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

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 19, PLATE XII A. 89
century A.D. The letter r, as the first part of a compound consonant, is formed some-
times within the top line of the writing, e.g. in arṇṇava, line 1, and sometimes above it,
e.g. in paryyaṅka, in the same line. The characters include, in line 3, forms of the nu-
merical symbols for 5, 60, and 100.—The language is Sanskrit; and the inscription is
in verse as far as line 4, and the rest in prose.—In respect of orthography, the only
point that calls for notice is the constant doubling of t, in conjunction with a following r,
e.g. in maittrāyaṇīya, line 5; pauttrēṇa, line 6; and pittrôḥ, line 8.
The inscription refers itself to the reign of Budhagupta, whose feudatory, the Mahâ-
râja Suraśmichandra, was governing the country lying between the river Kālindī, or
the Jamnā, and the Narmadā. It is dated, completely in words, and partly in numerical
symbols, in the year one hundred and sixty-five (A.D. 484-85), on the twelfth lunar day
of the bright fortnight of the month Âshâḍha (June-July), and on Suraguruvâra or Thursday.
It is a Vaishṇava inscription. And the object of it is to record the erection of the column,
which is called a dhvaja-stambha or 'flag-staff'¹ of the god Vishṇu, under the name of
Janârdana, by a Mahârâja named Mâtṛivishṇu and his younger brother, Dhanya-
vishṇu.
TEXT.²
1 Jayati³ vibhus=chatur-bhujaś=chatur-arṇṇava-vipula-salila-paryyaṅkaḥ jagataḥ
sthity-utpatti-nya[y-âdi⁴]-
2 hêtur=Ggaruḍa-kêtuḥ [॥*] Śatê pañcha-shashṭy-adhikê varshāṇāṁ bhûpatau
cha Budhaguptê | Âshâḍha-mâsa-ś[ukla]-
3 dvâ⁵daśyâṁ Suragurôr=ddivasê | (॥) Saṁ 100 60 5 [॥*] Kālindî⁶-
Narmmadayôr=mmadhyaṁ pâlayati lôkapâla-guṇair=jjagati mahâr[âja]-
4 śriyam=anubhavati Suraśmichandrê cha | (॥) Asyâṁ saṁvatsara-mâsa-
divasa-pûrvvâyâṁ⁷ sva-karmm-âbhiratasya kratu-yâji[naḥ]
5 adhîta-svâdhyâyasya vipr-a..shêr=Mmaittrâyaṇîya-vṛishabhasy=Êndravishṇôḥ pra-
pauttrêṇa pitur=guṇ-ânukâriṇô Varuṇav[i]sh[ṇôḥ]
6 pauttrêṇa pitaram=anu-jâtasya sva-vaṁśa-vṛiddhi-hêtôr=Harivishṇôḥ puttrêṇ-
âtyanta-bhagavad-bhaktêna Vidhâtur=ichchhayâ svayaṁvaray=êva r[â]ja-
7 lakshmy=âdhigatêna chatuḥ-samudra-paryyanta-prathita-yaśasâ akshîṇa-mâna-
dhanên=ânêka-śattru-samara-jishṇunâ mahârâja-Mâtṛivishṇun[â]
8 tasy=aiv=ânujêna tad-anuvidhâyin[â] tat-prasâda-parigṛi[hî]têna Dhanya-
vishṇunâ cha | mâtṛi(tâ)pittrôḥ puṇy-âpyâyan-ârtham=êsha bhagavataḥ |⁸
9 puṇyajan-ârdanasya Janârddanasya dhvaja-stambhô=bhyuchchhritaḥ [॥*]
Svasty=astu gô-brâhmaṇa-p[u]rôgâbhyaḥ sarvva-prajâbhya iti | (॥)
¹ Compare dhvaja, 'standard,' as applied to the Mêharaulî column, in line 6 of No. 32 below,
Plate xxiA.
² From the original stone.
³ Metre Âryâ; and in the next verse.—In the first pâda of this, and of the second verse,
we have the proper number of twelve syllabic instants; but they are not arranged in accordance with
the usual rule for this metre.
⁴ I have adopted Dr. Hall's suggestion for supplying the effaced letters. In the last legible
syllable, part of the subscript y is quite distinct, and the consonant above it seems to be a broken n;
and the requirements of both the metre and the sense are properly met by supplying yâdi for the
effaced syllables.
⁵ This akshara is somewhat damaged; but it is very distinctly dvâ. Prinsep's reading of
trayôdaśyâṁ is proved to be wrong by the metre, if by nothing else.
⁶ Metre, Âryâ. ⁷ Supply tithau. ⁸ This mark of punctuation is unnecessary.
N₂

90 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
TRANSLATION.
Victorious is the lord, the four-armed (god Vishṇu)—whose couch is the broad
waters of the four oceans; who is the cause of the continuance, the production, and the
destruction, &c., of the universe; (and) whose ensign is Garuḍa!
(Line 2.)—In a century of years, increased by sixty-five; and while Budhagupta (is)
king; on the twelfth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month Âshâḍha; on the day
of Suraguru;¹ (or in figures) the year 100 (and) 60 (and) 5:—
(L. 3.)—And while Suraśmichandra is governing, with the qualities of a regent of
one of the quarters of the world,² (the country that lies) between the (rivers) Kâlindî
and Narmadâ, (and) is enjoying in the world the glory of (being) a Mahârâja;—
(L. 4.)—On this (lunar day), (specified) as above by the year and month and day;
—by the Mahârâja Mâtṛivishṇu, who is excessively devoted to the Divine One;
who, by the will of (the god) Vidhâtri, was approached (in marriage-choice) by the god-
dess of sovereignty, as if by a maiden choosing (him) of her own accord (to be her
husband); whose fame extends up to the borders of the four oceans; who is possessed
of unimpaired honour and wealth; (and) who has been victorious in battle against many
enemies;—who is the son of the son's son of Indravishṇu, who was attentive to his duties;
who celebrated sacrifices; who practised private study (of the scriptures); who was a
Brâhmaṇ saint; (and) who was the most excellent (of the followers) of the Maitrâyaṇîya
(śâkhâ);—who is the son's son of Varuṇavishṇu, who imitated the virtuous qualities of
(his) father;—(and) who is the son of Harivishṇu, who was the counterpart of (his) father
in meritorious qualities,³ (and) was the cause of the advancement of his race;—
(L. 8.)—(By him) and by his younger brother Dhanyavishṇu, who is obedient to
him, (and) has been accepted with favour by him,—this flag-staff of the divine (god)
Janârdana, the troubler of the demons,⁴ has been erected, for the purpose of increasing
the religious merit of (their) parents.
(L. 9.)—Let prosperity attend all the subjects, headed by the cows and the
Brâhmaṇs!
¹ i.e. "on Thursday."—Suraguru, 'the preceptor of the gods,' is another name of Bṛihaspati,
from which latter name the day takes its customary appellation of Bṛihaspativâra.
² lôkapâla.—The lôkapâlas, or guardians of the points of the compass, are sometimes reckoned
as eight, viz. 1, Indra, of the east; 2, Agni, of the south-east; 3, Yama, of the south; 4, Nirṛiti, or
sometimes Sûrya, of the south-west; 5, Varuṇa, of the west; 6, Vâyu, of the north-west; 7, Kubêra,
of the north; and 8, Îśâna, or sometimes Chandra, and sometimes Pṛithivî, of the north-east;—and
sometimes as four, viz. Nos. 1, 3, 5, and 7, above.
³ pitaram=anu-jâtasya.—Dr. Hall explained this expression in the Jour. Beng. As. Soc. Vol.
XXX. p. 139, note, by a passage quoted in the St. Petersburg Dictionary from the Pañchatantra;
viz.—
Jâtaḥ putrô=nujâtaś=cha atijâtas=tath=aiva cha |
apajâtaś=cha lôkê=smin=mantavyâḥ śâstra=vêdibhiḥ ||
Mâtṛi-tulya-guṇô jâtas=tv=anujâtaḥ pituḥ samaḥ |
atijâtô=dhikas=tasmâd=apajâtô=dham-âdhamaḥ ||
"By those who know the scriptures, (sons) are to be understood among men as being a jâta son, or
an anujâta, or an atijâta, or an apajâta. A jâta (is) one whose virtues are equal to (those of
his) mother; an anujâta (is) equal to (his) father (in virtue); an atijâta surpasses that (father); (and
an apajâta (is) altogether inferior (to him.)"
⁴ puṇyajana, lit. 'a good, pious, or virtuous man,' also denotes 'a class of supernatural beings,
a fiend, a goblin, a demon.'

