51. Saranagarh (M.P.) copper-plates of Sudevaràja
Bh. No. 1881; JASB. Vol. XXXV (1866) (R. L. Mitra), Fleet, CII, iii, 193, fn. 2; pp. 195
ff.; Hiralal, EI. Vol. IX (1907-8), pp. 281-85 & Pl.; & Inscr. in C.P. &
Berar, p. 181, No. 310; L.P. Pandeya Sharma, POC. V Session (1928), Vol. I, pp. 456-464
& Pl. (only inner side of the first plate); AMS I: XIV
| MAP WITH FINDPLACES | INDEX OF PERSONAL NAMES |
Language: Sanskrit. In prose except the usual benedictory and imprecatory
verses at the end.
Metres: Verse 1: Vasantatilakà; Verse 2 (incomplete): Indravajrà
Script: Box-headed variety of the Central Indian alphabet.
Date: Details lost in the missing plate. Latter half of the sixth century A.D.
The plates are 6 1/2" long and 3 1/2" broad. The hole about the middle of the
left margin is roundish on one side and squarish on the other, the diameter being
7/16". The third plate having been lost, the record is incomplete. The lost portion
of the text included, besides some of the imprecatory verses, the date and the name of the
engraver. The seal is also not forthcoming. (AMS)
Sàrangarh is the capital of a feudatory State of the same name in the Chhattèsgaðh
division of the Central Provinces, 32 miles south of Raigarh, the capital of another State
and a station on the Bengal-Nagpur Railway. The chiefs of these two States are
Ràj-Gîíäs. The plates in question are in the possession of the Ràj family and first
came to my notice in the beginning of the year 1903 at my last visit to Sàrangarh. As
they were looked up and the keys were not available at the time, the then Superintendent
of the State, Rai Sahib Àlam Chand, promised to send them to me when I asked for them,
but my reversion to the executive duties before I could return to head-quarters, followed
by Paíäit Àlam Chand's retirement from service, left them where they were, until the
present Superintendent, Munshè Akbar Khàn, took active steps in the matter at the
instance of Rai Bahadur Pandà Baijnath, B.A., Dèwàn of the Bastar State, and sent them
on to me on the 7th January 1908. Thus the recovery of the plates first discovered over
forty years ago is as much due to the interest of the above gentlemen as to the readiness
of Ràja Jawàhar Singh to lend them for examination.
The exact date and the details of the first discovery are not now forthcoming, but the
plates are said to have reached the Bengal Asiatic Society on the 7th December 1864. [See
Journ. Beng. As. Soc. Vol. XXXV., p. 195 ff.] Dr. Ràjåndra Làl Mitra published them in
that Society's Journal in 1866, where he stated that they were presented to the Society by
Lieutenant G. Bowie of the Sambalpur Police Corps, but when Dr. Fleet wrote his Gupta
inscriptions about 1888, and searched for the plates, he could not find them. He then
recorded that as the published version was not sufficiently reliable to be reproduced he
was unable to include this inscription in his volume. [Gupta Inscriptions, p. 193,
footnote 2.]
The fact appears to be that the plates were never presented to the Society. They were
simply lent by and finally returned to the owner, the Sàrangarh family, whose State was
in those days included in the Sambalpur district, now transferred to Bengal.
These facts combined with the absence of a facsimile copy of the record in Dr. Ràjåndra
Lal's notice, together with certain misreadings of the text, afford, I venture to think,
sufficient reasons for re-editing this inscription.
