Inscription number 78
Sankheda copper-plate of Samvat 346 (= AD. 595-96)
Provenance: Not recorded. Possibly, Sanikheda, near Baroda, Gujrat.
This is only the second plate of the grant and does not contain the genealogical and other personal
details of the ruler. The occurrence of the official designation Bhogika, (In addition to the Minister for Peace and war) a designation not known to have been employed by any other dynasty, and the orthographic similarities with
the other published grants of the family. enables us to assign it to the Gurjaras of Bharoch of whom, we know Dadda III was ruling about 580 A.D. See Buhler,
Ind.Ant., Vol. XVII, pp.191, for explanation of Bhogika.
The name Aditya Bhagika, of the minister of peace and war, who wrote the charter, appears on the plate and the appearance of decimal notation in recording the year 346 of the charter are the points of historical interest.
Script: Late brahmi of the Southern class.
Language: Sanskrit.
Meters: vv.1-3,श्लोक अनुष्टुभ v.4 इन्द्रवज्रा
References H.H. Dhruva, Ep.Ind., Vol.II, pp.19-20, No.I.
Footnote-1
1. From the facsimile in Ep-Ind, II, facing pp-20.
2. The horizontal stroke of क is left out through oversight.
Inscription no 79
Chhoti Sadri Inscription of Gauri (Vikrama) Year 547.
(=491 A.D.)
Provenance: Bhawarmata, (Bhramaramata) temple, about 4 kms
from the town of chhoti Sadri, Near Neemach station on the Ajmer-Khandwa railway, Rajasthan.
Script: Westem variety of Gupta Brahmi, in use in Malwa-Rajputana region about the 5th century AD.
Language: Sanskrit.
Metres: vv.1-10, 13,वसन्ततिलका V.11 स्रग्धरा V.12 शार्दूलविर्कीडित
References D.C. Sircar, Ep.Ind,, XXX, pp-120-27.
Footnote 1
The first ruler of this Manavayani Kshatriya family was Punyasoma. He was succeeded by his son Rajyavardhana. Rashtravardhana was the son of Rajyavardhana. Rashtravardhana’s son and successor was Yashogupta. The last ruler of this family, Gauri was son of Yashogupta.
The most important king of Manavayani dynasty was Yashodharma Vishnuvardhana. Yashodharma’s two identical undated mandsaur victory pillar inscriptions and a stone inscription dated Malava Samvat 589 (532 CE) record his military accomplishments.
Maharaja Gauri of the Manavayani family ruling over the district round chhoti sadri, located on the borders
of Rajasthan and Malwa, is known from another of his inscriptions discovered from Mandasor. (Infra II, 80) The Manavayanis were most probably Subordinates of the Aulikaras of
Dasapura, who themselves were the vassals of the Imperial Guptas. Malwa remained under huna occupation from 484 to 532 AD. Since the present inscription is silent about the Hunas, It may be concluded that the
latter had not been able to impose their authority on the Manavayanis.
2. The characters resemble those employed in the inscriptions
of the Aulikaras of Dasapura. Cf. Mandasore and Biharakotra
Inscriptions of Naravarman dated respectively V.S. 461 and 474 (EP.Ind.. XII, pp.315ff . and Plate; XXVI, pp.130ff,
and Plate; Also infra III, 28 and 29) Gangdhar inscription of Visvavarman dated 480 V.S. (C.I.I. III, pp-74ff and Plate.(and infra III, 30) Mandasore
Inscription of Yasodharman, dated v.s 589 (ibid, pp-152ff. and Plate.
Also infra III, 32) etc
Footnote-2
1. From the facsimile in Ep-Ind facing
pp.124. The text is full of mistakes of spelling, grammar, language in general and even of prosody.
2. Better रथास्थित but samasa has been avoided for the sake of the metre.
3. Evidently derived from स्वक the word has been used in the sense of स्वकीय
4. The syllables before , प्रे स्ने and म्य
in the words प्रेम्णा स्नेहा and प्रणम्य
respectively have been
taken to be short. The final long a of प्रेम्णा has been shortened for the sake of the metre.
5. This word has been used as an antonym of अजर्सम
Footnote 3
1. The correct form seems to be मानवायनि
2. The syllable ta before ksha is taken as short.
3. Here, as elsewhere in the inscription, the word yasas has been used as yasa.
4. Again the poet does not treat the syllable preceding a conjunct as long as required by the rules of prosody.
5. Better read
Note that medial in सूनुर
is put under an a-matra unnecessarily attached to sa.
6. राज्यवर्द्धनो would have been better expressive of the.idea though the metre would have suffered.
Footnote- 4
1. Jayat would have been more accurate.
2. Dharmasuta is obviously used in the sense of Yudhishthira, and before it another word meaning ‘son is required
to complete the sense.