Vol. III. CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM. Plate XII.
A.—Eran Pillar Inscription of Budhagupta.—The Year 165.
TEXT (Inscription A)
जयति विभुश्चतुर्भुजश्चतुरर्णवविपुलसलिलपर्य्यङ्कः [।*] जगत्स्थितिसर्गादिहेतुरुन्नतकेतुर्जगद्गर्भः [॥*]
भूपतौ बुधगुप्ते च कालिन्दीनर्म्मदयोर्मध्ये [।*] पालयति पृथिवीं पृथिवीपतौ पृथुयशोहेतौ [॥*]
सम्वत्सरशते पञ्चषष्ट्यधिके १ षष्ट्यधिके वैशाखमासशुक्लपक्षद्वादश्याम् [।*] सुरगुरोर्द्दिवसे सुरारिविमर्दिनः पुण्ये [॥*]
नृपतेर्म्महाराजशर्मणो नप्तारं कुलधरस्य पुत्रं च [।*] मातृविष्णोर्ज्ज्येष्ठं भ्रातरमपि च धन्यविष्णुम् [॥*]
धर्म्मध्वजमिममग्रतो भगवतो जनार्द्दनस्य [।*] स्थापितवन्तौ स्वपुण्यवृद्धये कुलवृद्धये चैव [॥*]
मातुलस्यात्मनश्चापि पुण्यकीर्त्तिविवृद्धये [।*] यदत्र पुण्यं तद्भवतु सर्व्वलोकानां श्रेयसे [॥*]
स्वस्ति गोब्राह्मणपुरोगाभ्यः सर्व्वप्रजाभ्य इति [॥*]
SCALE .25
B.—Eran Posthumous Pillar Inscription of Goparāja.—The Year 191.
TEXT (Inscription B)
ओं [।*] श्रीसर्व्वराजप्रतिपक्षशत्रुः प्रख्यातककर्म्मा पृथुचारुकीर्त्तिः [।*]
बभूव गोपराजो नाम्ना पार्थसमो बली [॥*]
भानुगुप्तो महावीरो जगत्प्रख्यातपुरुषः [।*]
तेन सार्द्धं महाराज गोपराजोऽनुसंस्थितः [॥*]
युद्ध्वा सुतुमुले युद्धे स्वर्गतो ह्यरिघातिनः [।*]
भक्ता चानुरक्ता च प्रिया च विपुलोत्तमा [।*]
लग्नानुगता भार्य्या हुताशं प्रविष्टा [॥*]

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THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 20, PLATE XII B. 91
No. 20; PLATE XII B.
ERAN POSTHUMOUS STONE PILLAR INSCRIPTION
OF GOPARAJA.
THE YEAR 191.
THIS inscription, which has not previously been published, was discovered in 1874-75
or 1876-77 by General Cunningham, and was first brought to notice by him in 1880, in the
Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. X. p. 89 f.
It is another inscription from Êraṇ,¹ in the Khurâî Sub-Division of the Sâgar
District in the Central Provinces. It is on a small pillar, afterwards converted into a liṅga
or phallic emblem of Śiva, which stands under some tall trees near the left bank of the
Bînâ, about half a mile to the south-east of Êraṇ, and half-way between it and the neigh-
bouring village of Pêhêlêjpur.² The original lower part of the pillar is now broken away
and lost ; the remnant of it is about 3' 11" high and 1' 6" in diameter. The bottom part
is octagonal ; and the inscription is at the top of this octagonal part, on three of the eight
faces, each of which is about 7" broad ; the bottom line is about six inches above the level of
the ground. Above this, the pillar is sixteen-sided. Above this, it is again octagonal ;
and the faces here have sculptures of men and women, who are probably intended for the
Gôparâja of the inscription, and his wife and friends ; the compartment immediately above
the centre of the inscription, represents a man and a woman, sitting, who must be
Gôparâja and his wife. Above this, the pillar is again sixteen-sided. Above this, it is
once more octagonal ; and on two of the faces here, there are the remains of a quite
illegible inscription of four lines, in characters of the same type with those of the inscrip-
tion now published. Above this, the pillar curves over in sixteen flutes or ribs, into a
round top. The pillar was converted into a liṅga, by fitting an ablution-trough to it ; this
was attached over the part where the inscription lay ; and it was only by the breaking of
it, that the greater part of the inscription was disclosed to view.
The writing, which covers a space of about 1' 9" broad by 11" high, has suffered a
good deal from the weather, and from the sharpening of tools on the edges of the stone ;
but, on the original pillar, it is fairly legible almost throughout ; and the only historical
items that have been lost are, in line 2, the name of Gôparâja's grandfather, and of the
family to which he belonged.—The size of the letters varies from ⅜" to ⅝". The
characters belong to the northern class of alphabets, and, though not quite so well
formed, are of almost precisely the same type with those of the Êraṇ pillar inscription of
Budhagupta, No. 19 above, Plate xiiA. The letter r, as the first part of a compound
consonant, is formed within the top line of the writing in pârtha, line 5, and bhâryâ, line 7;
but above it in sârddham, line 5. The characters include, in line 2, forms of the
numerical symbols for 1, 7, 90, and 100.—The language is Sanskrit; and, the
inscription is in prose as far as the end of the date, in line 2, and the rest in verse.—In
respect of orthography, the only points that call for notice are (1) the use of the guttural
nasal, instead of the anusvâra, before ś, in vaṅśa, lines 1 and 4; and (2) the doubling of
k and t, in conjunction with a following r; e.g. in vikkrânta and puttra, line 3.
¹ See page 18 above, and note 1.
² The 'Pahlechpur' of Gen. Cunningham's map (Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. X. Pl. xxiii.)
N 2.

92 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
The inscription, which does not refer itself to the reign of any particular king, is
dated, in both words and numerical symbols, in the year one hundred and ninety-one
(A.D. 510-11), on the seventh lunar day of the dark fortnight, and solar day¹ of the month,
of Śrāvaṇa (July-August). It is a non-sectarian inscription ; the object of it being only to
record that, in the company of a powerful king named Bhānugupta, a chieftain or noble
named Gōparāja came to the place where the pillar was set up, and fought a battle ; that
Gōparāja was killed ; and that his wife accompanied him, by cremating herself on his
funeral pyre.²
TEXT.³
1 Ôm Samvatsara-śatê êka-navaty-uttarê Śrāvaṇa-bahula-paksha-sap[t]amy[ām]
2 samvat 100 90 1 Śrāvaṇa ba⁴ di 7 ॥ [—]la(?)ksha⁵-vaṁśād=
utpannô [— —]
3 râj-êti-viśrutaḥ tasya puttrô=ti-vikkrāntô nâmnâ râj=âtha Mâdhavaḥ ॥
Gôparâja[ḥ]
4 sutas=tasya Śrīmân=vikhyâta-paurushaḥ Śarabharâja-dauhittraḥ sva-vaṁśa-
tilakô=dhu(?)nâ(?) [॥]
5 Śrī⁶-Bhânuguptô jagati pravîrô râjâ mahân=Pârtha-samô=ti-śûraḥ tên=âtha
sârddhan=tv=iha Gôpar[â]j[ô]
¹ The day is indicated as a solar day, as well as lunar, by the use, in the numerical-symbol
record, of di, the abbreviation of dina, dinê, divasa, or divasê, in addition to, in the fuller record,
saptamî, which denotes the lunar tithi.—The abbreviation di is preceded by ba, which stands for
bahula-paksha or bahula-pakshê. Sometimes, instead of ba, we have va; e.g. in line 17 of the
Bengal Asiatic Society's grant of the Mahârâja Vinâyakapâla, samvatsrô (sic) 100 80 8 Phâlguna va
di 9 (Ind. Ant. Vol. XV. p. 141); in which case va may, according to the general orthography
of the particular record, stand for ba; or it may be an abbreviation of vadya, which is a synonym
of bahula, and is of common enough use in the present day, though it was not so in ancient times.
The corresponding method of denoting the bright fortnight, is by the use of the abbreviation śu,
which represents śukla or śuddha, similarly in composition with paksha or pakshê; e.g. in line 14 of
the Bôdh-Gayâ inscription of Mahânâman, No. 71 below, Plate xliA., samvat 200 60 9 Chaittra śu
di 8.—These abbreviations, śu di and ba di or va di, are often quoted as if they were words in them-
selves (śudi, badi, vadi), meaning respectively 'the bright fortnight' and 'the dark fortnight.'
And Monier Williams, in his Sanskṛit Dictionary, gives vadi as an indeclinable word, meaning 'in
the dark half of a month;' with the remark that, according to some, it stands for badi, and is a con-
traction of bahula-dina; but with an intimation of his own opinion that it represents vadya. But
I doubt whether the Hindus themselves, even when using the abbreviations, look on them as words.
And it is worth noting that Molesworth and Candy's Marâṭhî Dictionary, which is very comprehen-
sive, does not include these expressions, either as abbreviations, or as words. Even if a modern
practice of treating these abbreviations as words, should be proved, it is an erroneous practice. By
origin, the syllables are nothing but distinct and separate abbreviations, of which the first denotes
the fortnight of the month, and the second; the day of the month or fortnight. And this is the
point of view from which they have to be looked at, in dealing with any ancient records.
² i.e., according to the colloquial expression, she became Satî ('Suttee').—With this early in-
stance of the cremation of widows, we may compare the indication of the same practice that is given
in Bhagwanlal Indraji's Nêpâl inscription No. 1, of Mânadêva (Ind. Ant. Vol. IX. p. 164, line 7 f., and
p. 165), when Râjyavatî, the widow of Dharmadêva, bids her son Mânadêva take up the government,
in order that she may follow her deceased husband to the other world. This instance belongs to about
A.D. 705 (see id. Vol. XIV. pp. 344, 350).—As noted by Gen. Cunningham, there are several other
Satî-pillars, but of much later date, at Êraṇ.
³ From the original stone. ⁴ i.e. bahula-paksha.
⁵ Metre, Ślôka (Anushṭubh); and in the next verse.
⁶ Metre, Indravajrâ; and in the following verse.

