गुप्त अभिलेख संग्रह (जे. एफ. फ्लीट - गुप्त सम्राटों एवं परवर्ती नरेशों के ऐतिहासिक पाषाण व ताम्रलेख)

106 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.

No. 23; PLATE XIV.

MAJHGAWAM COPPER-PLATE INSCRIPTION OF THE

MAHARAJA HASTIN.

THE YEAR 191.

THIS inscription,—which was first brought to notice by General Cunningham, in 1879,
in the Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. IX. pp. 7 and 13 f., No. 5, where he published a trans-
lation of it, with a lithograph of the two passages containing the date (id. Plate iv. No. 5),
—is on some copper-plates that were discovered in 1870, in ploughing a field at the
village of Majhgawâm,¹ about three miles towards the south-west from Uchaharâ, the
capital of the Nâgaudh State in the Bâghêlkhaṇḍ division of Central India. I obtained
the original plates, for examination, from the possession of the Râjâ of Nâgaudh, through
the kindness of Major D. W. K. Barr, Political Agent, Satnâ.
The plates, which are inscribed on one side only, are two in number, each measuring
about 8⅛" by 5⅞". They are quite smooth, the edges being neither fashioned thicker nor
raised into rims. Except, however, for the small piece broken away at the beginning of
the second plate, the inscription is in a stote of perfect preservation throughout. The
plates are not very thick; and the letters, which are rather deeply engraved, shew through
on the backs of them. The engraving is very good, but, as usual, the interiors of many
of the letters shew marks of the working of the engraver's tool.—In the upper part of each
plate, there is a hole for a ring, with a seal attached to it. The ring and seal are not
now forthcoming; but fortunately General Cunningham had preserved a pencil-rubbing of
the seal, from which I have been able to give a lithograph. It represents a pointed oval
seal, about 2⅛" by 1", with the legend Śrîr-mmahd²râja-Hastinah, "of the illustrious
Mahârâja Hastin."—The weight of the two plates is 1 lb. 14 oz.—The average size of the
letters is between ⅛" and ¼". The characters belong to the northern class of alpha-
bets, and are of the peculiar 'nail-headed' type, on which I have commented at page 19
above; thus giving another variety, with northern characteristics, of the Central India
alphabet of the period. They include the very rare initial au, in aupamanyava, line 8.
In kuryât, line 12, and sûryadatta, line 19, we have further illustrations of the first
method of writing r in combination with a following y, on which I have commented at
page 94 above. In chhrêyô, line 14, yô, line 16, apânîyêshu, line 17, and yê, line 18,
we have a form of y, differing from the form used throughout the rest of this inscription,
e.g. in dêvâya, line 1, and tritîyâyâm, line 2. It belongs properly to a somewhat later
development of the northern alphabet, as used in formal official records; and we find it, for
instance, throughout the Bôdh-Gayâ inscription of Mahânâman, of the year 269, No. 71
below, Plate xliA., but it is perhaps indicative of the current form of the letter in this
period.³ The characters also include, in lines 20 and 21, forms of the numerical

¹ This name, given in maps, &c., as 'Majgama, Majgowa, Majhgawan, Mugjowan, Mujgoah,
Mujgowan, and Munjgowa,' is a very common one in that part of the country. The present village
should be in the Indian Atlas, Sheet No. 89; but it is not entered there, unless 'Moghanî' (Lat.
24° 22' N.; Long. 80° 47' E.) is intended for it.
² Read śrî-mahâ.
³ To quote another early instance, the same form occurs also in vijaya, in line 1 of the 'Kondakur
grant of the Pallava prince Vijayabuddhavarman (Ind. Ant. Vol. IX. p. 101 and Plate); but the cor-