Jain Journal 1979 07

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 28

Who is the Lengha-deva of the Govindapur Copper-plate of Laksmana Sena?
CHITTA RANJAN PAL
In the year 1919, a copper-plate was discovered during the time of excavation of a tank in the village of Govindapur in the South 24 parganas. Pandit A. C. Vidyabhusana published the full version of the plate in the Bengali Journal, Bharatavarșa in 1332 B.S. After several years Sri N. G. Mazumder, one of the famous archaeologists of Bengal re-edited the plate in 1929 with necessary corrections.
The celebrated copper-plate was issued by Maharajadhiraja Laksmana Sena the last great Hindu king of Bengal who ruled from c. 1179 A. D. to 1207 A.D.2 The copper-plate states that Laksmana Sena donated to a Brahmana named Vyasadeva Sarmana, a piece of land in the village of Viddara-sasana, in Vetadda-caturaka in the paścim-Khatika belonging to Vardhamanabhukti having its four boundaries as follows. "To the east, the river Ganges, half boundary to the south Lengha-deva-maṇḍapisīmā, another boundary, to the west, the orchard of pomegranates, another boundary, to the north Dharmanagara, another boundary." 3
Sri Kalidas Dutta, who made extensive exploratory tours in the South 24-parganas during the 3rd decade of the present century, especially in the Sundaravana area, identified Dharmanagara and Viddara-sasana with the present Dhamnagar1 and Sasan5 respectively, situated in South 24-parganas. Betadda, the head-quarter of the Caturaka has been identified with present Betar near Sibpore, opposite Calcutta by the famous scholar R. D. Banerjee."
Now the question arises-what is the meaning of 'Lengha-deva-mandapt' or what did the composer of the inscription mean to say by the term? Sri N. G. Mazumdar had translated the compound word as the "temple of Lengha-deva". But he did not clearly state the meaning of the word 'Lengha' in the compound of 'Lengha-deva.' Moreover he did not make any attempt to identify the God, rather he skipped over the meaning of the word.
Incidentally, it may be stated that Pandit A. C. Vidyabhusana, who was the first to publish the transcript and translation of the grant, read