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 21. 93
6 mittrân=uva(?)tya(?)ra(?) kil=ânuyâtaḥ || Kṛitvâ [cha*] y[u]ddhaṁ su-
mahat-prak[â]śaṁ svarggaṁ gatô divya-narê(?)[ndra-kalpaḥ]
7 bhakt=ânuraktâ cha¹ priyâ cha kântâ bh[â]r[y]=â[va]lag[n]=ânugat=
âg[n]i-r[â]śim ||
TRANSLATION.
Ôm! In a century of years, increased by ninety-one; on the seventh lunar day of
the dark fortnight of (the month) Śrâvaṇa; (or in figures) the year 100 (and) 90 (and) 1;
(the month) Śrâvaṇa; the dark fortnight; the day 7:—
(Line 2.)—(There was) a king, renowned under the name of . . . . râja, sprung from
the . . laksha(?) lineage; and his son (was) that very valorous king (who was known) by
the name (of) Mâdhava.
(L. 3.)—His son was the illustrious Gôparâja, renowned for manliness; the
daughter’s son of the Śarabha king; who is (even) now(?) the ornament of (his) lineage.
(L. 5.)—(There is) the glorious Bhânugupta, the bravest man on the earth, a mighty
king, equal to Pârtha, exceedingly heroic; and, along with him, Gôparâja followed
. . . . . . . . (his) friends (and came) here. [And*] having fought a very famous battle,
he,² [who was but little short of being equal to] the celestial [king (Indra)], (died and)
went to heaven; and (his) devoted, attached, beloved, and beauteous wife, in close com-
panionship, accompanied (him) onto the funeral pyre.
No. 21; (No PLATE.)
KHÔH COPPER-PLATE INSCRIPTION OF THE
MAHARAJA HASTIN.
THE YEAR 156.
THIS inscription appears to have been discovered, about 1852, by Colonel Ellis, Poli-
tical Agent at Nâgaudh, and was first brought to notice in 1858, in Mr. Thomas’ edition
of Prinsep’s Essays, Vol. I. p. 251 f., by Professor H. H. Wilson’s translation, combining
both this and the next inscription of the year 163, from Mr. Thomas’ reading of the texts.
—In 1861, in the Jour. Beng. As. Soc. Vol. XXX. p. 6 ff., Dr. Fitz-Edward Hall published
his reading of the text, and a translation of it, from the original plates.—And in 1879, in
the Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. IX. p. 11, No. 1, General Cunningham, in partially reprinting
Dr. Hall’s translation, substituted a close approximation to the correct interpretation of
the date, agreeing with Professor H. H. Wilson and differing from Dr. Hall; and also
gave a lithograph of the passage containing the date (id. Plate iv. No. 1.)
The inscription is on some copper-plates that were found somewhere in the valley
near the village of Khôh,³ about three miles south-west of Uchaharâ,⁴ the present capital
¹ The metre is faulty here, as the cha, which should remain short, is lengthened by the following
double consonant, pr.
² Gôparâja.
³ The ‘Kho’ of maps. It should be in the Indian Atlas, Sheet No. 89, but is not shewn there.
— khôh means literally ‘a cave.’
⁴ The ‘Oochaira, Uchahara, Uchara, Uchera, Ucheyra, Uhchehra, Unchehra, Unchehrah, Unchera,
Urchara, and Urcharah,’ of maps, &c. Indian Atlas, Sheet No. 89. Lat. 24° 23′ N.; Long. 80° 51′ E.—

94 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
of the Native State of Nâgaudh or Nâgaundh¹ in the Baghelkhaṇḍ division of Central
India. They were originally deposited in the Library of the Saṁskṛit College at Benares ;
but, with the ring and seal, were lost sight of in being transferred from there to the
Allâhâbâd Museum, and thence to the Provincial Museum at Lucknow (Lakhnau). I
am informed that the second plate has been recently found at Lucknow. But I have
not been able to obtain it, or an ink-impression of it, for examination. And I, therefore,
edit the inscription here from a hand-copy made by General Cunningham, which, though
not suitable for lithography, suffices admirably for reading the text.
The plates, two in number, and inscribed on one side only, appear to have been in
a state of excellent preservation throughout. From the original accounts, they seem to
have been connected as usual by a ring, the ends of which were secured in the lower
part of a seal, the front of which had on it the legend, Śrî-mahârâja-Hastinaḥ,
" of the illustrious Mahârâja Hastin," as on the seal of his grant of the year 191, No. 23
below, Plate xiv.—The characters belong to the northern class of alphabets, and are of
the same type as those of the following inscription of the same Mahârâja of the year 163,
No. 22 below, Plate xiii. The letter r in conjunction with a following y, is formed
in two ways; in kâryaḥ, line 14, and kuryât, line 14-15, the r is written within the top
line of the writing, with only a single y below it, as in kuryât, line 12, and sûryadatta,
line 19, of No. 23 below, Plate xiv.; while in sûryyadatta, lines 10 and 21, and maryyâdâḥ,
line 12, it is formed above the top line, as in the case of conjunction with other letters,
and the y is doubled.—The language is Saṁskṛit; and, except for the benedictive and
imprecatory verses in lines 16 to 20, the entire inscription is in prose.—In respect of
orthography, we have to notice (1) the use of the dental nasal, instead of the anusvâra,
before ś, in vanśa, line 6; (2) the doubling of k and t, in conjunction with a following r,
e.g. in vakkrâ, line 20; and sagôttra and puttra, line 9; (3) the doubling of dh, in conjunc-
tion with a following y, in avaddhyânêna, line 15; and (4) the occasional use of b for v, in
saṁbatsarê, line 2; and barsha, line 19.

In addition to 'Uchahara,' Gen. Cunningham uses three other forms, 'Uchahaṛa,' 'Uchahada,' and
'Uchahaḍa,' (Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. IX. p. 5); but, in my inquiries at Satnâ, I could not obtain
anything in support of them.—He has also proposed (id. p. 10) to identify Uchaharâ with 'Udyâra,'
the supposed capital of Svâmidatta mentioned in line [19 of the Allâhâbâd pillar inscription, No. 1;
but the real reading there (page 7 above) gives Giri-Koṭṭûra, or "Koṭṭûra on the hill."—Uchaharâ
is probably by no means an unique name; as the maps give an 'Ocharah,' ten miles towards the north-
east, an 'Oocharah,' twenty-nine miles north by east, an 'Uchera,' thirty-one miles to the south-east
by east, and another 'Uchera,' about fifty-nine miles to the south-east by south, from the place under
reference.
¹ The 'Nagode, Nagound, and Nagudh,' of maps, &c. Indian Atlas, Sheet No. 70. Lat. 24° 33' N.;
Long. 80° 37' E.—On the badges of the Police Sepoys, I found the name written Nâgaud. But the
correct form is undoubtedly Nâgaudh, which is sometimes nasalised and pronounced Nâgaundh.—The
Râjâ is officially called the 'Râjâ of Nagode;' and Nâgaudh was formerly the capital of the State.
The present capital is Uchaharâ. And the Political Agency is now at Satnâ, which, in reality the name
of a river, has been adopted as the name of the station on the Great Indian Peninsula Railway. The
station and the Agency are really in the lands of the village of Bardâḍîh.—Gen. Cunningham has pro-
posed (Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. IX. p. 12) to identify Nâgaudh with the Nâgadêya that is mentioned
in line 5 of the Kârîtalâî plates of the Mahârâja Jayanâtha of the year 174, No. 26 below. But the
name would rather seem to be derived from nâga-vadha or nâga-bandha, 'the slaughter or the capture
of the hooded-serpents or of the Nâga tribe;' whereas Nâgadêya would mean 'the gift to the hooded-
serpents, or to the Nâga tribe.'

