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

134 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
6 nt[ē*] tē tu satataṁ prayachchhantô vasundharâṁ [||] Bahubhir=
vvasudhâ bhuktâ râjabhir=Sagar-âdi-
7 bhiḥ yasya yasya yadâ bhûmis=tasya tasya tadâ phala[ṁ] [||]
Shashṭi-va[r]sha-sahasrâ-
8 ṇi svarggê môdati bhûmi-daḥ âchchhêttâ ch=ânumantâ cha tâny=êva
narakê vasê-
9 [t*] [||] Sarvva-sasya-samṛiddhân=tu yô harêta vasundharâṁ śva-
vishṭhâyâṁ kṛimir=bhûtvâ
10 pitṛibhis=saha majjatê [||] Likhitaṁ¹ samba(mva)tsara-śatê sapta-navaty-
uttarê Aśva-
11 yuja-mâsa-divasê viṁśatimê² bhôgika-Phâlgu³datt-âmâtya-naptrâ bhô-
12 gika-Varâhadinna-puttrêṇa mahâsândhivigrahika-Manôrathêna [|]
13 Dûtakaḥ mahâva(ba)lâdhikṛita-Śivaguptaḥ [|] Halir-âkara-kumbha-daṇḍa-
14 pratimê(mô)chan-âtilêkhinê=pi dûtakaḥ uparika-Mâtṛi(tṛi)śiva[ḥ*] [||]
TRANSLATION.
(The opening part of this inscription, on the first plate,
is not forthcoming.)
" And, according to opportunity, it should be preserved. And the tribute of the taxes
which by custom should not belong to the king, should not be taken.
(Line 2.)—" Whosoever may confiscate this grant,—he shall become invested
with (the guilt of) the five great sins and the minor sins."
(L. 3.)—And it has been said in the Mahâbhârata, by the venerable Vyâsa, the ar-
ranger of the Vêdas,—" O Yudhishṭhira, best of kings, carefully preserve land that has
been given, whether by thyself, or by another; (verily) the preservation (of a grant) is
more meritorious than making a grant! As a rule, indeed, no inauspicious condition is expe-
rienced by kings; but they are purified for ever, when they bestow land! 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! He who confiscates land, rich in all (kinds of)
grains, (that has been granted),—he becomes a worm in the ordure of a dog, and sinks
(into hell) together with (his) ancestors !"
(L. 10.)—(This charter)* has been written, in a century of years, increased by
ninety-seven, on the twentieth day of the month Aśvayuja, by the Mahâsâṁdhivigrahika
Manôratha, the grandson of the Bhôgika, the Amâtya Phalgudatta,⁴ (and) the son
of the Bhôgika Varâhadinna. The Dûtaka (is) the Mahâbalâdhikṛita Śivagupta.
Moreover, the Dûtaka to an additional writer⁵ for the remission of the fines on
.........⁶ and water-pots, (is) the Uparika Mâtṛiśiva.
¹ Supply śâsanam.
² We should perhaps correct this into viṁśatitamê, as the base viṁśatima seems to be properly
used only when in composition with another numeral, e.g. dva-viṁśatima, in No. 27 above, line 21
page 123. But viṁśatima, by itself, occurs again in line 18 of the Goa grant of Satyâśraya-Dhruvarâja-
Indravarman (Jour. Bo. Br. R. As. Soc. Vol. X. p. 365.)
³ Read phalgu; see page 123 above, note 2. ⁴ See page 123 above, note 2.
⁵ See page 100 above, note 3. ⁶ The meaning of halir-âkara is not apparent.

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 31, PLATE XX. [Right-aligned: 135]

No. 31; PLATE XX.

KHOH COPPER-PLATE INSCRIPTION OF THE

MAHARAJA SARVANATHA.

THE YEAR 214.

THIS inscription,—which was first brought to notice by General Cunningham, in 1879,
in the Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. IX. pp. 14 and 16, Nos 6 and 8, where he published a
translation of it,¹ with a lithograph of the passage containing the date (id. Pl. iv. No. 8),—
is on another set of copper-plates that appear to have been found somewhere in the valley
near the village of **Khôh,**² in the Nâgaudh State in the Baghelkhaṇḍ division of Central
India. I obtained the original plates, for examination, from the possession of General
Cunningham.
The plates, which are inscribed on one side only, are two in number, the first measuring
about 8⅝" by 6", and the second 8⅝" by 5⅞". The edges of them are fashioned slightly
thicker than the inscribed surfaces, with corresponding depressions inside them, so as
to serve as rims to protect the writing; and, though the plates are here and there worn quite
through by rust, the inscription is in a state of very good preservation almost throughout.
The plates are rather thin; and the letters shew through on the backs of them so clearly
that in many places they can be read there. The engraving is good; but, as usual, the
interiors of the letters shew marks of the working of the engraver's tool throughout.—In
the upper part of each plate, there is a hole for a ring to connect them. But the ring, with
the seal attached to it, is not now forthcoming; having been abstracted by slitting the
plates from the ring-holes to the edges.—The weight of the two plates is 1 lb. 2 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 Kârîtalâî grant of the Mahârâja
Jayanâtha of the year 174, No. 26 above, page 117, and Plate xvi. They include
the rather rare jh ajjhita, line 5.—The language is Sanskrit; and, except for the
benedictive and imprecatory verses in lines 20 to 27, the inscription is in prose through-
out. From a linguistic point of view, we have to notice, in utpannaka, line 9; utpadya-
mânaka, lines 9 and 16; and kâritaka, line 11, the affix ka, which I have commented
on at page 69 above.—In respect of orthography, we have to notice (1) the use of the
upadhmânîya, in saḥ=pañchabhir, line 18; (2) the use of the guttural nasal, instead of the
anusvâra, before ś and h, in vaṅśa, line 16, and saṅhitâ, line 19; and (3) the doubling
of g and t, in conjunction with a following r, in viggrahika, line 29, and puttra, lines 1 to
5; but not in putra-pautra, line 12.
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 of the writing of the char-
ter is given, in words, as the year two hundred and fourteen (A.D. 533-34), and the sixth
day, without any specification of the fortnight, of the month Pausha (December-January).
It is apparently a Vaishṇava inscription; the object of it being to record the sanction of the

¹ But he wrongly attached No. 30 above, with the date of 197, to the first plate of this grant, and
took the second plate of this grant as the continuation of No. 29 above.
² See page 93 above, and note 3.

