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

130 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
The plate, which is inscribed on one side only, measures about 7⅞" by 6". The edges
of it were fashioned slightly thicker than the inscribed surface, with corresponding depres-
sions inside them, so as to serve as rims to protect the writing; and the inscription is in a
state of very fair preservation almost throughout. The plate is rather thin; but the letters
are shallower than usual, and shew through only indistinctly on the back of it. The engrav-
ing is good, but shews, as usual, marks of the working of the engraver's tool throughout.
—In the upper part of the plate, there is a hole for a ring to connect it with the other that
belonged to it. But the ring and its seal are not forthcoming.—The weight of the plate
is 10½ oz.—The average size of the letters is about ⅛". The characters belong to the
northern class of alphabets, and are of the same type with those of the Kâritalâî grant of the
Mahârâja Jayanâtha of the year 174, No. 26 above, page 117, and Plate xvi. They include
the rather rare jh, in ajjhita, line 5.—The language is Sanskrit; and, the first plate only
being extant, this portion of the inscription is in prose throughout. It has not been en-
grossed as carefully as was usual in inscriptions of this early date. From a linguistic
point of view, we have to notice (1) the use of the Prâkṛit word phuṭṭa in line 12; and (2)
in uparilikhitaka, line 10, and utpadyamânaka, line 15, the affix ka, that I have commented
on at page 69 above.—In respect of orthography, we have to notice (1) the use of the
dental nasal, instead of the anusvâra, before ś, in kâriñś=cha, line 7, and vanśa, line 15;
(2) the doubling of k, g, and t, in conjunction with a following r, e.g. in anukkrama, line
10; ggrâma, line 8; and puttra, line 1, and sattra, line 13; (3) the doubling of dh, in
onjunction with a following y, in anuddhyâta, lines 1 to 5; and (4) the use of v for b, in
vali, line 13.
The inscription is one of the Mahârâja Śarvanâtha; and the charter recorded in it
is issued from the city or hill called Uchchakalpa. The date is lost, in the second plate.
The inscription is apparently Vaishṇava; the object of it being to record the grant, by
the Mahârâja Śarvanâtha, of half of the village of Dhavashaṇḍikâ, on the agreement
between him and the grantees that it should be applied to, amongst other things, the pur-
poses of a temple of the goddess Pishṭapurikâdêvî.
This village of Dhavashaṇḍikâ seems to be the same one that was granted by the
Mahârâja Jayanâtha, in the year 177, as recorded in No. 27 above, page 121, for the
purposes of a temple of the god Vishṇu, under the name of Bhagavat or the Divine One.
And the present assignment of half of it specially for the purposes of a temple of Pishṭa-
purikâdêvî, furnishes one item of proof that this goddess was a form of Lakshmî, the wife
of Vishṇu.¹
TEXT.²
First Plate.
1 Om Svasty=Uchchakalpât(n)=mahârâj-Aughadêvas-tasya puttras=tat-pâd-
ânuddhyâtô mahâdêvyâṁ
2 Kumâradêvyâm=utpannô mahârâja-Kumâradêvas-tasya puttras=tat-pâd-
anuddhyâtô
3 mahâdêvyâ[ṁ*] Jayasvâminyâm=utpannô mahârâja-Jayasvâmî tasya
puttras=tat-pâd-ânu-
4 ddhyâtô mahâdêvyâ[ṁ*] Râmadêvy[â*]m=utpann[ô*] mahârâja-Vyâghras-
tasya puttras=tat-p[â*]d-ânuddhyâtô
¹ See also page 113 above, note 2.
² From the original plate.