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 21. 95
The inscription is one of the Parivrâjaka¹ Mahârâja Hastin. It is dated, in
words, "in the enjoyment of sovereignty by the Gupta kings,"² in the year one hundred
and fifty-six (A.D. 475-76), in the Mahâ-Vaiśâkha samvatsara,³ and on the third lunar
day of the bright fortnight of the month Kârttika (October-November). The inscription
is non-sectarian, except for the opening invocation of the god Śiva, under the name of
Mahâdêva. The object of it is to record the grant, by the Mahârâja Hastin, of the
village of Vasuntarashanḍika to Gôpasvâmin and other Brahmans.
TEXT.⁴
First Plate.
1 Namô Mahâdêvâya ॥ Svasti Shatpañchâś-ôttarê=bda-śatê Gupta-nṛipa-
2 râjya-bhuktau Mahâ-Vaiśâkha-saṁbatsarê⁵ ।⁶ Kârttika-mâsa-śukla-paksha-tṛitîyâ-
3 yâm=asyân=divasa-pûrvvâyâm⁷ nṛipatiparivrâjaka-kul-ôtpannêna ।⁸ mahâ-
4 râja-Dêvâḍhya⁹-pranaptrâ mâ(ma)hârâja-Prabhañjana-naptranâ¹⁰ mahârâja-
Dâmôdara-sutêna
¹ parivrâjaka means literally 'a wandering religious mendicant, an ascetic in the fourth and last
religious order or stage of life.'—The compound used in line 3 of the Text, nṛipati-parivrâjaka, 'a
kingly ascetic,' is of the same class with râj-arshi, 'a royal saint, a saint of royal descent.' Compare
also râjâdhirâj-arshi, 'a saintly sovereign,' which is applied to Chandragupta II. in the Udayagiri
cave inscription, No. 6, page 35 above, line 3.—The particular kingly ascetic, from whom Hastin's
family derived its origin, was Suśarman (see No. 25 below, Plate xvB. line 5 f.)—The word parivrâ-
jaka seems to have been adopted as the regular and habitual appellation of the family. At any rate,
it furnishes, for distinctive purposes, a convenient and unobjectionable name for it.
² Gupta-nṛipa-râjya-bhuktau; line 1f.—The same expression occurs in Nos. 22, 23, and 25.
It indicates clearly that the Gupta dynasty and sway were still continuing; and of course the date
refers to the era used by the Guptas. But there is nothing in the expression, tending to give the era
the name of the "Gupta era."—Prof. H. H. Wilson's translation of this date, combined with that of
the following inscription, No. 22, (Prinsep's Essays, Vol. I. p. 251) was "in the 163rd year of the oc-
cupation of the kingdom by the Gupta kings." And this was substantially correct. But he added a
note that bhuktê or bhuktau might be read muktê or muktau, 'from the end or cessation.'—In pub-
lishing this translation, Mr. Thomas pointed out that the reading muktê or muktau could not possibly
be admitted. And, following this, Dr. Hall (Jour. Beng. As. Soc. Vol. XXX. pp. 3 f., note, and 6, 12)
adopted the reading bhuktau or bhuktê; but laid down the dictum that bhukti, "if unqualified by a
temporal particle, denotes 'possession,' or 'fruition,' only as a thing of the past;" and he then pro-
ceeded to translate the passage by "in the year one hundred and fifty-six of the extinction of the
sovereignty of the Gupta kings;" and again "one hundred and sixty-three years after the domination,
of the Guptas had been laid to rest."—Gen. Cunningham (Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. IX. p. 11) gave
"in the year one hundred and fifty-six of the enjoyment of sovereignty by the Gupta kings." And
this, again, was substantially correct, though not grammatically.—As in the case of śântê, in line 3 of
the Kahâum pillar inscription of Skandagupta (see page 67 above, note 7), it is impossible to ima-
gine how bhukti, lit. 'the act of enjoying or eating; enjoyment, eating; fruition, possession,
usufruct,' ever came to be applied in the sense of 'extinction;' except under the influence of a pre-
conceived bias, so strong as to prevent entirely the critical consideration which would at once have
shewn the error.
³ saṁvatsara, 'a year,' is used principally, if not entirely, to denote (as is indicated by the first
component, saṁ, 'with, together with') years that have a close connection with those that precede and
follow them; i.e. years of cycles, eras, and reigns.—In the present case, the twelve-year cycle of the
planet Jupiter is referred to.
⁴ From Gen. Cunningham's hand-copy. ⁵ Read saṁvatsarê.
⁶ This mark of punctuation is unnecessary. ⁷ Supply tithau.
⁸ This mark of punctuation is unnecessary. ⁹ See page 97 below, note 4. ¹⁰ Read naptrâ.

kul-ôtthaiḥ mat-`

Line 16 (Plate line 13, part 2):
pâdapiṇḍ-ôpajî-

Line 17 (Plate line 14, part 1):
14 vibhir=vvâ kâlântarêshv=api na vyâghâtaḥ kâryaḥ [l*] êvam=âjñâpta⁷

Line 18 (Plate line 14, part 2):
yô=nyathâ ku-

Line 19 (Plate line 15, part 1):
15 ryât=tam=ahaṁ dêhântara-gatô=pi mahat=âvaddhyânêna nirddahêd⁸=Uktaṁ

Line 20 (Plate line 15, part 2):
cha bhagavatâ pa-

Line 21 (Plate line 16, part 1):
16 ram-arshiṇâ vêda-vyâsêna l Pûrvvâ⁹-dattâṁ dvijâtibhyô yatnâd=

Line 22 (Plate line 16, part 2):
`rakshya(

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 21. 97
Vaiśâkha saṁvatsara; on the third lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month
Kârttika,—on this (lunar day), (specified) as above by the day (&c.),¹—
(Line 3.)—By the Mahârâja, the illustrious Hastin,—who is born in the family of
a kingly ascetic;²—who is the great-grandson³ of the Mahârâja Dêvâdhya;⁴—who
is the grandson of the Mahârâja Prabhañjana;—who is the son of the Mahârâja
Dâmôdara;—who is the giver of thousands of cows, and elephants, and horses, and gold,
and many lands;—who is earnest in paying respect to (his) spiritual preceptor and (his)
father and mother;—who is extremely devoted to the gods and Brâhmans;—who has been
victorious in many hundreds of battles;—(and) who causes the happiness of his own race,—
(L. 7.)—(By him),—for the purpose of increasing his own religious merit, (and) in
order to cause (himself) to ascend by the steps of the ladder that leads to heaven,—the
village of Vasuntarashaṇḍika is granted to the Brâhmaṇ Gôpasvâmin, of the Vâja-
sanêya-Mâdhyamdina (śâkhâ) and the Kautsa gôtra, and to Bhavasvâmin, Sandhyâputra,
Divâkaradatta, Bhâskaradatta, and Sûryadatta.
(L. 11.)—On all sides (there are) trenches (of demarcation);⁵ (and) on the north by
the west, the boundaries are those that have been previously enjoyed. (This village is
made the property) of Sandhyâputra and the others, with the udranga⁶ and the upari-
It also occurs, governing a dative case, at the end of the Mandasôr inscription of Kumâragupta and
Bandhuvarman, No. 18, page 84 above, line 24; and as a neuter noun, signifying ‘prosperity,’ in
conjunction with astu, ‘let there be,’ the two together governing a dative, at the end of the Êraṇ
pillar inscription of Budhagupta, No. 19, page 89 above, line 9, and at the end of the Êraṇ inscrip-
tion of Tôramâṇa, No. 36 below, Plate xxiiiA. line 8.
¹ The text (line 3) has asyâñ=divasa-pûrvvâyâṁ, in apposition with which tithau has to be
supplied.—The same expression was used in the Gaḍhwâ inscription of Chandragupta II No. 7,
page 37 above, line 2 f.; and it occurs in other places also.—But the fuller and more formal
expression was asyâṁ saṁvatsara-mâsa-divasa pûrvâyâṁ, “on this (lunar day), (specified as above
by the saṁvatsara (or year) and month and day,” which occurs, for instance, in the Majhgawâṁ grant
of the Mahârâja Hastin of the year 191, No. 23 below, Plate xiv. line 2 f Another variety of the
expression is asyâñ=divasa-mâsa-saṁvatsar-ânupûrvvyâṁ, in the Shâhpur image inscription of Âdi-
tyasêna, No. 43 below, Plate xxixA. line 2.—In the Bilsaḍ pillar inscription of Kumâragupta, No. 10
page 44 above, line 7, we have asyâṁ=divasa-pûrvvâyâṁ, without the specification of any details
except the year
² See page 95 above, note 1.
³ In this and the other three formal inscriptions of this family, Nos. 22, 23, and 25 below,
pranaptṛi and naptṛi are used, instead of the more customary and stricter terms, prapautra, or ‘son
of a son’s son,’ and pautra, ‘son’s son;’ see page 15 above, note 3. Pranaptri and naptri
may denote, at any rate in early times, descendants through a daughter, as well as through a son;
and I therefore translate them by the less binding expressions of ‘great-grandson’ and ‘grandson.’
We may, however, assume with safety that they are used here to denote descendants through sons.
⁴ F. E. Hall (Jour. Beng. As. Soc. Vol. XXX. p. 6, and p. 8, note) read this name as Dêvâhya, and
rejected H. H. Wilson’s reading of Dwrhya (which is evidently a misprint for Dêvârhya, i.e. Dêvâḍhya)
with the remark—“in both inscriptions, the name is most legibly incised; and Mr. Thomas’ deciphe-
ments bear out my lection unhesitatingly.” The fact remains, however, that in all the three inscrip-
tions of Hastin, and in the inscription of Saṁkshôbha, the name is unmistakably Dêvâḍhya; as,
indeed, would be recognised at once by any careful reader, acquainted with Sanskrit, since ahya or
âhya is no real word or termination at all; and Prof. H. H. Wilson was right, and Dr. FitzEdward
Hall was wrong.
⁵ garta; lit. ‘a hollow, a hole, a cave.
⁶ udranga is a technical fiscal term.—Dr. Bühler has brought to notice (Ind. Ant. Vol. XII.
p. 189, note 39) that in the Śâśvatakôsha, Zachariæ’s edition, pp. xxix., 260, it is explained by uddhâra
O.