136 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
Mahârâja Sarvanâtha to the transfer, among private grantees, of two villages named
Vyâghrapallika and Kâcharapallika in the Maṇinâga pêṭha, for the purposes of a
temple of the goddess Pishṭapurikâdêvî at the town of Mânapura.
This town of Mânapura is possibly the modern Mânpur,¹ near the river Śôṇ,
about forty-seven miles in a south-easterly direction from Uchaharâ, and thirty-two
miles south-east of Kârîtalâî. And, if this identification is accepted, we have here another
item of evidence tending to connect the Mahârâjas of Uchchakalpa with the part of the
country in which their grants are found. But it is obviously not of as much force as the
two points to which I have previously drawn attention; viz. the existence of the inscription
of Hastin and Śarvanâtha on the pillar at Bhumarâ, No. 24 above, page 110; and the
mention of the river Tamasâ, in Śarvanâtha's grant of the year 193, No. 28 above, page
125, in such a way as to shew that he had actual territorial ownership over at any rate
a certain village on the northern bank of that river. As regards the present passage, it
is not so conclusive, because a Mahârâja might very well make a grant of land within his
territory to a temple outside it. At the same time, that temple would not be far distant
from his own domains.
TEXT.²
First Plate.
1 Ôm Svasty=Uchchakalp[â*]n=mahârâj-Aughadêvas-tasya puttras=tat-pâd-
ânudhyâtô mahâdêvyâ[m*]
2 Kumâradêvyâm=utpannô mahârâja-Kumâradêvas-tasya putt[r*]as=tat-pâd-
ânudhyâtô
3 mahâdêvyâ[m*] Jayasvâminyâm-utpannô mahârâja-Jayasvâmî tasya
puttras=tat-pâd-â-
4 nudhyâtô mahâdêvyâṁ Râmadêvyâm=utpannô mahârâja-Vyâghras=tasya
putt[r*]as=tat-pâd-ânudhyâ-
5 tô mahâdêvyâm=Ajjhitadêvyâm=utpan[n*]ô mahârâja-Jayanâthas=tasya
puttras=tat-pâd-ânu-
6 dhyâtô mahâdêvyâ[m*]³ Muruṇḍasvâminyâm=utpannô mahârâja-
Śarvvanâthaḥ kuśalî Maṇi-
7 nâga-pêṭhê Vyâghrapallika-Kâcharapallika-grâmayô[r*]=brâhmaṇ-âdit(n)-
prativâsinaḥ⁴
8 samâjñâpayati [। ] Vidita[m] vô=stu yath=aisha(tau) grâmau mayâ
s-ôdraṅgau s-ôparikarau
9 a-châṭa-bhaṭa-prâvêśyô(śyau) râj-âbhâvya-sarva-kara-pratyây-ê(ô)tpannak-ôtpadya-
mânaka-samô(mê)-
10 tau â-chandr-ârkka-samakâlikau chôr?-ta(da)ṇḍa-varjjitau Pulinda⁵bhaṭasya
pras[â*]dîkritau
¹ The ‘Manpoor, Manpora, and Mánpur,’ of maps, &c. Indian Atlas, Sheet No. 89. Lat.
23° 46' N.; Long. 81° 11' E.
² From the original plates.
³ See page 131 above, note 1.
⁴ This visarga is imperfect, only the upper part of it having been engraved.
⁵ The stroke at the bottom of this nda, which gives it somewhat of the appearance of ndra,
seems to be due to a slip of the engraver’s tool.

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 31, PLATE XX. 137
11 tên-âpi Mânapurê kâritaka-dêvakul[ê*] bhagavatyâḥ Pashṭha¹purikâ-
dêvyâḥ pûjâ-ni-
12 mittaṁ khaṇḍa-sphuṭita-pratisaṁskâraṇâya cha Kumârasvâminê putra-
pautr-ânvay-ôpa-
13 bhôjyô(jyau) pratipâditau [I*] may=âpi bhûmichchhidrâ(dra)-nyâyêna tâmra-
śâsan[è*]n=ânumôditau [I*]
14 Tê yûyam=êv=ôpalabhy=âjñâ-śravaṇa-vidhêyâ bhûtvâ samuchita-bhâgabhôga-
kara-hiraṇy-â-
15 vât-ây-[â*]di-pratyâyân=upanêshyatha [I*]
Second Plate.
16 Y[ê*] ch=âsmad-vaṁś-ôtpadyamânaka-râjânas=tair=iyaṁ datti[r*]=nna vilôpyâ
yathâ-kâla[ṁ*] sa[ṁ*]varddha-
17 nîy=ânumôdanîyâ paripâlanîyâ cha [*] râj-âbhâvya-kara-pratyâyâ[ḥ*]
sarvvê na grâhyâ[ḥ*] [I*]
18 Yaś=ch=aitâṁ dattiṁ lôpayêt=saḥ=pañchabhir²=mahâpâtakair=upapâtakaiś=cha
saṁyuktô bhûyâ-
19 d=Uktañ=cha Mahâbhâratê śatasâhasry[â*]ṁ saṁhitâyâṁ param-arshiṇâ
Parâśara-sutêna
20 vêda-vyâsêna Vyâsêna [I*] Pûrvva³-dattâṁ dvijâtibhyô yatnâd=raksha
Yudhishṭhira mahî[ṁ*] mahî-
21 vatâ⁴ śrêshṭha dânâch=chhrêyô=nupâlanam [II*] Prâyêṇa hi narêndrâṇâṁ
vidyatê n=[â*]-śubhâ
22 gatiḥ pûyattê(ntê) tê tta(tu) satataṁ prayachchhantô vasu[ndharâṁ*] [II*]
[Bahubhir=vvasu*]dhâ bhuktâ râjabhis=Sagar-âdibhi[ḥ*]
23 yasya yasya yadâ bhûmis=tasya tasya tadâ phalam [II*] Shashṭi-
varsha-sahasrâṇi
24 svarggê môdati bhûmi-daḥ akshêptâ ch=ânumantâ cha tâny=êva narakê
vaset [II*] Sva-da-
25 ttâṁ para-dattâṁ vâ yô harêta vasundharâ[ṁ*] śva-vishṭhâyâṁ
kṛimir=bhûtvâ pitṛibhis=saha
26 majjati [II*] A-pânîyêshv=araṇyêshu śushka-kôṭa[ra*]-vâsinaḥ kṛishṇ-âhayô
hi jâ-
27 yantê pûrvva-dâyaṁ haranti yê [II*] Likhitaṁ⁵ sa[ṁ*]vatsara-śata-
îvayê chaturddaś-ôttarê
28 Pausha-mâsa-divasê shapthê(shṭhê) Phalgudatt-âmatya-pranapt[r*]â Varâha-
din[n*]a-napt[r*]â
29 Manôratha-sutêna sândhivigrahika-Nâthêna [I*] Dûtakô Dhṛiti-
svâmikaḥ [II*]
¹ Read pishṭa. ² Read sa pañchabhir.
³ Metre, Ślôka (Anushṭubh); and in the following five verses.
⁴ Read mahimatâṁ. ⁵ Supply śâsanam
T.

138 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
TRANSLATION.
Ôm! Hail! From Uchchakalpa; — (There was) the Mahârâja Ôghadêva. His
son, who meditated on his feet, (was) the Mahârâja Kumâradêva, begotten on the
Mahâdêvî Kumâradêvî. His son, who meditated on his feet, (was) the Mahârâja
Jayasvâmin, begotten on the Mahâdêvî Jayasvâminî. His son, who meditated on his
feet, (was) the Mahârâja Vyâghra, begotten on the Mahâdêvî Râmadêvî. His son,
who meditated on his feet, (was) the Mahârâja Jayanâtha, begotten on the Mahâdêvî
Ajjhitadêvî.
(Line 6.)—His son, who meditates on his feet, the Mahârâja Śarvanâtha,—begotten
on the Mahâdêvî **Muruṇḍasvâminî,**¹—being in good health, issues a command to the
residents, beginning with the Brâhmaṇs, at the villages of Vyâghrapallika and Kâchara-
pallika in the Maṇinâga pêṭha :—
(L. 8.)—“Be it known to you that these two villages were bestowed, as a mark of
favour, upon Pulindabhaṭa,—with the udranga and the uparikara; (with the privilege
that they were not to be) entered by the irregular or the regular troops; with whatever had
(by custom) accrued or might accrue in connection with the tribute of all the taxes which
should not belong to the king; to endure for the same time with the moon and the sun;
(but) with the exception of (the right to) fines imposed on thieves. And now they are
granted by him to Kumârasvâmin, to be enjoyed by the succession of (his) sons and sons’
sons, for the purpose of the worship of the divine goddess Pishṭapurikâdêvî at the temple
which he has caused to be built at (the town of) Mânapura, and for the purpose of re-
pairing whatever may become broken or torn. And, by (this) copper-plate charter, they
have been assented to by me, according to the rule of bhûmichchhidra.²
(L. 14.)—“You yourselves, understanding (this), (and) being obedient to (their)
commands, shall render the tribute of the customary royalties, taxes, gold, âvâta,³
revenue,⁴ &c
(L. 16.)—“And those kings who shall be born in Our lineage,—by them this gran
should not be confiscated, (but) according to opportunity should be increased (and)
assented to and preserved. And none of the tribute of the taxes which should not belong
to the king, should be taken.
(L. 18.)—“And whosoever may confiscate this grant, he shall become invested
with (the guilt of) the five great sins and the minor sins.
¹ In No. 28 above, line 6, page 127, she is called Muruṇḍadêvî. In No. 29 above, line 6, page
131, the termination of her name is svâminî, as here.
² bhûmichchhidra, lit. ‘a fissure (furrow) of the soil,’ is a technical fiscal expression of constant
occurrence in inscriptions. Dr. Bühler has recently discovered the meaning of it, in Yâdavaprakâśa’s
Vaijayantî, in the Vaiśyâdhyâya, verse 18, where it is explained by kṛishya-yôgyâ bhûḥ, ‘land fit
to be ploughed or cultivated.’
³ âvâta is a technical fiscal term, the meaning of which is not apparent. It is derived either from
vâ, ‘to blow, or vai, to become dried or withered,’ in composition with the prefix â.—The more
usual expression is simply vâta; e.g. sa-vâta-bhûta-dhânya-hiraṇy-âdêya, in line 26 of the Mâliyâ
grant of Dharasêna II., No. 38 below, Plate xxiv.
⁴ âya, lit. ‘that which comes in; income,’ is now a technical fiscal term for ‘the customary dues of
the hereditary village-officers and servants.’ It is, however, not quite certain that it had this special
meaning in the early inscriptions.

Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. III

Plate XX: Khoh Plate of the Maharaja Sarvanatha — The Year 214

Header & Margins

• Top Header:
  Vol. III.
CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM
Plate xx
Khoh Plate of the Maharaja Sarvanatha:—The Year 214
• Scale & Technical Credits (inverted on plate):
  • SCALE .75
  • W. GRIGGS, PHOTO-LITH.
  • J. F. FLEET BO. C.S.

First Plate (Lines 1–15)

ओं स्वस्ति [॥] उच्छकल्पात्सपादपद्मोपजीव्यानेकगोसहस्रहस्त्यश्वहिरण्यादिप्रदस्य महाराजौघदेव[स्तस्य पुत्रस्तत्पादानु]-
ध्यातो महादेव्यामोघदेव्यां समुत्पन्नो महाराजकुमारदेवस्तस्य पुत्रस्तत्पादानुध्यातो महा[देव्यां कुमारदे]-
व्यां जयस्वामिन्यां समुत्पन्नो महाराजजयस्वामि तस्य पुत्रस्तत्पादानुध्यातो महादेव्यां जय[स्वामिन्यां जयदेव्यां]
समुत्पन्नो महाराजव्याघ्रस्तस्य पुत्रस्तत्पादानुध्यातो महादेव्यां व्याघ्रदेव्यां समुत्पन्नो म[हाराजज]-
यनाथस्तस्य पुत्रस्तत्पादानुध्यातो महादेव्यां जयनार्थदेव्यां समुत्पन्नः परमभागवतो म[हाराजशर्व्वनाथः]
कुशल्यस्मिन्नेवाश्रमकविषयसम्बद्ध-व्याघ्रपल्लिकायां प्रतिवासिनः कुडुम्बिनः समा[ज्ञापयति विदि]-
तमस्तु वो यथैष ग्रामो मया मातापित्रोरात्मनश्च पुण्याप्यायनायात्रेव भगवत्याः पिष्टपुर्याः पु[ण्य]-
गन्धाक्षतधूपदीपमाल्यानुलेपनादिसन्ततोपयोगाय खण्डस्फुटित-संस्कार-करणाय चो[च्छ]-
कल्पकेय-विष्णुनान्दि-पौत्र-प्रियात्मज-शुक्रेणोत्सृष्टः पूर्व्वदत्त-भोग-भागेन यतोस्माभिरेत[स्य]
धर्मार्थमेवैतस्य ग्रामस्यायमुदकातिसर्गेणातिसृष्टः सोद्रङ्गः सोपरिकरः अचोरदण्डव[र्ज्यः]
पूर्व्वप्रत्यंश-वर्ज्जः अचाटभटप्रावेश्यः अनुचितकरविष्टिकर-वर्ज्जितः आचन्द्रार्क[क्षितिसम]-
कालीनः पुत्रपौत्रान्वयभोग्यः [॥] तदेवं ज्ञात्वा भवद्भिरेतस्य ग्रामस्यानुज्ञा-श्रवण-विधेयैर्भू[त्वा]
यथोचित-भोग-भाग-कर-हिरण्याद्युपनेयं [॥] भविष्यतश्च राज्ञः सम्बोधयति [।] तद्यथा [।] अस्म[त्कुल]-
जातानुवर्त्तिभिर्द्दान-रुचिभिः स्वपुण्य-यशः-प्रवर्द्धमानैरिदमनुमोदितव्यं परिपालयि[तव्यं च ॥]
यश्चास्य लोभादज्ञानाद्वा परिपन्थां कुर्य्यात्कारयेद्वा स पञ्चभिर्म्महापात कैरुपपातकैश्च [युक्तः स्यादिति ॥]

Second Plate (Lines 16–29)

उक्तञ्च महाभारते भगवता परमर्षिणा वेदव्यासेन व्यासेन [॥]
पूर्व्वदत्तां द्विजातिभ्यो यत्नाद्रक्ष युधिष्ठिर [।] महीं महिमतां श्रेष्ठ दानाच्छ्रेयोनुपालनं [॥]
बहुभिर्व्वसुधा भुक्ता राजभिः सगरादिभिः [।] यस्य यस्य यदा भूमिस्तस्य तस्य तदा फलं [॥]
षष्टिं वर्षसहस्राणि स्वर्गे मोदति भूमिदः [।] आच्छेत्ता चानुमन्ता च तान्येव नरके वसेत् [॥]
स्वदत्तां परदत्तां वा यो हरेत वसुन्धरां [।] स विष्ठायां कृमिर्भूत्वा पितृभिः सह पच्यते [॥]
विन्ध्याटवीष्वतोयासु शुष्ककोटरवासिनः [।] कृष्णाहयो हि जायन्ते भूमिदानं हरन्ति ये [॥]
अस्मत्कुल-समुत्थैस्तु भूपादैरपि यत्नतः [।] आचन्द्रार्कमयं धर्म्यः पालयितव्यो यशोर्त्थिभिः [॥]
संवत्सर-शते चतुर्द्दशोत्तरे द्विशते पौष-मास-शुक्ल-पक्ष-द्वितीयायाम् [॥]
संवत् २१० ४ पौष शु दि २ [॥]
दूतकोत्र महाबलाधिकृत-नागसिंहः [॥]
लिखितमिदं शासनं सन्धिविग्रहिकाक्षपटलाधिकृत-भोगिक-पुत्रेण
सन्धिविग्रहिकाक्षपटलाधिकृत-मनोरथेन [॥]
उत्कीर्ण्णं सूर्य्यदत्तेन [॥]
ओं नमः परदैवतेभ्यः [॥]

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THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 32. PLATE XXI A 139
(L. 19.)—And it has been said in the Mahâbhârata, in the Śatasâhasrî-Saṁhitâ, by
vyâsa, the arranger of the Vêdas, the supreme sage, the son of Parâśara,—“O Yudhish-
ṭhira, best of kings, catefully preserve land that has previously been given to the twice-
born; (verily) the preservation (of a grant) (is) more meritorious than making a grant!
As a rule, indeed, no inauspicious condition is experienced by kings; but they are purified
for ever, when they bestow land! The earth has been enjoyed by [many*] kings, com-
mencing 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! He who confiscates land that has been given, whether by himself, or by
another,—he becomes a worm in the ordure of a dog, and sinks (into hell) together with
his ancestors! Those who confiscate a previous grant, are born (again) as black serpents,
inhabiting the dried-up hollows of trees, in desert places destitute of water!”
(L. 27.)—(This charter) has been written in two centuries of years, increased by
fourteen, on the sixth day of the month Pausha, by the Sâṁdhivigrahika Nâtha, the
great-grandson of the Amâtya Phalgudatta; the grandson of Varâhadinna; (and) the
son of Manôratha. The Dûtaka (is) Dhṛitisvâmika.