There are two copper plates, each measuring 6 1/2" X 3 1/2", and the weight of
the two together is 12 ozs. 5 1/2 drs. About 1" from the proper right margin each
plate has a hole, roundish on one side and squarish on the other, the diameter being about
7/16". These were intended for stringing the plates on the ring, the loss of which
has deprived our inscription of its last portion, which must have been engraved on a third
plate. The lost plate must have contained about 5 or 6 lines [Eighteen lines of our
inscription remain; the Khariar plates have 23 lines, the Àrang plates of Jayaràja 24,
and the Raipur plates of Sudåva 28, but these last ones are much smaller in size than the
others. Our plates are slightly bigger than all the three sets.] which can almost be
restored from other inscriptions of the same king, and of Mahà-Jayaràja, all of which
are composed in exactly the same wordings, the names of villages granted and the donees
being of course different. In our inscription only some of the imprecatory verses are lost
as also the date at the end, which of course cannot be restored. Judging from other
inscriptions of this king the date must have been in regnal years, so that it could not
have been of much help beyond fixing the priority or otherwise of our inscription as
compared with others.
The plates recovered are in an excellent state of preservation. One is inscribed on one
side and the other on both in characters of the box-headed variety of the Central Indian
alphabet. The letters are very neatly and well formed, their average size being about
1/4". The accompanying plate gives a facsimile copy, from impressions kindly taken
for me by Mr. T. G. Green, Superintendent of the Government Press, Nagpur. (Hira Lal)
TEXT.
First Plate.
1 Siddhaì [|*] Svasti [|*]
Ùarabhapuràd=vikkram-îpanata-sàmanta-makuòa-chóäàmaíi-prabhà-pra-
2 såk-àmbu-dhauta-pàdayugalî ripu-vilàsinè-sèmant-îddharaía-håtur=vvasu-
3 vasudhà-gî-pradaÛ paramabhàgavatî
màtà-pitð-pàd-ànuddhyàtaù=ùrè-Mahà-Sudå-
4 va-ràjaõ Tuíäaraka-bhuktèya-Chullaíäarakå prativàsi-kuòumbinas=sa-
5 màjãàpayati [||*] Viditam=astu vî yath=àyaì gràmaõ tridaùapati-sadana-sukha-
6 pratiøòhàkarî yàvad=ravi-ùaùi-tàrà-kiraía-pratihata-ghîràndhakàraì ja-
Second Plate; First Side.
7 gad=avatiøòhatå
tàvad=upaphîgyas=sanidhis=sîpanidhir=acàòabhaòapràvåùya[õ]
8 sarvva-kara-visarjjitaõ ràjya-mahàdåvè-rîjakulaiõ màtàpitrîr=àtmanaìù=ca
pu-
9 íy-àbhivðddhayå udakapórvvaì
Kî(Kau)ùika-sagîtra-trisahasravidya-Bhàskarasvàmi-
10 Prabhàkarasvàmi-Barbbarisvàmi-Bîòasvàmi-Dattasvàmi-Viøíusvàmi- ||
11 Phalgusvàmi-Svàmikèrttisvàmi-Ùaì(Ùa)êkarasvàminà[ì*]
tàmbra(mra)ùàsanån=àtisð-
12 øòî bhótv=àsmàbhir=anumîditaõ [||*] Tå
yóyam=åvam=upalaì(la)bhy-aiøàm=àjãàùrava-
Second Plate; Second Side.
13 ía-vidhåyà bhótvà yathîcitaì
bhîga-bhàgam=upanayantas=sukha[ì*] prativatsyatha [||*]
14 Bhaviøyataù=ca bhómipàn=anudarùayati || Dànàd=viùiøòam=anupàlanaja[ì*] pu-
15 ràíàì(ràíà) dharmmåøu niùcitadhiyaÛ pravadanti dharmmaì || (|)
tasmà[d*] dvijàya suvi-
16 ùuddha-kula-ùrutàya dattàì bhuvaì bhavatu vî matir=åva gîptuì ||
Tad=bhavadbhi-
17 r=apy=åøà dattir=anupàlayitavyà [|*] Vyàsa-gètàìù=c=àtra ùlîkàn=udàhara-
18 nti || Agnår=apatyaì prathamaì suvarííaì (||) bhór=vvaiøíavè sóryyasutà