98 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
kara,¹ (and with the privilege that it is) not to be entered by the irregular or regular
troops;² (but) with the exception of (the right to fines imposed on) thieves.³
(L. 13.)—Therefore, even in future times, no obstacle (to the enjoyment of this
grant) is to be caused by those who are born in Our family, or by my feudatories.⁴ This
injunction having been given, he who behaves otherwise,—him I will consume with a great
contempt, even when I have passed into another body.
(L. 15.)—And it has been said by the venerable supreme sage,⁵ the arranger of the
and udgrantha (? udgrâha), and thus seems to mean ‘the share of the produce collected usually for
the king.’—The only passage in which it occurs otherwise than among the technical conditions of a
grant, is in connection with Kharagraha II.; e.g. in line 46 of the Alînâ grant of Śîlâditya VII. of the
year 447, No. 39 below, Plate xxv.—In this passage, as it is given in line 46 of the grant of Śîlâditya
III. of the year 352 (Ind. Ant. Vol. XI. p. 308), it appears to be spelt with a double d, uddraṅga; so
also in line 10 of the grant of the Mahârâja Guhasêna of the year 246 (id. Vol. IV. p. 175.)
¹ uparikara is a technical fiscal term, the meaning of which has not been made clear. But I
would suggest that the first component is the Prâkṛit word upari or upri (see Molesworth and Candy’s
Marâṭhî Dictionary, and Wilson’s Glossary of Indian Terms; and that the term denotes ‘a tax levied
on cultivators who have no proprietary rights in the soil.’
² a-châṭa-bhaṭa-prâvêśya; a technical term of constant occurrence.—Dr. Bhagwanlal Indraji
(Ind. Ant. Vol. IX. p. 175, note 41) takes châṭa-bhaṭa as meaning

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 21. 99
Vêdas,—“O Yudhishṭhira, best of kings,¹ carefully preserve land that has previously been
given to the twice-born; (verily) the preservation (of a grant) (is) more meritorious than
making a grant! The earth has been enjoyed by many kings, commencing with Sagara;
whosoever at any time possesses the earth, to him belongs, at that time, the reward (of
this grant that is now made, if he continue it)! The giver of land enjoys happiness in
heaven for sixty thousand years; (but) the confiscator (of a grant), and he who assents
(to an act of confiscation), shall dwell for the same number of years in hell!”
(L. 20.)—And (this charter)² has been written³ by Sûryadatta, the [great*]-grand-

No. 28, Plate xviii., and line 3 of No. 30, Plate xixB., these verses are said to be from the Mahâbhârata.
And in line 19 of the Khôh grant of the Mahârâja Saṁkshôbha of the year 214, No. 31 below, Plate
xx., it is also added that they are in the Śataśâhasrî-Saṁhitâ of the Mahâbhârata.—These verses are
nearly always attributed, in the inscriptions, to Vyâsa. But, in line 27-28 of the Karṇûl grant of the
third year of Vikramâditya I. (Jour. Bo. Br. R. As. Soc. Vol. XVI. p. 237), the verse commencing
Bahubhir=vasudhâ bhuktâ, the second in the present inscription, with one other not in this inscription,
is allotted to Manu; a point which may be of some interest in connection with Dr. Bühler's discovery
(see Ind. Ant. Vol. XIV. p. 324) that about one-tenth of Manu's verses occur in the Mahâbhârata.
¹ mahimat, or mahîmat, in the sense of a 'king' (lit. 'possessed of the earth') is not a diction-
ary word. But its meaning, based on its etymology, is obvious; and it is further borne out by the
various reading kshitibhṛitâṁ, which occurs in the same verse in line 32 of the Chhârôlî grant of a
Râshṭrakûṭa king Kakka of Śaka-Saṁvat 679 (Jour. Bo. Br. R. As. Soc. Vol. XVI. p. 109). Another
various reading, in a slight variety of the same verse, is matimatâṁ, 'wise, prudent.' in line 40 of the
Nausârî grant of Jayabhaṭa II. of the year 456 (Ind. Ant. Vol. XIII. p. 79).
² śâsana, 'a charter;' or tâmra-śâsana, 'a copper-charter.'—These were the technical terms
for conveyances of this kind. The first word, śâsana, occurs, for instance, in line 4 of the legend on
the seals of the Chammak and Siwanî grants of the Mahârâja Pravarasêna II., Nos. 55 and 56 below,
Plate xxxiii C. and D. The second, tâmra-śâsana, occurs, for instance, in line 10 of the Majhgawâṁ
grant of the Mahârâja Hastin of the year 191, No. 23 below, Plate xiv.—See also p. 87 above, note
10, where I have given an instance (the only one known to me) of a copper-plate charter being called
praśasti, which word is properly the technical term for an inscription on stone.
³ likhitam.—This refers either to the manual drafting of the record, or to the writing of it on
the plates, for the guidance of the engraver, who then had to follow the writing and impress it with
his tools. And of course it is to be understood, in the case of a high official like Sûryadatta, who in
No. 22 below, Plate xiii. line 29 f. has the title of Mahâsâṁdhivigrahika, that the writing was done
by one of his clerks; not by himself.—The process of engraving is always denoted by utkîrṇâ
(praśastiḥ), e.g. in line 25 of the Mandasôr inscription of Yaśôdharman and Vishṇuvardhana,
No. 35 below, Plate xxii.; or utkîrṇam (śâsanam), e.g. in line 23 of the Âraṅg grant of the Râja
Mahâ-Jayarâja, No. 40 below, Plate xxvi.—It might be thought that likhitam may refer to the com-
position or drawing up of the record. But this part of the process is always denoted by a derivative
from the root kṛi, 'to make,' e.g. praśastêḥ kartâ, in line 17 of the Aihoḷe Mêguṭi inscription of
Pulikêśin II. of Śaka-Saṁvat 556 (Ind. Ant. Vol. VIII. p. 242); or rach, 'to compose,' e.g. rachitâ
(praśastiḥ), in line 23 of No. 18 above, page 84. And in line 37 of a grant of Âlhaṇadêva of
Vikrama-Saṁvat 1218 (Indian Inscriptions, No. 10), we have the double expression rachayâm-chakâra
lilikhê ch=êdaṁ mahâ-śâsanam.—Some of the functions connected with a copper-charter are very
well indicated in line 46 of the Kapâlêswar grant of Mahâ-Bhavagupta, (Ind. Ant. Vol. V. pp. 57, 58)
where the proper translation (from my own reading of the original) runs,—“This triplicate copper-
charter has been written by the illustrious Mâhuka,—the son of Priyaṁkarâditya,—a writer
(Kâyastha) belonging to (the office of) the Mahâsâṁdhivigrahin, the Rânaka, the illustrious Malla-
datta. (This) charter, presented by the lord of Kôsala, by which the village-headman (Mahattama) is
to be informed,—Puṇḍarîkâksha received it (apparently to superintend the engraving), transferred to
copper. It has been engraved by Mâdhava, the son of Vâsu.”
O 2.

100 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
son of the Amâtya$^1$ Vakra; the grandson of the Bhôgika$^2$ and Amâtya Naradatta; (and)
the son of the Bhôgika Ravidatta. The Dûtaka$^3$ (is) Bhâgraha.$^4$

No. 22; PLATE XIII.

KHOH COPPER-PLATE INSCRIPTION OF THE

MAHARAJA HASTIN.

THE YEAR 163.