No. 32; PLATE XXI A.

MEHARAULI POSTHUMOUS IRON PILLAR INSCRIPTION OF CHANDRA.

THIS inscription was first brought to notice in 1834, in the Jour. Beng. As. Soc Vol.
III. p. 494. where Mr. James Prinsep published a lithograph of it (id. Plate xxx.),
reduced from a facsimile made in 1831 by Lieutenant William Elliot, 27th Regiment N. I.
This lithograph was not accompanied by any details of the contents of the inscription;
and it does not represent a single letter of the original correctly, and is quite unintelligible
from beginning to end.—In 1838, in the same Journal, Vol. VII. p. 629 ff., Mr. James
Prinsep published a much improved lithograph (id. Plate xxxiii.), reduced from an ink-
impression made in the same year by Captain T. S. Burt, of the Engineers; and, with it,
his own reading of the text and a translation of it.¹—And finally, in 1875, in the Jour. Bo.
Br. R. As. Soc. Vol. X. p. 63 ff., Dr. Bhau Daji published a revised version of the text and
translation, including the correct reading of the king’s name as Chandra, with a lithograph
which appears to have been reduced from a copy on cloth made by Dr. Bnagwanlal
Indraji.²
Mêharaulî, or Mêmharaulî,³—an evident corruption of Mihirapurî,—is a village

¹ The translation is reprinted in Thomas' edition of Prinsep's Essays, Vol. I. p. 320 f.
² This paper was published in 1875; but it was read before the Society four years earlier, on
the 13th April 1871.
³ The ‘Maharoli, Manroli, and Muhroulee, of maps. Indian Atlas, Sheet No. 49. Lat. 28° 31′
N.; Long. 77° 14′ E.—The pillar has always been known as the “Dehli Pillar;” and I think the
name of the village in which it really stands, so important because of its obvious derivation, viz.
Mihirapurî, ‘the city of the sun, or of the Mihiras,’ was not put on record, in connection with the
inscription, until I noticed it (Ind. Ant. Vol. XV. p. 362.)
T 2.

140 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
nine miles almost due south of Dehli, the chief town of the Dehli District in the
Pañjâb. The inscription is on the west side of a tapering iron column, sixteen inches
in diameter at the base and twelve at the top, and twenty-three feet eight inches high,
standing near the well-known Kutb Minâr in the ancient fort of Rây Pithôrâ within
the limits of this village.
The writing, which covers a space of about 2' 9½" broad by 10½" high, is in a state
of excellent preservation throughout, owing, of course, to the nature of the substance on
which it is engraved. The bottom line of the inscription is about 7' 2" above the stone
platform round the lower part of the column. The engraving is good; but, in the process
of it, the metal closed up over some of the strokes, which gives a few of the letters a
rather imperfect appearance in the lithograph; this is especially noticeable in the sy of the
opening word yasyô, and in the r of urasâ in the same line.—The size of the letters varies
from ⁵/₁₆" to ½". The characters belong to the northern class of alphabets; and, allowing
for the stiffness resulting from engraving in so hard a substance as the iron of this column,
they approximate in many respects very closely to those of the Allahâbâd posthumous
pillar inscription of Samudragupta, No. 1 above, Plate i. But, as a distinguishing feature,
we have to notice the very marked mâtrâs, or horizontal top-strokes of the letters, which
we have already observed in the Bilsaḍ pillar inscription of Kumâragupta, No. 10 above,
page 43, and Plate v. — The language is Saṁskṛit; and the inscription is in verse
throughout.—In respect of orthography, we have to notice (1) the use of the dental
nasal, instead of the anusvâra, before ś, in prânśu, line 6; (2) the doubling of t, in
conjunction with a following r, in śattru, line 1; and (3) the very unusual omission of the
second t, which is formative and not due to the preceding r, in mûrtyâ for mûrttyâ, and
kîrtyâ for kîrttyâ, line 3.
The inscription is a posthumous eulogy of the conquests of a powerful king named
Chandra, as to whose lineage no information is given. It is not dated.¹ It is a
Vaishṇava inscription; and the object of it is to record the erection of the pillar, which is
called a dhvaja, or ‘standard,’² of the god Vishṇu, on a hill called Vishṇupada, i.e.
“(the hill that is marked with) footprints of Vishṇu.”
As regards this hill named Vishṇupada, and the question whether it should be
identified with that part of the Dehli Ridge on which the column stands,—the actual
position of the column is in a slight depression, with rising ground on both sides; a position
¹ Mr. Prinsep allotted this inscription to the third or fourth century A.D.; and Dr. Bhau Daji, to a
period later than the time of the Guptas. Mr. Fergusson (Indian Architecture, p. 508), drawing special
attention to the Persian form of the capital, expressed a conviction that the inscription is of one
of the Chandraguptas of the Early Gupta dynasty, and consequently belongs to A.D. 363 or 400.—
My own impression at first, on independent grounds, was to allot it to Chandragupta I., the first
Mahârâjâdhirâja of the family, of whose time we have as yet no inscriptions; and I should not be
surprised to find at any time that it is proved to belong to him. The only objection that I can see, is
that it contains no reference to the Indo-Scythians, by overthrowing whom the Early Guptas must have
established themselves. But, having regard to the name of the village at which the pillar is, it is also
possible that the inscription is one of the younger brother of Mihirakula, whose name is not men-
tioned by Hiuen Tsiang.
² Compare dhvaja-stambha, ‘flag-staff,’ as applied to the Êraṇ column in line 9 of No. 19
above. There is another iron column, at Dhâr, the ancient Dhârâ, now the chief town of the Dhâr
State in Central India. But there is no ancient inscription on it; unless it is completely hidden
under, and destroyed by, a Persian inscription that was engraved on it when the Musalmâns conquered
that part of the country.

