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 Sudеva. Mahаsudеvarаja is similar to Sudеvamahаrаja.-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 Mahаsudеvarаja and were misjoined to a seal which must have originally belonged to some charter of Mahаjayaraja. ([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 Sudеva's predecessor was really Jaya. The legend (in two lines) on the seal reads: Prasanna-tanayasy=еdaм vikkram-оtkhаta-vidviшa[х |*] щrиmatо Jayarаjasya щаsanaм ripu-щаsana[м](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 Щarabhapura (For the identification of this city with Щarpagarh 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 Щarabha, father of Narеndra, like Gоparаja 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 Mahеndra of Kоsala 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 Vаkатaka. 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 Pрthivишенa II that the king of Kоsala was a feudatory of Vаkатaka Narеndrasеna and that of the Ajanta inscription [Hyderabad Archaeological Series, No. 14, p. 14.] which describes Hariшенa, probably, as the conqueror of Kоsala along with several other countries need not necessarily be taken to imply that the Щarabhapura kings were the feudatories of the Vаkатakas. Kоsala appears to have had much wider extent than the territories governed by the Щarabhapura 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 Mahеndrаditya and of Prasannamаtra need not be taken as evidence of the extension of the territories of the Щarabhapura kings over the Chanda District as it is likely that the coins travelled to that place which has not far away from the Щarabhapura 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: Vasantatilakа; Verse 2: Indravajrа; Verses 3-6: Anuштubh.
Script: Box-headed variety of the Central Indian alphabet.
Date: Regnal Year 7, second (intercalary) Bhаdrapada 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 Mahа-Jayarаja, 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 Anuштubh legend which refers to Jayarаja, son of Prasanna, and not to Sudevarаja, as one would normally expect. Katare, therefore, thinks that the plates were "taken out from their original ring bearing the seal of Mahа-Sudevarаja and were misjoined to a seal which must have originally belonged to some charter of Mahа-Jayarаja (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 Jayarаja, was attached to this charter by mistake.
(AMS)

TEXT

First Plate

1 siddhaм [|*] svasti [|*] Щarabhapurаd=vikkram-оpanata-sаmanta-maku[тa-cуда-maнi]-
2 prabhа-prasеk-аmbu-dhauta-pаda-yugalо ripu-vilаsi[nи-sиmant-оddharaнa]-
3 hеtur=vvasu-vasudhа-gо-pradaЫ parama-bhаgava[tо mаtа-pitр-pаd-а]-
4 nuddhyаtaщ=щrи-Mahаsudеvarаjaх cu[ ................]
5 vakе prativаsi-kuтumbinas=samаjnа[payati | viditam=astu vо]
6 yath=аsmаbhir=ayaм grаmastр(s=tri)daщapati-sa[dana-sukha-pratiштhаkarо]

Second Plate, First Side

7 yаvad=ravi-щaщi-tаrа-kiraнa-pratihata-ghоr-аndhakаraм jagad=avatiштha-
8 tе tаvad-upabhоgyas=sa-nidhis=s-оpanidhir=a-cатa-bhaтa-prаvещyas=sarvva-ka-
9 ra-visarjjita[х*] pуrvvaм Nanna-pаdais=Taittirиya-Pаrащara-sagоtra-brаhma-
10 нa-kаraнika-Kansippasvаminо(nе) datta idаnиm=apy=asmаbhir=api
11 mahаdеvи-rаjakulаnам vиjгаpyаs=tаmbra(tаmra)-щаsanиkрtaх tе yуyam=е-
12 vam=upalabhy=аsy=аjга-щravaнa-vidhеyа bhуtvа yath=оcitaм bhоga-bhаga-

Second Plate, Second Side

13 m=upanayantas=sukhaм prativatsyatha [||*] bhaviшyataщ=ca bhуmipаn-anu-
14 darщayati | Dаnаd=viщiштam=anupаlanajaм purана dharmmешu niщcita-
15 dhiyaЫ  pravadanti dharmmaм(rmmam) | Tasmа[d*]=dvijаya suviщuddha-kula-щrutаya dattам
16 bhuvaм bhavatu vо matir=еva gоptu[m*] || Tad=bhavadbhir=apy=еша dattir=anu-
17 pаlayи(yi)tavyа [||*] Vyаsa-gиtамщ=c-аtra щlоkаn=udаharanti [|*] Agnеr=apatyaм pra-
18 thamaм suvarннaм bhуr=vvaiшнavи sуryya-sutащ=ca gаvaх [|*] dattаs=trayas=tе-

Third Plate, First Side

19 na bhavanti lоkах(kа) yaX=kагcanaм gам ca mahи[м] ca dadyаt [||*] шaштi-varшa-sa-
20 hasrанi svarggе mоdati bhуmidaх [|*] аcchеttа c-аnumantа ca tаny=е-
21 va narakе vasеt [||*] Bahubhir=vvasudhа dattа rаjabhis=Sagar-аdibhiх [|*] yasya
22 yasya yadа bhуmiх(mi) ta(s=ta)sya tasya tadа phalaм(lam) [||*] Sva-dattам para-dattам vа
23 yatnаd=rakшa Yudhiштhira [|*] Mahиtma(m=ma)himatаг=cchrештha dаnаc-chrеyо=ёnupаla-
24 nam=iti [||*] Sva-mukh-аjгayа pravarddhamаna-vи(vi)jaya-savva(saмva) 7 dvi-Bhаdra-di 10 [||*]

Third Plate, Second Side

25 Uktи(tkи)rннaм Drонasi(siм)(кghе)(ghе)na ||

Seal.
Prasanna-tanayasy-еdaм vikkram-оtkhаta-vidviшa[х*]
Щrиmatо Jayarаjasya щаsanaм ripuщаsana[м](nam) [||6||]