THIS inscription, again, appears to have been discovered about 1852, by Colonel Ellis,
Political Agent at Nâgaudh, and was first brought to notice in 1858, in Mr. Thomas'
edition of Prinsep's Essays, Vol. I. p. 251 f., by Professor H. H. Wilson's translation
combining both this and the preceding inscription of the year 156, from Mr. Thomas
$^1$ Amâtya, lit. 'an inmate of the same house; a counsellor,' is a technical official title.
$^2$ Bhôgika, lit. 'one who enjoys or possesses,' is explained in Monier Williams' Sanskrit Diction-
ary by 'housekeeper, groom.' In the inscriptions it is a technical official title, possibly connected with
the territorial terms bhôga and bhukti.—If we may judge by the passage in line 8 of the Kâvî grant
of Jayabhata II. (Ind. Ant. Vol. V. p. 114), the Bhôgikas came in rank below the Sâmantas and above
the Vishayapatis.
$^3$ Dûtaka, and occasionally Dûta (e.g. in line 14 of the Nirmand grant of the Mahâsâmanta and
Mahârâja Samudrasêna, No. 80 below, Plate xliv.), lit. 'a messenger,' is the technical title of an
officer employed in connection with formal grants. The term is most commonly used in connection
with copper-charters. But there are a few instances in which it occurs in inscriptions on stone; e.g.
Dr. Bhagwanlal Indraji's Nêpâl inscriptions, No. 3, line 21 (Ind. Ant. Vol. IX. p. 167), No. 4, line 17-
18 (id. p. 168), No. 6, line 13 (id. p. 170), &c. And these are sufficient to shew that the Dûtaka's
office was to carry, not the actual charter itself, for delivery into the hands of the grantees, but the
king's sanction and order to the local officials, whose duty it then was to have the charter drawn up
and delivered. And, in accordance with this, there is no mention of any Dûtaka when we have such
expressions as âjñâ svayam, "the order (is) (that of the grantor's) own self," e.g. in line 19 of the
'Chicacole' grant of the Mahârâja Indravarman of the year 128 (Ind. Ant. Vol. XIII. p. 121); sva-
mukh-âjñâ, "the order (is) (that of the grantor's) own mouth," e.g. in line 24 of the Khôh grant of
the Mahârâja Samkshôbha, No. 25 below, Plate xvB.; âjñaptih sva-mukham, with the same meaning,
e.g. in line 34 of the Gôdâvarî grant of the Râja Prithivimûla (Jour. Bo. Br. R. As. Soc. Vol. XVI.
p. 118); and sva-mukh-âjñayâ utkirnam, "engraved at the order of (the grantor's) own mouth,"
e.g. in line 23 of the Ârang plates of the Râja Mahâ-Jayarâja, No. 40 below, Plate xxvi.—As pointed
out by Dr. Kielhorn (Ind. Ant. Vol. XIV. p. 161, note 28), Âjñâdâpaka, lit. 'conveyer of orders,'
in line 29 of the Ujjain grant of Vâkpatirâja of Dhârâ (id. p. 160) seems to have been another regular
title of the same officer; though this is, I think, at present the only instance in which it occurs.—
And it is now plain that it is the same office which is referred to in such expressions as âjñâ
mahâmahattara-Gaurîsarmâ, "the order (is) (conveyed by) the Mahâmahattara Gaurîsarman," in
line 24 of the 'Chicacole' grant of the Mahârâja Indravarman of the year 146 (id. Vol. XIII.
p. 123); âjñaptis=Siyasarmâ, in line 28 of the 'Pedda-Maddâli' grant of Jayasimha I. (id. Vol. XIII.
p. 138); and âjñâptih Dâmakirttibhôjakah &c., in line 12-13 of the Halsî grant of the eighth year of
Mrigêśavarman (id. Vol VI. p. 24 f.).—Line 13 of the Khôh grant of the Mahârâja Śarvanâtha of the
year 197, No. 30 below, Plate xixB., mentions, in addition to the ordinary Dûtaka, another Dûtaka,
sent as a messenger to a second writer, who was ordered to insert certain additional privileges. And
this, again, is in favour of my position that the Dûtaka carried the orders for the drawing up of a
charter, not the charter itself.
$^4$ In No. 22 below, Plate xiv. line 30, this name occurs with the short vowel a in the first syl-
lable. It is impossible to decide which form is correct, as the first component may be either bhâ,
'light, splendour, lustre,' or bha, 'a star, a planet.'

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 22, PLATE XIII. 101
reading of the texts.—In 1861, in the Jour. Beng. As. Soc. Vol. XXX. p. 10 ff., Dr. Fitz-
Edward Hall published his reading of the text, and a translation of it, from the original
plates.—And in 1879, in the Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. IX. p. 11 f., No. 2, General
Cunningham, in partially reprinting Dr. Hall’s translation, substituted a close approxima-
tion to the correct interpretation of the date, agreeing with Professor Wilson and differing
from Dr. Hall; and also gave a lithograph of the passage containing the date (id. Plate
iv. No. 2.)
The inscription is on another set of copper-plates that were found, with the plates
containing the inscription of the same Mahârâja Hastin of the year 156, No. 21 above,
somewhere in the valley near the village of Khôh,¹ in the Nâgaudh State in the Baghêl-
khaṇḍ division of Central India. They were originally deposited in the Library of the
Sanskrit College at Benares, but were transferred, first to the Provincial Museum at
Allahâbâd, and then to the Provincial Museum at Lucknow, where they now are; but
without their ring and seal, which were lost during the transfers.
The plates, which are inscribed on one side only, are three in number. The first two
measure about 7½" by 5⅝", and the third, which was evidently added as an afterthought,
when it was found that the inscription could not be completed on the front of the second
and that the back of it was not suitable for engraving, about 5⅝" by 2⅜". 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 third plate, the writing is
in a state of excellent preservation throughout. The plates are rather thin; and the letters,
being rather deeply engraved, shew through so plainly on the backs of them that even
vowel-marks can be read there; and it is evidently owing to this, that the inscription was
finished on a third and smaller plate, instead of on the back of the second. The engraving
is well executed; but the interiors of the majority of the letters shew, as usual, marks of
the working of the engraver’s tool.—There is a hole in the upper part² of each plate for a
ring, with a seal attached to it; but the ring and seal are not now forthcoming. From
the original accounts, the seal appears to have had on it the legend Śrî-Mahârâja-
Hastinaḥ, “of the illustrious Mahârâja Hastin,” as on the seal of his grant of the year
191, No. 23 below, Plate xiv.—The weight of the three plates is 1 lb. 1¾ oz.—The average
size of the letters is between ⅛" and ¼". The characters belong to the northern class
of alphabets; and the present inscription, with the following, from No. 24, Plate xvA., to
No. 31, Plate xx., illustrates what may be called the standard alphabet, with northern
characteristics, of Central India, from towards the end of the fifth to the middle of the
sixth century A.D. In sûryadatta, line 30, on the one hand, and, on the other, in kâryya,
line 20, and kuryyât, line 21, we have further illustrations of the two methods of writing r
in combination with a following y, on which I have commented at page 94 above. In
brahmachâriṇe and cha, line 8, châṭa, line 16, and dânâch, line 23, we have a form of ch
which belongs properly to a somewhat later period, and to the southern alphabets; but
which is perhaps indicative of the current and non-official form of the letter in Central
India in this period.—The language is Saṁskṛit; and, except for the benedictive and
imprecatory verses in lines 22 to 28, the inscription is in prose throughout It has been
¹ See page 93 above, and note 3.
² When the rings are arranged as in these plates, it is customary to find the ring-hole in the bottom
of the first plate and the top of the second. But all the grants of this family, and of the Mahârâjas
of Uchchakalpa, as far as Plate xx., have the ring-holes in the top of each plate as here.

102 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
engrossed with less care than is usual in epigraphical records of this early date.—In
respect of orthography, we have to notice (1) the use of the dental nasal, instead of the
anusvâra, before ś, in vanśa, line 6; (2) the doubling of k, in conjunction with a following
r, in vakkrâ, line 28; (3) the doubling of t, under the same circumstances, in ttri, line 1;
chaittra, line 2; and other places; but not in putrêṇa, line 29; (4) the doubling of dh, in
conjunction with a following y, in maddhyêma, line 18; but not in avadhyânêna, line 21;
and (5) the use of v for b, in lamvôshṭha, line 14.
The inscription is one of the Parivrâjaka Mahârâja Hastin. It is dated, in words,
“in the enjoyment of sovereignty by the Gupta kings,” in the year one hundred and
sixty-three¹ (A.D. 482-83), in the Mahâ-Aśvayuja saṁvatsara, and on the second lunar
day of the bright fortnight of the month Chaitra (March-April). Except for the opening
invocation of the god Śiva, under the name of Mahâdêva, the inscription is non-sectarian.
And the object of it is to record the grant, by the Mahârâja Hastin, of the agrahâra of
Kôrparika to certain Brâhmans.
TEXT.²
First Plate.
1 Namô Mahâdêvâya (||) Svasti Ttri-shashṭy-uttarê=bda-śatê Gupta-nṛipa-
râjya-bhuktau
2 Mah-Âśvayuja-saṁvatyarê³ Chaittra-mâsa-śukla-paksha-dvitîy[â]yâm=asy[â]n=
divasa-
3 pûrvv[â]yâ[m]⁴ nṛipatiparivrâjaka-kul-ôtpannêna mahârâja-Dêvâḍhya-
pranapt[r*]â
¹ In respect of the date of this inscription, Gen. Cunningham (Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. IX.
pp. 9 and 11, and Vol. X. p. 116) has expressed the opinion that one hundred and sixty-three
is a mistake for one hundred and seventy-three. And certainly the record in No. 21, page .95
above, that the year 156 was Mahâ-Vaiśâkha, leads primâ facie to the conclusion that 163 would
be Mahâ-Mârgaśîrsha, and that Mahâ-Aśvayuja would be (either 161 or) 173; especially since the
record of No. 25, page 112 below, that 209 was Mahâ-Aśvayuja, points to the names of the saṁvatsaras
running in regular succession, without any adjustment by expunction, through this period of fifty-four
years. But Gen. Cunningham’s suggestion that the apparent error is “a mistake of the engraver, who
has written shasht ” (sic.) “(60) instead of sapt ” (sic.) “(70), which in Gupta characters might easily
happen,” takes no account of an additional akshara that must then have been omitted altogether.
“Increased by seventy-three” would be, not ttri-sapty-uttarê, but ttri-saptaty-uttarê. And it would
not be an easy matter for the engraver to turn this full and correct form into ttri-shashṭy-uttarê.
Gen. Cunningham’s present tables for the twelve-year cycle of Jupiter (Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. IX.
p. 118 ff.; and Indian Eras, Table xvii. Col. 10, p. 135 ff.) will have to be re-examined. In this
process, with the possibility, which there always is, of the drafters of these epigraphical records
making a mistake between current and expired years, it may turn out that this passage really
does contain a mistake; which, if it does exist, is more likely to be in the direction of ttri, ‘three,’
having been engraved instead of dvi, ‘two,’ and perhaps of the drafter of the record having also
written one hundred and sixty-two, instead of one hundred and sixty-one.—Meanwhile, Dr. Thibaut,
who is a competent authority, has recorded his opinion (Ind. Ant. Vol. XI. p. 322) that “observation
has, as we know, never been the strong point of Hindu astronomers; and if, according to their system,
a certain year was to be called Mahâ-Chaitra, they would scarcely have hesitated to do so, even if they
had found that the name was not justified by Jupiter’s actual position.” And, until the matter is
definitely settled one way or the other, it is better to adhere to the distinct reading of the year one
hundred and sixty-three.
² From the original plates. ³ Read saṁvatsarê. ⁴ Supply tithau.

