47. Sirpur (Raipur District, Madhya Pradesh) copper-plates.
Hiralal, Inscrs. in C.P. & Berar, p. 106-A, No. 177(b); IE.AR. 1945-46, p. 12, No. 52 App. A; Mahakosala Historical Society Papers Vol. II, 1937, pp. 42-43 (L. P. Pandey); ARIE, 1945-46, 12, No. 52; IHQ 10: 100-103 (L.P. Pandeya); EI. Vol. XXXI (1955-56), pp. 103-108 & Pl. (S. L. Katare); Ajay Mitra Shastri, Studies in Indian Epigraphy, ii, 50-54; AMS, I:X

[The real name of the king was Sudåva. Mahàsudåvaràja is similar to Sudåvamahàràja.-Ed.] The charter consists of three plates, of which the first is damaged, nearly half of its right portion being broken off and lost. The plates were first noticed by Hiralal in the revised edition of his Inscriptions in the C. P. and Berar. [See p. 106-A, No. 177(b)] They were then in the possession of Ramratanlal Agrawal, Talukdar of Sirpur, but seem to have been later on acquired by Pandit Lochan Prasad Pandeya of Balpur. The Pandit sent the inscription for examination to the office of the Government Epigraphist for India who noticed it in the Annual Report on Indian Epigraphy, 1945-46. [See p. 12, No. 52. [The text, of this inscription was published by Pandit Pandeya in Mahakosala Historical Society's Papers, Vol. II, 1937, pp. 42-43.-Ed.]] It seems that, when the plates were with Ramratanlal Agrawal, they were taken out from their original ring bearing the seal of Mahàsudåvaràja and were misjoined to a seal which must have originally belonged to some charter of Mahàjayaraja. ([This conjecture of the author is not easy to prove as we have several other instances of a king's charter being endowed with the seal of his predecessor. See JBORS, Vol. XV, pp. 87 ff.; above, Vol. XXIX, p. 184. The name of Sudåva's predecessor was really Jaya. The legend (in two lines) on the seal reads: Prasanna-tanayasy=ådaì vikkram-îtkhàta-vidviøa[õ |*] ùrèmatî Jayaràjasya ùàsanaì ripu-ùàsana[ì](nam ||) -Ed.]) Each of the plates has in it a round hole (about half an inch in diameter) at a distance of about an inch from its left edge. Each plate measures 5.5" X 3.2"; and the three plates together weigh 46 tolas. The characters are of the box-headed variety of what Fleet calls 'the Central India alphabet', The kings of Ùarabhapura (For the identification of this city with Ùarpagarh in the former Gangpur State in Orissa, see above Vol. XXIII, p. 17; Vol. XXVI, p. 229, fn.2. Hiralal favoured Sirpur in the Raipur District of Madhya Pradesh (ibid., Vol. XI, p. 186, n. 5) appear to have been, in the beginning, the feudatories of the Guptas and Ùarabha, father of Naråndra, like Gîparàja of the Eran stone inscription [CII, Vol. III, p. 93.] of the Gupta year 191, was probably governing one of the eastern provinces of the Gupta empire. The Allahabad pillar inscription [Ibid., p. 7.] of Samudragupta speaks of Mahåndra of Kîsala as one of the kings defeated by him. This bears a clear testimony to the extension of the Gupta influence in South Kosala.
The use of the box-headed characters by these kings could not necessarily be due to Vàkàòaka. influence or domination when it is known that the box-headed characters of the 'scooped out' or 'closed' variety were used in the Eran inscription [CII, Vol. III, Plate II-A.] of Samudragupta and the Udayagiri inscription [Ibid., Plate II-B.] of Chandragupta II. The statement in the Balaghat [Above, Vol. IX, p. 269.] plates of Pðthivèøåía II that the king of Kîsala was a feudatory of Vàkàòaka Naråndrasåna and that of the Ajanta inscription [Hyderabad Archaeological Series, No. 14, p. 14.] which describes Hariøåía, probably, as the conqueror of Kîsala along with several other countries need not necessarily be taken to imply that the Ùarabhapura kings were the feudatories of the Vàkàòakas. Kîsala appears to have had much wider extent than the territories governed by the Ùarabhapura kings. [Cf. Ind. Ant., Vol. LXII, pp. 161 ff.] There is nothing to suggest that they ever ruled over the Chanda District or even the whole of the Bilaspur and Bastar Districts of Madhya Pradesh. [The Bhandara (Chanda District) board of gold coins containing one coin of Mahåndràditya and of Prasannamàtra need not be taken as evidence of the extension of the territories of the Ùarabhapura kings over the Chanda District as it is likely that the coins travelled to that place which has not far away from the Ùarabhapura dominions.]
(S. L. Katare)
Language: Sanskrit. In prose but for the customary imprecatory and benedictory stanzas at the end and the legend on the seal.
Metres: Verse 1: Vasantatilakà; Verse 2: Indravajrà; Verses 3-6: Anuøòubh.
Script: Box-headed variety of the Central Indian alphabet.
Date: Regnal Year 7, second (intercalary) Bhàdrapada 10. Latter half of the sixth century A.D.
The plates are 5-5" long and 3-3" broad.
The seal is similar to those attached to the charters of Mahà-Jayaràja, described above vide Nos IV-VII above. This is as it should be; for the seal actually belongs to him as indicated by the two-line Anuøòubh legend which refers to Jayaràja, son of Prasanna, and not to Sudevaràja, as one would normally expect. Katare, therefore, thinks that the plates were "taken out from their original ring bearing the seal of Mahà-Sudevaràja and were misjoined to a seal which must have originally belonged to some charter of Mahà-Jayaràja (El, xxxi, 103). This was also the view of Hira Lal (ICPB, 106-A, No. 177-b). However, as pointed out by D.G. Sircar (62, 103, fn. 4), there are several instances of royal charters to which the seal of the predecessor of the issuing chief is attached. But we are of the opinion that the seal which originally belonged to charter of Jayaràja, was attached to this charter by mistake.
(AMS)

