No. 1. Koндamudi (now Madras Museum) copper-plate and seal inscription. Prakrit and Sanskrit.
| 1901 Hultzsch, EI VI, No. 31, p. 315 ff., and Plates; Luders list No 1328; |
| Lu: - Order of rаjan Siri-Jayavaмma (Щrи-Jayavarman) of the gоtra
(gota) of the Bрihatphalаyanas, from the victorious camp, the town (nagara) of Kуdуra,
to the official (vаpata) at Kуdуra, concerning the gift of the village (gаma) of
Pамтуra (or Pатуra) in the district of Kуdуra (Kуdуrahаra) to eight Brahmans
(baмmhana), viz. Savagutaja (Щarvaguptаrya), a house-holder (? jаyаpara) of the
Gоtama (Gautama) gоtra (gota); Savigija, the Tаnava (Tаnavya); Gоginaja
(Gоginаrya); Bhavaмnaja (Bhavannаrya) of the Koдina (Kauндinya) gоtra;
Rudaveмnhuja (Rudraviшнvаrya), the Bhаradаya (Bhаradvаja); Иsaradataja
(Ищvaradattаrya), the Kaмnhаyana (Kаrшnаyaнa); Rudaghоsaja (Rudraghошаrya),
the Оpamaмnava (Aupamanyava); Khaмdarudaja (Skandarudrаrya) ot the Kоsika (Kauщika)
gоtra. The plates were prepared by the great general (mahаdaмдanаyaka)
Bhаpahаnavaмma (Bhаpahаnavarman), the best of the Mahаtagis (or the mahаtagivara?).
The seal bears the inscription: Of the mahаrаja Щrи-Jayavarmman of the
Bрihat-phalаyana gоtra. - samva 10 hе pa 1 diva 1 |
| (EH.) The copper plates which bear the subjoined inscription were received
in June 1901 from Mr. R. Morris, I.C.S., Collector of the Kistna district, along with an
abstract of their contents by Mr. J. Ramayya, B.A., B.L. They had been recently discovered
in a mound in the village of Koндamudi in the Tenаli tаluka of the Kistna district and
will be deposited in the Madras Museum. The copper plates are eight in number, and measure
about 7" in breadth and about 3 1/4" in height. Their edges are not raised into
rims. In the upper left corner of the first side of each plate is cut a hole for the ring
on which they were strung. The ring measures about 3 1/8" in diameter and about
1/4" in thickness, and its ends are soldered into the base of a circular seal of
about 1 1/4" diameter. The ring had not yet been cut when the plates came into my
hands. In the centre of the seal is, in relief, a trident the handle of which seems to end
in an arrow, a bow (?), the crescent of the moon, and an indistinct symbol of roughly
triangular shape. Round the margin of the seal runs a Sanskrit legend in archaic
characters which differ totally from those employed on the plates [Just as here two
different alphabets are employed for Sanskrit and Prаkрt, the inscriptions of Tamil
conntry use the Vaттeжuttu and the Tamiж alphabets for Tamil words and the Grantha
alphabet for Sanskrit words.]. The alphabet of this inscription closely resembles that of the Mayidavоlu plates of Щivaskandavarman (No. 8 above). The language is Prаkrit, with the exception of the two Sanskrit words Mahещvara (l. 3) and Bрhatphalаyana (l. 4) and the Telugu village name Pамтуra (ll. 24 and 29). The eight copper plates are marked with the numerical symbols '1' to '8' on the left of the second line of each plate. Neither Jayavarman nor his gоtra are known from other records. The alphabet of his inscription shows that he must have lived in the same period as the Pallava prince Щivaskandavarman who issued the Mayidavоlu plates. Further, the language and phraseology of the inscription are so similar to the Nаsik inscriptions [A still closer resemblance exists between Jayavarman's plates and the Kаrlе inscription No. 19, at the beginning of which the king's name is lost; see below, p. 319, notes 1 and 7.] of Gautamиputra Sаtakarнi (Nos. 4 and 5) [I am quoting the Andhra inscriptions according to Dr. Bhagwanlal Indraji's numbering in the Bombay Gasetteer, Vol. XVI (Nаsik), and lnscriptions from the Cave templei of Western India (Kаrlе).] and Vаsiштhiputra Puлumаyi (No. 3) that Jayavarman's date cannot have been very distant from that of those two Andhra kings. The archaic Sanskrit alphabet of the seal of the new plates is corroborative evidence in tbe same direction. As suggested by Mr. Ramayya, Kуdуrahаra may be a rnore ancient form of Gudrahаra, Gudravаra, Gudrаvаra or Gudrаra [See South-Ind. Inscr. Vol, 1. p. 47, note 1; above, Vol. IV. p. 34, and Vol. V, p, 123.]. The same district is probably mentioned in the plates of Vijayanandivаrman (l. 3), where I propose to read from the photo-lithograph Kudrаhаra instead of Kuдuhаra, the reading of the printed texts [Ind. Ant. Vol. V, p, 176, and Dr, Burnell's South Ind. Pal., second ed., p. 135.]. Kуdуra, which was the head-quarters of this district and the residence of king Jayavarman, and the village Pантуra I am unable to identify. |
TEXT.