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 22, PLATE XIII. 103
4 mahârâja-śrî-Prabhañjana-naptra mahârâja-Dâmôdara-sutêna gô-sahasra-
5 hasty-aśva-hiraṇy-ânêka-bhûmi-pradêna guru-pitṛi-mâtṛi-pûja-tanatparêṇ¹=â-
6 tyanta-dêva-brâhmaṇa-bhaktêna naika-samara-śata-vijayinâ sva-vaṁś-âmôdaka-
7 rêṇa mahârâja-śrî-Hastinâ sva-puṇy-âpyâyan-ârtham=Agnisv[â*]miputtra-
Bharadvâja-
8 sagôttra-Vâji(ja)sanêyasabrahmachariṇê² Dêvasvâminê³ Śarvvasvâminê
cha
9 Gôrisvâminê Vâji(ja)sanêya-sabrahmachâriṇê Kautsa-sagôttrâya Di-
10 vâkarasvâminê cha Sv[â*]tisvâminê Vâjasanêya-sabrâ(bra)hmachâriṇê
Bhârgga-
11 va-sagôttrâya Varuṇaśarmmaṇaḥ⁴ Bappasvâminê Vâsula-sagôttr[â*]ya
12 Kaṭha-sabrahmachâriṇê Kumâradêvarêva⁵ Vâji(ja)sanêya-sabrâhmachari-
13 na⁶ Mât[ri*]śarmmaḥ⁷ Nâgaśa[r*]mma Rukharadêvaḥ⁸ Kaudravadêvaḥ⁹
Vishṇ[u*]dêvaḥ¹⁰
Second Plate.
14 Dêvanâga Kumârasêna¹¹ Rudraśarmma l¹² Dêvadâ(?)ṅgarâ(?)¹³
Lamvô(mbô)shṭha Dêdamita¹⁴
15 Mahadêva Guṇṭhaka ity-êvam-âdibhyô brâhmaṇêbhy=ôttare paṭṭe
Kôrppari-
16 k-âgrahâraḥ s-ôdraṅgaḥ s-ôparikaraḥ a-châṭa-bhaṭa-prâvêśyô=tisṛishṭaḥ-
17 s¹⁵=Tasy=âghâtâḥ pûrvvêṇa Kôrpparagarttâ l uttarêṇ=Ânimuktakakôṇakaḥ
18 Vaṅgara-grâmakasya dakshiṇa-p[â*]rsvê Valaka-maddhyêma¹⁷ vṛikaḥ
amvrâta-saṁtâra-
19 kaḥ¹⁸ [l*] paśchimêna Nâgasarî l dakshiṇêna Balavarmma-parichchhêdaḥ [ll*]
Tad=asma-
20 [t*]-kul-ôtthair=mmat-pâdami(pi)ṇḍ-ôpajîvibhir=vvâ¹⁹ kâlântarêshv=api na
vyâghâtaḥ kâryya[ḥ*] [l*]
21 êvam=âjñâpta²⁰ yô=nyathâ kuryyân(t)=tam=ahaṁ dêhantara-gatô=pi mahat=
âvadhyânê-
¹Read pûjâ-tatparêṇ.—The engraver omitted to cut the â of jâ; and to cancel the na, when he
inserted, partly above the line and somewhat small, the ta for which na had been engraved by mistake.
²Read châriṇê.
³First nai was engraved ; and then it was corrected into nê, by partial erasure of the upper stroke
of the ai.
⁴Read śarmmaṇê. ⁵Read dêvâya. ⁶Read châriṇê.
⁷Read śarmma.—From here, down to ity-êvam-âdibhyô in line 15, is properly a compound ; but
it is spoilt by the three nominative cases at the end of this line, and by the unnecessary mark of
punctuation in the next line.
⁸, ⁹, and ¹⁰Read dêva.
¹¹After this na, some letter, which is not quite certain, was engraved and then cancelled.
¹²This mark of punctuation is unnecessary.
¹³Read dêvadâṅgiraḥ (?).
¹⁴This is perhaps a mistake for dêvamitra.
¹⁵Read brâhmaṇêbhya uttarê. ¹⁶Read tisṛishṭas. ¹⁷Read maddhyamê.
¹⁸Read amrâta; and probably sambhâraka.
¹⁹First rnna was engraved, and then it was corrected into rvvâ.
²⁰Read âjñaptê or âjñâpitê.

104 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
22 na nirddahêd¹=Uktañ=cha bhagavatâ param-arshiṇâ vêda-vyâsêna [I*]
Pûrvva²-dattâ[ṁ*]
23 dvijâtibhyô yatnâd=rakshya(ksha) Yudhishṭhiraḥ³ mahî[ṁ*] mah[i*]matâṁ
śrêshṭha dânâch=chhrê-
24 yô=nupâlanaṁ I(II) Bahubhir=vvasudhâ bhuktâ râjabhiḥ Sagar-âdibhiḥ
sa(ya)sya ya-
25 yasya⁴ yadâ bhûmis=tasya [tasya*] tadâ phalan(m) [II*] Sva-
dattâ[ṁ*] para-dattâṁ vâ yô harê-
26 ta vasundharâḥ(m) sa vishṭh[â*]yâ[ṁ*] krimir=bhûtvâ pitrabhi⁵ saha
pachyatê [II*

Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. III, No. 22, Plate XIII

Khoh Copper-Plate Inscription of the Mahārāja Hastin (The Gupta Year 163)

Description & Provenance

• Location: Khoh (near Uchehra / Nagod), Satna District, Madhya Pradesh.
• Dynasty: Parivrājaka Mahārājas of Ucchakalpa/Hastin.
• King: Mahārāja Hastin (son of Dāmodara, grandson of Prabhāñjana, great-grandson of Devāḍhya).
• Date: Gupta-nṛpa-rājya-bhuktau Samvatsara 163 (163 Gupta Era = c. 482–483 CE), Chaitra-māsa śukla-pakṣa tṛtīyā (3rd day of the bright half of Chaitra).

I. Sanskrit Text (Devanāgarī)

First Plate (Plate i)

ॐ नमो महादेवाय ॥ स्वस्ति त्रिषष्ट्युत्तरेऽब्दशते गुप्तनृपराज्यभुक्तौ महा-
राज-हस्तिनः प्रवर्द्धमान-विजय-राज्ये सम्वत्सरे १६३ चैत्र-मास-शुक्ल-
पक्ष-तृतीयायाम् अस्यान्दिवस-पूर्व्वायाम् नृपति-परिव्राजक-कुलोत्पन्नेन
नप्तृ-प्रणप्तृभ्याम् महाराज-देवाढ्य-प्रभाञ्जन-प्रणप्त्रा महाराज-दामोदर-सुतेन
गो-सहस्र-हस्त्य-श्व-हिरण्यानेकाग्रहार-प्रदेन गुरु-पितृ-मातृ-शुश्रूषण-परेण
अनेक-समर-शत-विजयिना स्व-वंशामल-कराम्बुरुहेण समप्रद्वेष-पक्षेण
परम-भागवतेन महाराज-हस्तिना स्व-पुण्याप्यायनाय कोरपार-
क-ग्रामे गोपाल-स्वामि-भव-स्वामि-मातृ-स्वामि-दत्त-स्वामि-भव-नाग-प्रभृति-
नानागोत्र-चरणेभ्यो ब्राह्मणेभ्यो रोहिणी-पुत्राय च गो-सहस्र-प्रदान-
समये पूर्व्व-दत्तक-मर्यादया विहित-प्रसादेन ताम्र-शासनेनातिसृष्टः [। *]
तद् युष्मद्वंशजैस् तावत् कालं प्रतिपालनीयो यावच् चन्द्रादित्य-तारका-
नक्षत्र-ग्रह-नक्षत्र-समकालिकत्वं भवति [। *] यो वास्मात् कुलात् समुत्पन्नो
ऽन्यो वा भूपातिर् लोभात् प्रमादाद् वास्यापहर्त्ता स पञ्चभिर् महापातकैः