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 32, PLATE XXI A. 141
which hardly answers to the description of its being on a giri or ‘hill.’ And this, coupled
with the tradition that the column was erected, in the early part of the eighth century A.D.,
by Anaṅgapâla, the founder of the Tômara dynasty,¹ lays it quite open to argument
whether this is the real original position of the column, or whether, like the Asôka columns
at Dehli, and possibly the Asôka (and Gupta) column at Allahâbâd, it was brought to where
it now stands from some other place. But the fact that the underground supports of the
column include several small pieces of metal “like bits of bar-iron,”² is in favour of its
being now in its original position; as they would probably have been overlooked, and left
behind. in the process of a transfer.
TEXT.³
1 Yasy⁴=ôdvarttayataḥ pratîpam=urasâ śattrûn=samêty=âgatân=Vaṅgêshv=âhava-
varttinô=bhilikhitâ khaḍgêna kîrttir=bhujê
2 tîrtvâ sapta mukhâni yêna samarê Sindhôr=jjitâ Vâhlikâ⁵ yasy=
âdyâpy=adhivâsyatê jalanidhir=vvîryy-ânilair=ddakshiṇaḥ [||]
3 Khinnasy=êva visṛijya gâṁ narapatêr=ggâm=âśritasy=êtarâṁ mûrt[t]yâ
karmma-jit-âvaniṁ gatavataḥ kîrt[t*]yâ sthitasya kshitau
4 śântasy=êva mahâ-vanê hutabhujô yasya pratâpô mahân=n=âdyâpy=
utsṛijati praṇâśita-ripôr=yyatnasya śêshaḥ kshitim [||]
5 Prâptêna sva-bhuj-ârjjitañ=cha suchirañ=ch=aikâdhirâjyaṁ kshitau Chandr-
âhvêna samagra-chandra-sadṛiśîṁ vaktra-śriyaṁ bibhratâ
6 tên=âyaṁ praṇidhâya bhûmipatinâ dhâvêna⁶ Vishṇô(shṇau) matiṁ prâṁśur=
Vvishṇupadê girau bhagavatô Vishṇôr=dhvajaḥ sthâpitaḥ [||]
TRANSLATION.
He, on whose arm fame was inscribed by the sword, when, in battle in the Vaṅga
countries, he kneaded (and turned) back with (his) breast the enemies who, uniting to-
gether, came against (him);—he, by whom, having crossed in warfare the seven mouths
of the (river) Sindhu, the Vâhlikas⁷ were conquered;—he, by the breezes of whose prow-
ess the southern ocean is even still perfumed;—
(Line 3.)—He, the remnant of the great zeal of whose energy, which utterly destroyed
(his) enemies, like (the remnant of the great glowing heat) of a burned-out fire in a great
forest, even now leaves not the earth; though he, the king, as if wearied, has quitted this
earth, and has gone to the other world, moving in (bodily) form to the land (of paradise)
won by (the merit of his) actions, (but) remaining on (this) earth by (the memory of his)
fame;—
¹ Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. I. p. 171. ² id. Vol. IV. p. 28, and Plate v.
³ From the original pillar. ⁴ Metre, Śârdûlavikrîḍita, throughout.
⁵ Prinsep also read vâhlikâ; but Bhau Daji, varying in also the first syllable, read bâlhikâ.—
In the first akshara, the v is imperfect on the right side, through the closing up of the metal. In the
second akshara, the h is turned in the opposite direction to that in which it is turned in âhava, line 1
and mahâvanê and mahân, line 4. But, that the akshara is hli, not lhi, is certain; because l can
only be formed to the left; whereas, at this period, h was formed sometimes to the left and
sometimes to the right; and, in the present inscription, it is turned to the right, as here, again in
hutabhujô, line 4, and dhâvêna, line 5.
⁶ See page 142 below, note 2.
⁷ See note 5 above.

142 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
(L. 5.)—By him, the king,—who attained sole supreme sovereignty¹ in the world, ac-
quired by his own arm and (enjoyed) for a very long time; (and) who, having the name
of Chandra, carried a beauty of countenance like (the beauty of) the full-moon,—having
in faith² fixed his mind upon (the god) Vishṇu, this lofty standard of the divine Vishṇu
was set up on the hill (called) Vishṇupada.
No. 33; PLATE XXI B.
MANDASOR STONE PILLAR INSCRIPTION OF YASODHARMAN.
THIS inscription, which I published, for the first time, in 1886, in the Ind. Ant.
Vol. XV. p. 253 ff., is another record from Mandasôr,³ or more properly Dasôr, the
chief town of the Mandasôr District of Scindia's Dominions in the Western Mâlwa
division of Central India. With the inscription of Kumâragupta and Bandhuvarman,
No. 18 above, page 79, and Plate xi., it was discovered in 1884, in the search made
under my direction, in consequence of my having seen the hand-copy of the next in-
scription, No. 34, that had been sent by Mr. Arthur Sulivan to General Cunningham in
1879; the present inscription had escaped Mr. Sulivan's notice. Like the next inscrip-
tion, it is on one of a pair of magnificent monolith columns,⁴ apparently of very close-
grained and good sandstone, lying in a field immediately on the south side of a small
collection of huts, known by the name of Sôdaṇî or Sôndaṇî, but not shewn in the maps
as a separate village, between two and three miles to the south-east of Mandasôr.

¹ aikâdhirâjya; lit. 'the condition of being the sole Adhirâja.'—Adhirâja, lit. 'supreme king,'
is a technical feudatory title, probably denoting the same rank as Mahârâja. It occurs, for instance,
in line 5 of the Byânâ inscription of the Adhirâja Vijaya (Ind. Ant. Vol. XIV. p. 10). Its derivative,
dhirâjya, however, is here used in a general and non-technical sense, in accordance with its original
etymological meaning.
² In line 6, dhâvêna, as read by Prinsep, is what is really engraved; not bhâvêna, as read by
Bhau Daji. But, as dhâva, 'cleansing, washing, making bright, polishing,' appears to be used only
in composition, the word seems to be a mistake for bhâvêna, which is equivalent to the bhaktyâ of,
for instance, line 5 of No. 6 above, page 35; and this is borne out by the position of the word in the
text.—The engraving of the rest of the inscription, however, is so very correct, that it is just pos-
sible that future researches may even yet shew that Dhâva is a proper name here, as it was interpret-
ed by Prinsep. In that case, Dhâva, as another name of a king called Chandra, might be compared
with Kâcha, which I have intimated (page 27 above, note 4) may be a familiar and less formal name
of Samudragupta.—In line 5 I have arranged my translation according to the order of the words in
the text. But, assuming that the composer's arrangement of them was due to metrical exigencies, we
might translate—"(and) who, carrying a beauty of countenance like (the beauty of) the full-moon,
had (in consequence) the name of Chandra;" and thus obtain a hint that the king's original name was
not Chandra.
³ See page 79 above, and note 1
⁴ About fifty yards away to the west of these two inscribed columns, in the next field, I turned
up the lower part of another large sandstone column. The base is rectangular, about 3' 6" high by
3' 4" square. The shaft, of which only a length of about 2' 0" remains attached to the base, is cir-
cular about 3' 4" in diameter; and, instead of being plain like the two inscribed columns, it is carved
all over with cross-lines into diamond-shaped knobs. I had the field excavated all round this column,
but could find no traces of the rest of the shaft, or of the other parts of it. From its different pat-
tern, it can have no connection with the two inscribed columns.

NDICARUM. Plate xxi. 143
ion of Chandra.
:h, with
" high ;
nasonry
om this
'here it
vith the
, occu-
ut 2' 2"
nainder
bout 7"
end of
ese two
' 3", or
and not
. The
to the
d 3' 2"
r from
v. Ind.
in dia-
ere is a
of the
.nd, on
al. It
ed off.
ring to
I only
exactly
e of it,
1 eight

posite
about
The
e kind
Judha-
und it.
y well
broad
earing
down-
in two
ident-
.s that

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Based on the page layout, the running header (Vol. III. 143), and the visible text fragments and inscription rubbings, here is the line-by-line transcription of the visible portions.