TEXT

First Plate

1 siddhaì [|*] svasti [|*] Ùarabhapuràd=vikkram-îpanata-sàmanta-maku[òa-cóäà-maíi]-
2 prabhà-prasåk-àmbu-dhauta-pàda-yugalî ripu-vilàsi[nè-sèmant-îddharaía]-
3 håtur=vvasu-vasudhà-gî-pradaÛ parama-bhàgava[tî màtà-pitð-pàd-à]-
4 nuddhyàtaù=ùrè-Mahàsudåvaràjaõ cu[ ................]
5 vakå prativàsi-kuòumbinas=samàjnà[payati | viditam=astu vî]
6 yath=àsmàbhir=ayaì gràmastð(s=tri)daùapati-sa[dana-sukha-pratiøòhàkarî]

Second Plate, First Side

7 yàvad=ravi-ùaùi-tàrà-kiraía-pratihata-ghîr-àndhakàraì jagad=avatiøòha-
8 tå tàvad-upabhîgyas=sa-nidhis=s-îpanidhir=a-càòa-bhaòa-pràvåùyas=sarvva-ka-
9 ra-visarjjita[õ*] pórvvaì Nanna-pàdais=Taittirèya-Pàràùara-sagîtra-bràhma-
10 ía-kàraíika-Kansippasvàminî(nå) datta idànèm=apy=asmàbhir=api
11 mahàdåvè-ràjakulànàì vèjãàpyàs=tàmbra(tàmra)-ùàsanèkðtaõ tå yóyam=å-
12 vam=upalabhy=àsy=àjãà-ùravaía-vidhåyà bhótvà yath=îcitaì bhîga-bhàga-

Second Plate, Second Side

13 m=upanayantas=sukhaì prativatsyatha [||*] bhaviøyataù=ca bhómipàn-anu-
14 darùayati | Dànàd=viùiøòam=anupàlanajaì puràíà dharmmåøu niùcita-
15 dhiyaÛ  pravadanti dharmmaì(rmmam) | Tasmà[d*]=dvijàya suviùuddha-kula-ùrutàya dattàì
16 bhuvaì bhavatu vî matir=åva gîptu[m*] || Tad=bhavadbhir=apy=åøà dattir=anu-
17 pàlayè(yi)tavyà [||*] Vyàsa-gètàìù=c-àtra ùlîkàn=udàharanti [|*] Agnår=apatyaì pra-
18 thamaì suvarííaì bhór=vvaiøíavè sóryya-sutàù=ca gàvaõ [|*] dattàs=trayas=tå-

Third Plate, First Side

19 na bhavanti lîkàõ(kà) yaX=kàãcanaì gàì ca mahè[ì] ca dadyàt [||*] øaøòi-varøa-sa-
20 hasràíi svarggå mîdati bhómidaõ [|*] àcchåttà c-ànumantà ca tàny=å-
21 va narakå vasåt [||*] Bahubhir=vvasudhà dattà ràjabhis=Sagar-àdibhiõ [|*] yasya
22 yasya yadà bhómiõ(mi) ta(s=ta)sya tasya tadà phalaì(lam) [||*] Sva-dattàì para-dattàì và
23 yatnàd=rakøa Yudhiøòhira [|*] Mahètma(m=ma)himatàã=cchråøòha dànàc-chråyî=¸nupàla-
24 nam=iti [||*] Sva-mukh-àjãayà pravarddhamàna-vè(vi)jaya-savva(saìva) 7 dvi-Bhàdra-di 10 [||*]

Third Plate, Second Side

25 Uktè(tkè)rííaì Drîíasi(siì)(êghå)(ghå)na ||

Seal.
Prasanna-tanayasy-ådaì vikkram-îtkhàta-vidviøa[õ*]
Ùrèmatî Jayaràjasya ùàsanaì ripuùàsana[ì](nam) [||6||]