Second Plate (Plate ii)

सोपपातकैः संयुक्तः स्यात् [। *] उक्तञ्च भगवता परमर्षिणा वेदव्यासेन
व्यासेन [॥ *] पूर्व्वदत्तां द्विजातिभ्यो यत्नाद् रक्ष युधिष्ठिर [। *] महीं महीमतां श्रेष्ठ
तच्छ्रेयो ह्यनुपालनम् [॥ *] बहुभिर् वसुधा भुक्ता राजभिः सगरादिभिः [। *]
यस्य यस्य यदा भूमिस् तस्य तस्य तदा फलम् [॥ *] षष्टिं वर्ष-सहस्राणि
स्वर्गे मोदति भूमिदः [। *] आच्छेत्ता चानुमन्ता च तान्येव नरके वसेत् [॥ *]
स्वदत्तां परदत्तां वा यो हरेत वसुन्धराम् [। *] स विष्ठायां कृमिर् भूत्वा
पितृभिः सह पच्यते [॥ *] विन्ध्याटवीष्व् अतोयासु शुष्क-कोटर-वासिनः [। *]
कृष्णाहयो हि जायन्ते भूमिदानं हरन्ति ये [॥ *] अग्नेर् अपत्यं प्रथमं
सुवर्णं भूर् वैष्णवी सूर्य-सुताश्च गावः [। *] लोकास् त्रयस् तेन जिता भवन्ति
यः काञ्चनं गाञ्च महीञ्च दद्यात् [॥ *] दूतको ऽत्र महाबलाधिकृत-नागसिंहः [॥ *]
लिखितञ्च भोगिक-सूर्यदत्त-पौत्रेण भोगिक-रवि-पुत्रेण कर्णिक-विष्णुदत्तेनेति [॥ *]
सम्बत् १६३ चैत्र-दि ३ [॥ *]

Seal (Circular/Oval Seal)

नृपति-परिव्राजक-
कुलोत्पन्न-महाराज-
हस्तिनः [॥ *]

II. Roman Transliteration

First Plate (Plate i)

Oṁ namo Mahādevāya || Svasti triṣaṣṭy-uttare-'bda-śate Gupta-nṛpa-rājya-bhuktau mahā-
rāja-Hastinaḥ pravarddhamāna-vijaya-rājye samvatsare 163 Chaitra-māsa-śukla-
pakṣa-tṛtīyāyām asyān-divasa-pūrvvāyām nṛpati-parivrājaka-kul-otpannena
naptṛ-praṇaptṛbhyām mahārāja-Devāḍhya-Prabhañjana-praṇaptrā mahārāja-Dāmodara-sutena
go-sahasra-hasty-aśva-hiraṇy-ānek-āgrahāra-pradena guru-pitṛ-mātṛ-śuśrūṣaṇa-pareṇa
aneka-samara-śata-vijayinā sva-vaṁś-āmala-kar-āmburuheṇa sama-pradveṣa-pakṣeṇa
parama-bhāgavatena mahārāja-Hastinā sva-puṇy-āpyāyanāya Korapāra-
ka-grāme Gopāla-svāmi-Bhava-svāmi-Mātṛ-svāmi-Datta-svāmi-Bhava-nāga-prabhṛti-
nānā-gotra-caraṇebhyo brāhmaṇebhyo Rohiṇī-putrāya ca go-sahasra-pradāna-
samaye pūrvva-dattaka-maryādayā vihita-prasādena tāmra-śāsanen-ātisṛṣṭaḥ [| *]
tad yuṣmad-vaṁśajais tāvat kālaṁ pratipālanīyo yāvac candr-āditya-tārakā-
nakṣatra-graha-nakṣatra-samakālikatvaṁ bhavati [| *] yo v-āsmāt kulāt samutpanno
'nyo vā bhūpatir lobhāt pramādād v-āsy-āpaharttā sa pañcabhir mahāpātakaiḥ

Second Plate (Plate ii)

sopapātakaiḥ saṁyuktaḥ syāt [| *] Uktañ ca bhagavatā paramarṣiṇā Veda-Vyāsena
Vyāsena [|| *] Pūrvva-dattāṁ dvijātibhyo yatnād rakṣa Yudhiṣṭhira [| *] mahīṁ mahīmatāṁ śreṣṭha
tac-chreyo hy anupālanam [|| *] Bahubhir vvasudhā bhuktā rājabhiḥ Sagar-ādibhiḥ [| *]
yasya yasya yadā bhūmis tasya tasya tadā phalam [|| *] Ṣaṣṭiṁ varṣa-sahasrāṇi
svarge modati bhūmi-daḥ [| *] ācchettā c-ānumantā ca tāny eva narake vaset [|| *]
Sva-dattāṁ para-dattāṁ vā yo hareta vasundharām [| *] sa viṣṭhāyāṁ kṛmir bhūtvā
pitṛbhiḥ saha pacyate [|| *] Vindhy-āṭavīṣv ato-yāsu śuṣka-koṭara-vāsinaḥ [| *]
kṛṣṇ-āhayo hi jāyante bhūmi-dānaṁ haranti ye [|| *] Agner apatyaṁ prathamaṁ
suvarṇaṁ bhūr Vvaiṣṇavī sūrya-sutāś ca gāvaḥ [| *] lokās trayas tena jitā bhavanti
yaḥ kāñcanaṁ gāñ ca mahīñ ca dadyāt [|| *] Dūtako 'tra mahābalādhikṛta-Nāgasiṁhaḥ [|| *]
Likhitañ ca bhogika-Sūryadatta-pautreṇa bhogika-Ravi-putreṇa karṇika-Viṣṇudatten-eti [|| *]
Sambat 163 Chaitra-di 3 [|| *]

Seal

Nṛpati-parivrājaka-
kul-otpanna-mahārāja-
Hastinaḥ [|| *]

III. Translation

[Lines 1–3]
Om! Reverence to Mahādeva! Hail! In the year one hundred and sixty-three (163) of the enjoyment of sovereignty by the Gupta kings, in the augmenting, victorious reign of the Mahārāja Hastin, in the year 163, on the third lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month Chaitra,—on this lunar day specified as above:—

[Lines 3–10]
By the Mahārāja Hastin, born of the family of kingly ascetics (Nṛpati-parivrājaka), the great-grandson of the Mahārāja Devāḍhya, the grandson of the Mahārāja Prabhañjana, the son of the Mahārāja Dāmodara; who is the donor of thousands of cows, elephants, horses, gold, and many agrahāra grants; who is devoted to ministering to his spiritual preceptors and parents; victorious in many hundreds of battles; a spotless lotus-like hand unto his own race; impartial towards friends and foes; a most devout worshipper of the Bhagavat (Parama-bhāgavata);—for the increase of his own spiritual merit, at the village of Korapāraka, (this land) has been granted by a copper-plate charter to the Brāhmaṇas Gopālasvāmin, Bhavasvāmin, Mātṛsvāmin, Dattasvāmin, Bhavanāga, and others of diverse gotras and caraṇas, and unto the son of Rohiṇī, at the time of making a gift of a thousand cows, according to the customary rules of former grants.

[Lines 11–14]
Therefore, this grant should be maintained and preserved by those born in your lineage as long as the moon, the sun, the planets, and the stars endure. And whatever king born of this family or of another, through avarice or negligence, shall confiscate it, he shall become invested with the five great sins (mahāpātaka) together with the minor sins (upapātaka).

[Lines 14–23]
And it has been said by the venerable supreme sage Vyāsa, the arranger of the Vedas:
"O Yudhiṣṭhira, best of rulers, carefully preserve land previously given to the twice-born; for preserving land is far more meritorious than granting it."
"The earth has been enjoyed by many kings, commencing with Sagara; whoever possesses the land at any time, reaps the fruit thereof at that time."
"The giver of land rejoices in heaven for sixty thousand years; both the confiscator and he who consents to confiscation dwell in hell for the same duration."
"He who takes away land given by himself or by others becomes a worm in excrement and rots together with his ancestors."
"Those who confiscate a grant of land are reborn as black serpents dwelling in dried-up tree-hollows in the waterless tracts of the Vindhya forests."
"Gold is the first offspring of Fire; the Earth belongs to Viṣṇu; and cows are the daughters of the Sun. All three worlds are won by him who gives gold, a cow, and land."

[Lines 23–25]
The Dūtaka (messenger/executor) here is the Mahābalādhikṛta (commander-in-chief) Nāgasiṁha. And this was written by the Karṇika (scribe) Viṣṇudatta, son of the Bhogika Ravi, and grandson of the Bhogika Sūryadatta.
The Year 163, the 3rd day of Chaitra.

[Seal]
(Of) the Mahārāja Hastin, descended from the family of the royal ascetics (Nṛpati-parivrājaka).

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