Page Header & Marginal Notes

Vol. III. 143
south, with
4' 5" high ;
[b]y masonry
From this
[a]nd where it
[connect]ed with the
[por]tion, occu-
about 2' 2"
remainder
[ea]ch about 7"
[up]per end of
these two
[abou]t 39' 3", or
[lo]ng, and not
[b]elow. The
[rail]way to the
[hig]h and 3' 2"
pillar from
Surv. Ind.
[8'-]11" in dia-
there is a
[no]rth of the
; and, on
[the] capital. It
[tr]immed off.
[an]swering to
it. I only
[verti]cal, exactly
[sur]face of it,
with eight
[th]e opposite
[faste]l, is about
[bu]ried. The
[the] same kind
[of paṇḍ]it Budha-
[havin]g found it.
very well
2" broad
wearing
[w]aist down-
[he]re, in two
evident-
[p]arts that

Upper Inscription (Gupta Script)

𑀕𑀗𑁆𑀕𑀸𑀥𑀭𑀂 𑁇 𑀧𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀭𑁄 𑀥𑀭𑁆𑀫𑁆𑀫...
𑀤𑀻𑀭𑁆𑀖𑀤𑀸𑀲𑀂 𑁇 𑀥𑀭𑁆𑀫𑁆𑀫𑀤𑁂𑀯𑀲𑁆𑀬 [𑀲𑀼]...
𑀯𑀺𑀱𑁆𑀡𑀼𑀤𑀸𑀲𑁄 𑀤𑀺𑀯𑀸𑀓𑀭𑀂 𑁇 𑀩...
𑀕𑁄𑀯𑀺𑀦𑁆𑀤𑀤𑀸𑀲𑁄 𑀯𑀿𑀤𑁆𑀥𑀂 𑁇 𑀓𑀰...
𑀰𑁆𑀭𑀻𑀤𑁂𑀯𑀲𑁆𑀬 𑀲𑀼𑀢𑁄 𑀤𑀻𑀭𑁆𑀖𑀤𑀸𑀲𑀂 𑁇 ...
𑀭𑁂𑀯𑀢𑀻𑀭𑀫𑀡𑀂 𑁇 𑀤𑀻𑀭𑁆𑀖𑀤𑀸𑀲...

Lower Inscription (Gupta Script)

𑀲𑀯𑀭𑁆𑀡𑁆𑀡𑀂 𑀲𑀼𑀢𑁄 𑀩𑁆𑀭𑀸𑀳𑁆𑀫𑀡𑀲𑁆𑀬 𑀤𑁂𑀯𑀤𑀢𑁆𑀢𑀲𑁆𑀬 𑀧𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀭𑁄 𑀫𑀳𑀸𑀭𑀸𑀚...
𑀲𑀼𑀢𑀂 𑀲𑀭𑁆𑀯𑁆𑀯𑀤𑁂𑀯𑀲𑁆𑀬 𑀤𑀺𑀯𑀸𑀓𑀭𑀲𑁆𑀬 𑀤𑀻𑀭𑁆𑀖𑀤𑀸𑀲𑀂 𑀓𑀮𑀺...
𑀓𑀼𑀮𑀧𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀭𑀲𑁆𑀬 𑀤𑀻𑀭𑁆𑀖𑀤𑀸𑀲𑀲𑁆𑀬 𑀲𑀼𑀢𑀂 𑀰𑁆𑀭𑀻𑀤𑁂𑀯𑀲𑁆𑀬 𑀧𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀭𑁄 𑀤𑀻𑀭𑁆𑀖𑀤𑀸𑀲...
𑀧𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀭𑀂 𑀧𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀭𑀂 𑀤𑀻𑀭𑁆𑀖𑀤𑀸𑀲𑀲𑁆𑀬 𑀧𑁅𑀢𑁆𑀭𑀂 ...
𑀲𑀼𑀢𑀂 𑀤𑀻𑀭𑁆𑀖𑀤𑀸𑀲𑀲𑁆𑀬 𑀯𑀺𑀱𑁆𑀡𑀼𑀤𑀸𑀲𑀂 𑀓𑀮𑀺𑀓...
𑀤𑀻𑀭𑁆𑀖𑀤𑀸𑀲𑀲𑁆𑀬 𑀧𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀭𑁄 𑀤𑁂𑀯𑀤𑀢𑁆𑀢𑀂 𑀲𑀼𑀢𑀂 𑀰𑁆𑀭𑀻𑀤𑁂𑀯𑀲𑁆𑀬...
𑀲𑀭𑁆𑀯𑁆𑀯𑀤𑁂𑀯𑀲𑁆𑀬 𑀤𑀻𑀭𑁆𑀖𑀤𑀸𑀲𑀲𑁆𑀬 𑀲𑀼𑀢𑀂 𑀰𑁆𑀭𑀻...
𑀧𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀭𑁄 𑀫𑀳𑀸𑀭𑀸𑀚... 𑀤𑀻𑀭𑁆𑀖𑀤𑀸𑀲𑀲𑁆𑀬...
𑀯𑀺𑀱𑁆𑀡𑀼𑀤𑀸𑀲𑀂 𑀲𑀼𑀢𑀂 𑀤𑀻𑀭𑁆𑀖𑀤𑀸𑀲𑀂 𑁈

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THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 33, PLATE XXI B. 143
The column with the present inscription lies, partially buried, north and south, with
the top to the north. The base of it is rectangular, about 3' 4" square by 4' 5" high;
and, as there is no socket at the bottom to indicate that it was fitted into any masonry
foundation, this part must have been buried when the column stood upright. From this
base there rises a sixteen-sided shaft, each face of which is about 8½" broad where it
starts from the base; part of the shaft, about 17' 0 in length, is still connected with the
base, making the length of this fragment about 21' 5", and the present inscription, occu-
pying five of the sixteen faces, is on this fragment, the bottom line being about 2' 2"
above the top of the base. Immediately in continuation of this, there lies the remainder
of the shaft, about 17' 10" long; at the upper end of this, the faces are each about 7"
broad, shewing that the column tapers slightly from bottom to top. The upper end of
this fragment is flat, with a round socket projecting from it; which shews these two
fragments make up the entire shaft, the total length of which was thus about 39' 3", or
34' 10" above the base. This column appears to have broken naturally in falling, and not
to have been deliberately divided, as the other was, in the manner described below. The
next part of this column, the lower part of the capital, lies about forty yards away to the
north, close up to the hedge of the hamlet, and is a fluted bell, about 2' 6" high and 3' 2"
in diameter, almost identical in design with the corresponding part of a small pillar from
an old Gupta temple at Sâñchi, drawn by General Cunningham in the Archæol. Surv. Ind.
Vol. X. Plate xxii. No. 1. In the bottom of it there is a socket-hole, about 11" in dia-
meter, answering in size to the socket on the top of the shaft; and on the top there is a
projecting socket. About twenty-five yards south of this, and fifteen yards north of the
column, I found a flat stone buried in the ground just level with the surface; and, on
excavating it, it proved to be the next portion, the square upper part of the capital. It
measures about 2' 8" high by 3' 10" square: the vertical corner edges are trimmed off.
I could not get at the bottom of it; but there must be there a socket-hole, answering to
the projecting socket on the top of the bell-shaped part that came below it. I only
exposed one side of it; but this was sufficient to shew that it is a lion-capital, exactly
like the capital of the other column, noticed more fully below. On the top surface of it,
there is in the centre a circular socket-hole about 11½" in diameter and 4" deep, with eight
other rectangular socket-holes round it, one in the centre of each side, and one opposite
each corner. The total length of this column, up to the top of the lion-capital, is about
44' 5"; or forty feet above the ground, if it stood with the entire base buried. The
square lion-capital must have been surmounted by a statue or statues, of the same kind
as that which stands on the summit of the column at Êraṇ¹ which has on it Budha-
gupta's inscription, No. 19 above, page 88; but I cannot feel sure of having found it.
I found, indeed, in the same field, towards the west side, in three pieces, a very well
executed sandstone bas-relief slab, 9' 0" high, with a rectangular pedestal 3' 2" broad
by 1' 8" deep and 8" high, of a male figure, standing, somewhat larger than life-size, wearing
a kirîṭa or high head-dress, with necklace and armlets, and draped from the waist down-
wards, with a small figure standing by the right leg. And close by this there were, in two
pieces, the kirîṭa and the head and shoulders of another figure of the same size, evident-
ly a duplicate of the above. Unless, however. there were some intervening parts that

¹ See Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. X. p. 81, and Plate xxvi.

