46

Pipalada Copper Plate Inscription of the Time of Bhoja, Vikrama 1078

S. SubramoniaIyer

This copper plate charter edited below with the permission of the Chief Epigraphist was discovered in the village Pipalada in the Indore Tahsil and District in . It was in the possession of one N arayana Motiram Patel who presented the plates to the State Archaeologi­ cal Museum, Indore. (Pls. 46.1 and 2) The copper plates are two in number. Each plate measures 33 cm in length and 23 cm in breadth. The edges of the plates are slightly raised in order to protect the writing on them. There are two circular holes which are separated by an intervening space of 11.9 cm and meant for the rings on which the plates were originally strung together. These are found on the first plate in the lower margin below the writing and on the second in the upper margin above the writing. Neither the rings nor the seal is available now. Together they weigh 3.4 kg. The writing is in a good state of pres~rvation. There are in all 27 lines, of which the first and the second plates bear 14 and 13 lines respectively. The last five lines of the record (lines 23-27) on the inner side of the second plate are shorter than the other lines by 5.6 cm. The left lower end of the surface which is rectangular in shape with a length of 6 cm and a height of 7 .1 cm is occupied by the engraved figure of a standing Garu9a which is the emblem of the Paramara rulers of - a common feature in their copper plate grants. The figure of Garu9a is bordered on all its four sides by two lines, the space between which is decorated by small strokes. The script is Nagari of the eleventh century A.D. which bear comparison to other charters of the Paramara king Bhoja viz., Banswa.9a copper plate Vikrama }0761 and copper plate Vikrama 1078.2 The initial vowel a is used in lines 19, 21, i in line 24, u in line 20, and ai in line 1. As regards orthography, the following are noteworthy. Although the final m has been use'd correctly in some cases, it has often been changed to anusvara either at the end of a sentence or of the second and fourth pada of stanza as in lines 12, 20 and 22. The change of final m to anusvara before u has sometimes been wrongly avoided as in samvatsariya in line 8. However in _line7 in sarhviditarhthe final m has been correctly changed to anusvara. Instead of b, the lette; v 1s generally employed as in vrahma1J,-ottaranin line 7, jalavi!fzdu in line 10, kamala-dal- 362 IndianArchaeological Heritage

_ . d - - • · 1i·ne25. The scribe confuses in the use of the palatal sibilants and the dental amvu-vzn u- 1o 1am m . . . - . 1· 1 Th ~ . sasmsva-szmam. ,_ - · 1·me 12 , sasanen= odaka. . m. lme 17. and. szrasam me . - e consonant_ . _ _rollowing . . . nerall found reduplicated as m vznzrggatam hne 13, dharmma-setur - m:zpalJ,am10 hne r IS ge y . . R . -a . r 24 etc. Then again, the scribe confuses between ri and rz as m zgve zya m me 15. The care Iessness o f the Sen.be is seen in the omission of. strokes . wherever. required as in lines 9, 21, dd·u· of strokes in places where they are not requrred as m Imes 7, 26 etc., use of unnecessary a 1 on f d . . d - . d , words as in sva-sima-tr)1J,a-gocharain line 12, elision o wor s as m Janapa -am as= cha in line 7, dharmm-arthayaskarain line 21, pa{{akila-ryyatho,in line 17 etc.

The charter actually bears two dates. While all the details regarding the first date on which the grant was actually given are not mentioned excepting the month Chaitra which is stated to be atita (past), it can tentatively be assumed that the first date may p~obably _be Vikran_ia 1077 (A.D. 1020). The second date quoted in line 26 is Vikrama 1078, Chaztra vadz 6, on which date the charter in question was got prepared and incised. Since neither the week day nor the nakshatra is given, it is difficult to give the exact equivalent in the Christian era. It may roughly correspond to March 21, A.D. 1021 the week day being Tuesday.

It begins with the well-known siddham expressed by a symbol, followed by two stanzas in adoration of god Siva. The genealogy of king Bhoja is then given in lines 3-6. The first king that finds mention is ParamabhatJarakaParamesvara Siyakadeva. He was followed successively by P t..M.P.Vakpatirajadeva andP.M.P. Sindhurajadeva. Lines 6-9 contain the grant portion in which is recorded the grant of the village called Dhanyapuraka situated in the Kampilya-bhoga by king Bhoja when he was stationed at Dhara.