First Plate; Second Side.
1 S . [v] . pato vijaya-khaмdhаvаrа
2 nagarа Kуdуrаto
3 Mahещvara-pаda-parigahito
Second Plate; First Side.
4 Bрhatphalаyana-sagoto
5 rаjа siri-Jayavaмmo
6 аnapayati Kуdуre
Second Plate; Second Side.
7 vаpataм [|*] aмmhe dаni
8 aмmha-vejayike -
9 аyu-vadhanike cha -
Third Plate; First side.
10 baмmhanаnaм Gotama-sagota-
11 jаyаparasa Savagutajasa
12 8 Tаnavasa Savigijasa -
Third Plate; Second Side,
13 asiyo 3 Goginajasa
14 asiyo 3 Koдina-sagotasa
15 Bhavaмnajasa asiyo be 2
Fourth Plate; First Side
16 Bhаradаyasa Rudaveмnhujasa -
17 aмsi divaдhа-Kaмnhаyanasa
18 Иsaradatajasa asi diva[да] -
Fourth Plate; Second Side,
19 Opamaмnavasa Rudaghosajasa
20 aмsi 1 Kosika-sagotasa
21 Khaмdarudajasa aмsikа[ddhа] chaм
Fifth Plate; First Side.
22 janаnaм 8 aмsiyo 20 4
23 kаtuna Kуdуrahаre gаmaм
24 Pамтуraм - baмmhadeyaм da[d]аma [|*]
Fifth Plate; Second Side.
25 etaмsi taм gаma -
26 Pатуra - baмmhadeyaм
27 kатуna oyapаpehi [|*]
Sixth Plate; First Side.
28 etasa chasa gаmasa
29 Pамтуrasa baмmhadeyaм
30 kаtuna parihаre vltarаma [|*]
Sixth Plate; Second Side.
31 apаpesaм anomasaм
32 alonakhаdakaм -
83 araтhasaмvinayikaм -
Seventh Plate; First Side.
34 savajаtapаrihаrikaм cha [|*]
35 etehi naм parihаrehi
36 pariharаhi [|*] etaм chasiм gаma[м]
Seventh Plate; Second Side.
37 Pатуra[м] ba[м]mhadeya[м kа]tuna etha
38 nibaмdhаpehi [|*] aviyena аnataм [|*]
39 sayaм chhato [|*] siri-aтha-satа-
Eighth Plate; First Side.
40 vijayo dato [|*] paтikа -
41 saмva 10 he pa 1 diva 1
42 Mahаtagi-varena -
Eighth Plate; Second Side.
43 mahаdaмдanаyakena
44 Bhаpahаnavaмmena -
45 kaтati -
First Plate; First Side.
1 Bamhanаnaм Savagutaja-mahа-
2 janаnaм janаnaм 8 Kуdуrahаre
3 Pамтуrasa bamhadeyasa [||*]
Seal.
Bрhatphalаyana-sagоtrasya mahаrаja-щrи-Jayavarmmanaх [||*]
___________________________________________
From the original plates. First side of the first plate is much corroded, and most of the
letters are indistinct. (EH.)
L. 1. The two first letters are broken away at the top. The lower portion of the letter v
is presrrved on a separate piece of the plate, which is broken off and therefore could not
be shown on the accompanying photo-zincograph. Of the two possible restorationg, sava
(sarva) and siva (щiva), the second appears preferable, because documents generally open
with a word of auspicious import.
L. 18. Read -дhа (for diva[да]-).
L. 21. Read cha (for chaм).
L. 23, 30, 37. Read kаtуna.