144 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
have been altogether lost, these slabs cannot belong to the columns, since their pedestals
have no sockets to fit into the socket-holes on the tops of the lion-capitals.¹
The other column, with the fragmentary duplicate copy of this inscription, No. 34
below, Plate xxiC., stood, as is shewn by the present position of its base, about twenty
yards north of the column that I have just described. When overthrown, it fell east and
west, with the top towards the west. The base is rectangular, about 3' 3" square by 3' 11" high.
Differing from the first column, the base here is followed by a concave circular part, about
1' 0" high. From this there rises a sixteen-sided shaft, each face of which is about 8"
broad where it starts from the base. But the portion of the shaft that remains attached
to the base is only about 1' 1" long; and a row of chisel-marks all round the column here,
shews that it was deliberately broken by the insertion of wedges. The next piece of the
column,—or rather a remnant of it, as it is broken vertically, and part of it has been lost,
—lies about three yards to the north of the base, and parallel with it, but in an inverted
position, with the upper end to the east. This piece is about 9' 0" long; and the rem-
nant of the duplicate inscription is here, on two of the faces; the bottom line of it being
about 2' 9½" above the square base. The next piece of the shaft is missing altogether,
and is supposed to be entirely buried somewhere in this field. The remainder of the
shaft, about 6' 9" in length, lies, almost entirely buried, a few yards to the west of the
portion including the base and the commencement of the shaft. Each face here is about
7" broad at the top; shewing that this column also tapers slightly from bottom to top.
The top of this fragment is flat, with a round socket projecting from it; which shews that
we have here the end of the shaft. Immediately west of this fragment, there lies the
fluted bell part of the capital, about 3' 0" high and 3' 3" in diameter, similar in design to
the same part of the capital of the other pillar. In the bottom of it there is a socket-hole,
about 11" in diameter, answering in size to the socket on the top of the shaft; and on the
top there is a projecting socket. Just to the west of this there lies, upside down and
partially buried, the next portion of the capital, the square upper part, measuring about
3' 0" high and 3' 10" square; the vertical corner edges are trimmed off. The bottom,
and one entire side and parts of two others, are exposed; and enough is visible to shew
that each side consists of a bas-relief sculpture of two lions, each sitting on its haunches
and facing to the corner, where it merges into the corresponding corner lion on the next
side;² with the head of a conventional siṁha or mythological lion in the centre, over the
backs of the lions. In the bottom of this stone there is a socket-hole, about 10½" in
diameter, answering to the projecting socket on the top of the bell-shaped part that came
just below it. And I dug under one of the corners of the top enough to find there a rec-
tangular socket-hole, which justifies us in assuming that the top has one circular and
eight rectangular socket-holes, just as in the top of the lion-capital of the first column.
As in the case of the first column, I cannot feel sure of having found the statue or statues
which must have stood on the top of it.
The two inscribed columns were evidently intended as a pair, though the full measure
of the second cannot be taken. From the distance between them; from the difference in
the detailed measures; and from the analogous instance of the Êraṇ column, as shewing
¹ There are some similar bas-relief slabs set up in a group under some palm-trees in another
field, about fifty yards away to the east from where the inscribed columns lie; but these, again, do not
appear to belong to the columns.
² Compare the lions on the upper part of the square portion of the capital of the Êraṇ column.

the way in which they must have been finished off at the top,—they can hardly have been
connected by a beam, after the fashion of a tôraṇa or arched gateway; and there are no
traces of any temple to which they can have belonged. They are evidently an actual
instance of two raṇastambhas or "columns of victory in war," such as the Kauthêm¹
grant of Vikramâditya V., dated Śaka-Saṁvat 930 (A.D. 1008-9) expired, speaks of as
having been set up by the Râshṭrakûṭa king Karkara or Kakka III., and as having then
been cut asunder in battle by the Western Châlukya king Taila II.
To return to the inscription on the first column,—the writing, which covers a space
of about 3′ 2½″ broad by 1′ 2½″ high, has suffered a good deal from the weather; and, owing
to the difficulty of obtaining lights and shades, partly in consequence of the letters being
rather shallow, and partly because of the natural light colour of the stone, it is rather
difficult to read on the original column; but, in the ink-impression and the lithograph, it
can easily be read with certainty throughout.—The size of the letters varies from ¼″ to ⅜″.
Differing from the Mandasôr inscription of Kumâragupta and Bandhuvarman, No. 18
above, page 79, Plate xi., the characters here belong to the northern class of alpha-
bets, and are a development, in some respects, of the type of the Allahâbâd posthumous
pillar inscription of Samudragupta, No. 1 above, Plate i., and, in others, of that of the
Mathurâ inscription of Chandragupta II., No. 4 above, Plate iiiB. They include the
rather rare lingual ḍh, in upagûḍha, line 4. In vîrya, line 4, and sâmantair=yasya, line
5, the r is formed on the line of writing, with only a single y below it; in combination
with other consonants, e.g. in sumêrôr=vvighaṭita, line 1, and dharmmasya, line 8, the r
is formed above the top line of writing, and the consonant is doubled, in the usual way.—
The language is Sanskrit; and, except for the two words at the end, recording the
engraver’s name, the inscription is in verse throughout.—In respect of orthography, we
have to notice (1) the use of the upadhmânîya in śikhariṇaḥ-paśchimâd, line 5; (2) the
use of the guttural nasal, instead of the anusvâra, before ś, in aṅśu, line 5, and vaṅśa, line
8; and before s, in têjâṅsi, line 1, and pâṅsu, line 3; (3) the doubling of k and t, in con-
junction with a following r, in âkkrânti, line 4; chakkra, line 7; mâttra and yattra, line
3; anyattra, line 6; and nâyitô=ttra, line 7; but not in kriyantê, line 5, and śatru, line 1;
and (4) the doubling of dh, in conjunction with a following y, in addhyâsint, line 4.
The inscription is one of a king named Yaśôdharman,² whose dominions are de-
scribed as including the whole of the northern part of India, from the river Lauhitya, or
the Brahmaputra, to the Western Ocean, and from the Himâlayas to the mountain

¹ Ind. Ant. Vol. XVI. p. 18.
² Having regard to the frequency with which, in the period of this inscription, varman occurs as
the termination of proper names, and to the rarity of dharman,—there might be some temptation to
suggest that Yaśôdharman should be corrected into Yaśôvarman. But the dh is very distinct in line 7
here, and in the corresponding place in line 7 of the remnant of the original duplicate copy of this
inscription, No. 34 below, Plate xxiC.; and again in line 8 below; and again in the same name
in line 4 of the inscription of Yaśôdharman and Vishṇuvardhana, No. 35 below, Plate xxii.—
The form dharman is not of frequent occurrence. But we do meet with it in other proper names;
e.g. Kṛitadharman, Kshattradharman, Kshêmadharman, Jayadharman, and Sudharman. And it also
occurs in ordinary composition; e.g. in Manv-âdi-praṇîta-vidhi-vidhâna-dharmmâ, in line 5 of the
Mâliyâ grant of the Mahârâja Dharasêna II. of the year 252, No. 38 below, Plate xxiv.; and in
têjôbhir=âditya-samâna-dharmmâ, in line 29 of the Kauthêm grant of Vikramâditya V. of Śaka-
Saṁvat 930 expired (Ind. Ant. Vol. XVI. p. 22).