This is followed by two verses which speak of the impermanence and futility of mundane pleasures and which extoll the virtue of making grants. Lines 12-18 mention the donee by name Ramabhana-dikshita who is described as the son of Avasadhikasura, who belonged to the Sarhklryayana~sakha of the l_Qg-Veda, Kapisthala-gotra and Vasishtha-pravara and an emigrant from Anandapura The grant was made by the king on the occasion on which the two tula­ purushadii:naswere given by the king. 3 It is also equally silent as to whether the present grant also constituted part of the tulapurushadana.The inscription then proceeds to state that the royal grant of the village was made for the merit of the king and his parents. The village thus granted as usual gave the donee the right to receive all the adayas or imposts such as hira1Jya(taxes in cash),bhiiga ( share of the crops produced), bhOga (periodical offerings) and uparikara (additional cess or tax on temporary tenants). This is followed by the usual imprecatory and benedictory verses which ar7i~ all five in number. Line 26 records the date on which the grant was made ready an~ got _1nf~ed on the. copper plates. Line 27 contains the usual auspicious words mangalammahii-sri'l} and the sign manual of the king as contained in the passage sva-hasfO= Y®!thSri-Bhojadevasya which it may be noted is also found in line 14 at the end of the first plate. charter.Nei er the name of the composer of the record nor that of its engraver is mentioned in the present th idc Dhar m Dhar D1stnct. Anandapura from whence the donee emi~ated cannot be identified. Text 1 (Metres: verses, 1-2, 4-5 Anush{ubh;verses 3,7 Vasantatilaka;verse 6/ndravaj- ra; verse 8 Salini; verse 9 Pushpitagra) First Plate

1. Siddham J ayati Vyomakeso = sau yalJ, sargga.yavi(bi)bharathi ta.m(ta.m)I aurhdavirh . si(si)rasa lekharhjagad - vi(d-bi) j- Zirhkur-Zik,:itimII f l].

2. Tanvantuva!J, Smararate!J, kalya1J,am = anisarh ja{alJ,I kalp - anta - samay - oddama - tcuj,id- valaya - pirhgalalJII 6

3. Paramabha,!fo,raka= maharajadhiraja- parame - svara - sri- Siyakadeva - pad - anudhyata- parama - 4. bha{{araka- maharaja.dhira.ja- paramesvara- sri- Va.kpatirajadeva- pad - anudhyata- paramabha,{{a.raka- mahara -

5. ja.dhiraja- paramesvara - sri - Sirhdhura- jadeva - pad_- anudhyata - paramabha{{a.raka- maharajadhiraja- paramesva - 6. ra-sri - Bhojq,- devalJ,kusali II Kampilya - bhog - ZirhtalJ,pa.ti- Dhcmya - purake samupiigatan = samasta - ra.japuru- 1. shalJ,= Vra(Bra)hmalJ,- ottarcm = pratinivqsi - janapad - arhda(adfrh)s = cha samadisaty = AstuvalJ,samviditam II 1 yatha (1) srimad =Dhar-a- vasthitair = asmabhir = atita - samvatsariya8 - chaitre - pradatta - tulapurusha - dvaya - dana - samaye snatva char - achara - gu - riumbhagavantarh Bhavanipati'rh lifflllF'UlDhyarchchyasarhsarasy = asaratam IndianArchaeological Heritage 364

d,:ishtya( J) Vat- abhra- vibhramam = idam vasudh - adhipatyam = a - 10. pata - matra - madhuro vishay - opabhogalJ.pra1Jas = tr:irJ- agra - jala - vi(bi) mdhu- sama nafarJamdharmma,IJ. sakhaparam = ahl> 11. para - loka - yane 11(3) Bhramat - samsara - chakr - agra - dhar - adharam = imam sriyarh(yam)1 12. param phalam(lam) 11 (4) Iti jagato vinasvararhsvarupam = akalayy = opari - lli(li)khita - gramalJ.sva - si(si)ma - t,:i1J,a- gochara 9 -yu

13. ti - paryantalJ,sa - hira1J,ya- bhaga - bhogal]s - oparikarahsrvv - adaya - , , - sametas = cha II Srimad = Anandapura- vinirggata - 14. sva - hasto = yarh sri - Bhojadevasya Second Plate 15. purvvajaya Ri(Ri)gva(gve)diya- s'arhkhayana10 - sakhaya kapisht_hala - gotrayaVasish(ha-pravaraya Avasadhikasura- suta - di - 16. kshita - Ramabhaf{aya/ mata - pitror = atmanas = cha pu1J,ya- yaso = bhiv,:iddhaye ad,:ish{a- phalam = amgik,:ityacharhdr - a,:kk- ar1J1Java- kshi -

17. ti - samakalarhparaya bhaktya sasa(sa)nen = odaka - pfirvvam pratipadita iti matva tan = nivasi - pa{{akila- ryya(ya) - tha11 - diyama -

