), apariñchya (1. 19); which are discussed in the concluding general remarks ; vijiap: (1.12), and perhaps mrddha (1.17), which are discussed in the notes; and dandaka (1. 23) has probably the new meaning of “mast (of a ship)."
The general impression is that the scribe was loss literate than the author of plate A.
This is displayed also in the orthography, where the faults are similar to those in plate A, but sometimes grogs as in Doījisineya (1. 10-11), samvava (1. 6), jyesra (1. 7), prärk (1. 13) and tyāni (1. 25).
Sandhi is not regularly observed, and n appears for min bhavatan pranādad (1.9).
Letters compounded with r are often doubled here as in plate A ; thus maryyādā-caturddinārikkya (1.13), etc.; and even when initial as in lekrita (1. 20).
This plate was execnted during the Emperor Dharmaditya's reign, but as already mentioned bears no date.