146 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
**Mahêndra.*¹ We have an important allusion in the statement that he possessed countries
which not even the Guptas and the Hûṇas could subdue; and a still more important
record, in connection with the general history of the period, to the effect that homage was
done to him by even the famous king Mihirakula. It is not dated. But Yaśôdhar-
man's date is now known from the Mandasôr inscription of Mâlava-Saṁvat 589 (A.D.
532-33) expired, No. 35 below, which mentions him and Vishṇuvardhana; and the present
inscription, having been engraved by the same person, Gôvinda, must fall within a few
years on either side of that date. Also, the use of the present tense almost throughout,
coupled with the record that Yaśôdharman himself erected the column, shews that the
inscription is one of his own time, not posthumous. The opening verse contains a Śaiva
invocation; which is in accordance with the boast, in line 6, that Yaśôdharman never
bowed his head to any save the god Śiva. But the record itself is non-sectarian; the
object of it being only to narrate the erection of the column, for the purpose of reciting
the king’s glory and power.
TEXT.²
1 Vêpantê³ yasya bhîma-stanita-bhaya-samudbhrânta-daityâ digantâḥ śriṅg-
âghâtaiḥ Sumêrôr=vvighaṭita-drishadaḥ kandarâ yaḥ karôti |
ukshâṇaṁ taṁ dadhânaḥ kshitidharatanayâ-datta-pañch-âṅgul-
âṅkaṁ drâghishṭhaḥ Śûlapâṇêḥ kshapayatu bhavatâṁ śatru-têjâṁsi
kêtuḥ ||
2 Avirbhût-âvalêpair=avinaya-paṭubhir=llaṅghit-âchâra-mârggair=mmôhâd=aidam-
yugînair=apa-śubha-ratibhiḥ pîḍyamânâ narêndraiḥ | yasya kshmâ
Śârṅgapâṇêr=iva kaṭhina-dhanur-jyâ-kiṇ-âṅka-prakôshṭhaṁ bâhuṁ lôk-
ôpakâra-vrata-saphala-parispanda-dhîraṁ prapannâ ||
3 Nindy-âchârêshu yô=smin=vinaya-mushi yugê kalpanâ-mâttra-vṛit[t]yâ
râjasv=anyêshu pâṁsushv=iva kusuma-balir=nn=âbabhâsê prayuktaḥ | sa
śrêyô-dhâmni samrâḍ=iti Manu-Bharat-Âlarkka-Mândhâtṛi-kalpê kalyâṇê
hêmni bhâsvân=maṇir=iva sutarâṁ bhrâjatê yattra śabdaḥ ||
4 Yê bhuktâ Gupta-nâthair=nna sakala-vasudh-âkkrânti-drishṭa-pratâpair=nn=
âjñâ Hûṇ-âdhipânâṁ kshitipati-mukuṭ-âddhyâsinî yân=pravishṭâ |
dêśâṁs=tân=dhanva-śaila-druma-śa(ga)hana-sarid-vîrabâh-ûpagûḍhân=vîry-âva-
skanna-râjñaḥ sva-gṛiha-parisar-âvajñayâ yô bhunakti ||
5 Â Lauhity-ôpakaṇṭhât=tala-vana-gahan-ôpatyakâd=â Mahêndrâd=â Gaṅg-
âślishṭa-sânôs=tuhinaśikhariṇaḥ=paśchimâd=â payôdhêḥ | sâmantair=
yasya bâhu-draviṇa-hṛita-madaiḥ pâdayôr=ânamadbhiś=chûḍâratn-âṁśu-râji-
vyatikara-śabalâ bhûmi-bhâgâḥ kriyantê ||
6 Sthânôr=anyattra yêna praṇati-kṛipaṇatâṁ prâpitâṁ n=ôttamâṅgaṁ yasy=
âślishṭô bhujâbhyâṁ vahati himagirir=durgga-śabd-âbhimânam |
¹ It is doubtful whether this denotes here the famous Mahêndragiri or Mahêndrâchala in the
Gañjâm District, among the Eastern Ghauts; or another mountain of the same name, not so well
known, which appears to be mentioned also in line 2 of an earlier Nâsik inscription of the nineteenth
year of Siri-Puḷumâyi (Archæol. Surv. West. Ind. Vol. IV. No. 14, pp. 108, 109), and in the Bṛihat-
Saṁhitâ, xiv. vv. 11-16 (Kern's Translation, Jour. R. As. Soc. N. S. Vol. V. p. 83), and must be
located somewhere in the Western Ghauts.
² From the ink-impression.
³ Metre, Sragdharâ; and in the next seven verses

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 33, PLATE XXI B. 147
nichais=tên-âpi yasya praṇati-bhuja-bal-âvarjjana-klishṭa-mûrddhnâ
chûḍâ-pushp-ôpahârair-Mmihirakula-nṛipêṇ-ârchchitaṁ pâda-yugmaṁ ||
7 [Gâ]m=êv-ônmâtum=ûrddhvaṁ vigaṇayitum=iva jyôtishâṁ chakkravâlaṁ
nirddêshṭuṁ mârggam=uchchair-ddiva iva sukṛit-ôpârjjitâyâḥ sva-
kîrttêḥ | tên=â-kalpânta-kâl-âvadhir=avanibhujâ śrî-Yaśôdharmmaṇ-
âyam stambhaḥ stambh-âbhirâma-sthira-bhuja-parighêṇ=ôchchhritiṁ
nâyitô=ttra ||
8 Ś[l]âghyê janm-âsya vaṁśe charitam=agha-haraṁ dṛiśyatê kântam=
asmin=dharmmasy=âyaṁ nikêtaś=chalati niyamitaṁ n=âmunâ lôka-
vṛittaṁ [l*] ity=utkarshaṁ guṇânâṁ likhitum=iva Yaśôdharmmaṇaś=
chandra-bimbê râgâd=utkshipta uchchair-bhuja iva ruchimân=yaḥ
pṛithivyâ vibhâti ||
9 Iti¹ tushṭushayâ tasya nṛipatêḥ puṇya-karmmaṇaḥ | Vâsulên=ôparachitaḥ
ślôkaḥ Kakkasya sûnunâ || Utkîrṇṇâ² Gôvindêna ||
TRANSLATION.
May that very long banner of (the god) Śûlapâṇi destroy the glory of your enemies ;—
(that banner) which bears (a representation of) the bull (Nandi), marked by the five
fingers (dipped in some dye and then) placed on him by (Pârvatî) the daughter of the
mountain (Himâlaya), who causes the distant regions, in which the demons are driven
wild with fear by (his) terrible bellowings, to shake; (and) who makes the glens of (the
mountain) Sumêru to have their rocks split open by the blows of his horns !
(Line 2.)—He, to whose arm, as if (to the arm) of (the god) Śârṅgapâṇi,—the
fore-arm of which is marked with callous parts caused by the hard string of (his) bow,
(and) which is steadfast in the successful carrying out of vows for the benefit of man-
kind,—the earth betook itself (for succour), when it was afflicted by kings of the present
age, who manifested pride; who were cruel through want of proper training; who, from
delusion, transgressed the path of good conduct; (and) who were destitute of virtuous
delights :—
(L. 3.)—He who, in this age which is the ravisher of good behaviour, through the
action simply of (his good) intentions shone gloriously, not associating with other kings
who adopted a reprehensible course of conduct,—just as an offering of flowers (is beauti-
ful when it is not laid down) in the dust ;—he in whom, possessed of a wealth of virtue,
(and so) falling but little short of Manu and Bharata and Alarka and Mândhâtṛi, the
title of “universal sovereign”³ shines more (than in any other), like a resplendent jewel
(set) in good gold :—
(L. 4.)—He who, spurning (the confinement of) the boundaries of his own house,
enjoys those countries,—thickly covered over with deserts and mountains and trees and
thickets and rivers and strong-armed heroes, (and) having (their) kings assaulted by (his)
¹ Metre, Ślôka (Anushṭubh). ² Supply praśastiḥ.
³ samrâj ; ‘a sovereign who rules ove kings and has performed the râjasûya-sacrifice.’—For a
description of the râjasûya, which is a great sacrifice or religious ceremony performed, at the corona-
tion of a supreme sovereign or universal monarch, by the king himself and his tributary princes, see
the Râjasûya-Parva in the Sabhâ-Parva of the Mahâbhârata ; Protap Chandra Roy's Translation,
page 95 ff.
U 2.