18. na- bhaga-bhoga- kara - hirany­ adikam = aj na- srava1J,a- vidheyair = bhutvasarvvam= asmai samupanetavyamI I sama,nyam.ch= aitat =pu _ Indian ArchaeologicalHeritage 365

19. '!Ya- phalam vu(bu) dhva asmad = vamsajair = anyair = api bhiivi - bhoktr:ibhir= asmat - pradatta 12 - dharmma(dharmma)dayo=yam= anumantavyaJJ,palanTyas = cha II

20. Uktam cha II va(Ba)hubhir = vvasudha bhukta rajabhi!J,Sagar - adibhi!J, yasya yasya yada bhumis = tasya tasya tada phalarh (lam) 11 (5) Yan= iha datta - 21. ni pura narerhdrair= ddanarhdharamm - artha-ya(sa)skara1J,i( 1) nirmmalya- vanti(nta) - pratirna1J,itani ko nama sadhu!J,punar = adadita Ii (6) A - 22. smat - kula - kkramam = udaram = udaharadbhir = anyais = cha danam = idam = abhyanumodaniyarh(yam)Iakshmyas = 13 salila - vudvuda14 - chamchaliiya!J,

23. danam phalarh para - yasa!J,pari - palanarh cha I (1) sarwan = etan = bhii.vina!J, parthiverhdran= bhUyobhUyo yacha - 24. te RamabhadraJJ11 ( 1) samanyo = yam dharmma - setur = nn,:ipanarhkale kale palaniyo bhavadbhiJJ11 (8) I -

25. ti kamala - dal - amvu(mbu) - vi(bi)ndu - lolam sriyam = anuchintya manushya­ JTvitamcha I sa(sa)kalam = idam = udah,:i- 26. tamcha vu(bu)dhva na hi purushai!J, para - kirttayo vilopya iti (pya!J,II 9 iti)15 Samvat 1078 Chaitra -vadi 5 21. svayam = lijiia II mangalain mahii- sril} II sva - hasto = yam sri-BhojadevasyaII 366 Indian ArchaeologicalHeritage Notes and References

1. CorpusInscriptionum lndicarum, (-CJ/)., vol. VII, pp. 39ff. 2. lbid. pp. 42ff. 3. The tutapurusha-danais one of the sixteen mahadlinas described in the Puraryas and by Hemadri in his Dana-k~9a; (Kane, P.V. The History of the Dharmastra, vol. II, part II, eh. XXV, p., 869 f; The Kalesvaram inscription of Devaraya I dated Saka 1319 (A.O. 1397) refers to the performance of tutapurusha-mahii-danaby Devaraya I at Ka~esvaram on the occasion of the festival celebrating his conquest of quarters (dig-vijay-otsava) (Epigraphialndica, vol. XXXVI, p., 199ff.) The Banswara copper plate grant (Bhandarkar's list. No. 108)and the Be~ma copper plate grant (Ibid. No. 110) both dated Vikrama 1076 (A.D. 1020) and belonging to the Paramara king Bhoja were issued on the occasion of the conquest of Korilkana by the king. There is however no reference to tulapurusha-diinain those charters. The present charter is important as it contains the only reference to the performance of a tutapurusha-danaby the king Bhoja. 4. Only in the Mahaudi copper plate inscription of Bhojadeva, Vikrama 1074, the following expression is met with viz., sva-hasto=yammaharlija-sri Bhojadevasya in which the king is endowed with the regnal title mliharaja CII. vol. VII, p., 35, 1.29). 5. Tahasil Indaur ke gramomki varf!linukramiitmakasuchi,jilliIndaur, p., 1 6. Expressed by a symbol. -7. The double darJ4asare redundant 8. Read samvatsariya 9. In other copper plate charters of Bhoja, the expression generally met with here is chatus = sima - gochara- (See Ep. lnd. vol. XXXIII, p., 218, 1. 12). 10. Read Samkhyayana. 11. In other copper plate charters of Bhoja, the following expression is met with viz. pattakila-janapad-adibhir= yatha (See Ibid. p., 218, ls. 16-17). 12. Read - pravritta - 13. Read- valaya - 14. Read-budbuda- 15. The stroke is redundant. Plate 46.1 Pipalada, Indor~ tehsil, Inscription of Bhoja's time VS 1078 Plate 46.2 Pipalada, Indore tehsil, Inscription of Bhoja's time VS 1078 INDIAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE

SHRI K.V. SOUNDARA RAJAN FESTSCHRIFT

VOLUME I

Editors

C. MARGABANDHU K.S. RAMACHANDRAN A.P. SAGAR D.K. SINHA

ICHR Library 26189 I111111 111\III\I\ "II\ 11111 II\\Ill\

AGAM KALA PRAKASHAN DELHI