3. Note that the base is again taken as Yasa instead of correct yasas.
4. The short vowel at the end of iti has been lengthened to suit the requirement of the metre.
Footnote-5
1. The word satputrah is required here, rather then at- its present place in verse 11 (1.13).
2. The mark of punctuation is not needed here.
3. The base being vakshas, the reading should either be making the entire quatrain an adjective of the
missing word satputrah, or it should be vakshasah. If the phrase is intended, like the follovdng ones, to qualify the missing words denoting ‘enemy elephants’.
4. The visarga is wrongly retained to suit the metre.
5. Attihi bhyo i. the dative form is required here, But it ill not suit the metre.
6. The metre requires a long syllable here instead of short sya.
7. The visarga (changeable to r) has been omitted to suit the metre.
8. The correct form would be पदमानि
Footnote 6
1. The mark of punctuation is not required.
2. The reading should either be भूषिता च
If it is to go with भूतधात्री or भूषितैश्च If qualifying प्रसादै: वपुष mfn = beautiful
3. Here again, as in the second quarter of this verse, the bases are taken as yasa and vapusha instead of correct yasas and vapus respectively.
4. The visarga is wrongly retained for the sake of the metre.
5. Correctly कृतो यं But the metre requires the additional syllable ma.
6. M jas been wrongly changed into an anusvara, and thus made to conform to the metre.
7. The amendation ख्याप्यते suggested by sircar,
gives a good sense, although it violates the metre.
Footnote-7
1. Note the abrupt change from the third person (ie the
king) to the first person (i.e the poet). But this change may have been made by the poet to suit the.requirement of the metre, and not or claiming for
himself, the merit resulting from the construction of the temple of Bhramaramata which for some unknown reasons reflects his own name.
2. The mark of punctuation is Superfluous here, as also in 1.17 below
after अपराजितेन
3. The poet obviously means, ‘exceeded by to scores and accordingly the phrase should be, विंशति -द्वय – समधिकेषु which, however, wilI demage the metre.
4. Magha sumklasya divase is meant.
5. Most probably , Jivaddharana was the father of Mitrasoma,
not of Bhramarasoma. In that case the reading should be Mitrasomasya sunor. The phrase as it stands in the
the text would mean, Bhramarasoma, the son of Mitrasoma and
born of Jivaddharana. We will have to assume in that case that Jivaddharana was the real father and Mitrasoma the adioptive father 0f Bhramarasoma.
6. A double danda is preceded by two concentric circles.
7. An ornamental design of a creeper indicates the conclusion of the record.
English Translation of the inscription
1. (Let there be) success!
Victorious is the Goddess (i.e the Mother-goddess)
who bears a sharp spear that tears as under the demons (or the demon (Mahishasura) who emits a fast flowing
beem of rays from her Jewelled crown, speeding at a fierce velocity, because seated in a chariot pulled by
a fierce lion (and) whose anger is concentrated in her glance cast with a knitted brow.
2. Victorious again is she who because of devotion, assumes half of the body of the moon-crested Hara,
(and) who, full of growing love, sustains the world like a mother with the (natural) affection br her own
son, because she is affectionate towards her devotees.
3. After paying obeisance to her, I am dealing, a little, with the bright glory consisting of a mass of good
qualities of the kings, sprung from the manavayani family, who were fair of l,ineage who were ever
dedicated to the Khatriya tradition and were skilled in war fare,
4. Amongst them, in the first place, was this one called Punyasoma, who was the destroyer of the enemy partisans
anong the Kshatriyas, who was prosperous, whose handsome
chest was well-adorned with a mass of fame who, in the midst of the crowd of Kahatriyas was administered
on the head the anointment (lit. Royal bath) with (auspicious) pitchers along with the proclamation as the king.
5. His son was Rajyavarddhana, whose figure was shining bright with the crown tied (to his head) whose face bore the splendour of the rays of the disc of, full
moon, whose valour (manifested) in conquering kingdoms, (and) who was named after his qualites that were
(responsible for) increasing his kingdom.
6. To him also was born a son, Rashtra by name who belonged to the side of victors of powerful enemies,
whose arms were as big and Long as the trunk of an elephant whose brilliant discus was active in ransacking the kingdoms of enemies (and) whose
auspicious fame rose high.
7. His son also bore calm, temperament and figure, Yudhishthira like, the son ever engaged in sacrificial rites, was adapt at charities apprehensive of frequent
invocations to come again and again to whose (sacrifices) Indra the king of gods could not find relief.
8. That same ruler of the earth, the very moon among kings, was named Yasagupta, whose entire body was
decked with the armament of fame, whose eyes were big and beautiful like full-blown lotuses, who was
efficient (and) kind, who subdued the enemy faction.
9. This is his (virtuous son) who robbed the gigantic war-elephants of their great arrogance , who tore
asundur the breasts (of enemy elephants) with the tusk strokes of his rutted elephants, hit by whose falling
arrows (the elephants) in battle- formations, with rut oozing from the split temples, flee in panic.
10. He was ever libaral towards supplicants extending
anong all creaatures, ever engaged in showing compassion to the destitute among his subjects having heard of
the brightness of lotuses in whose lakes the wives of enemies (incessantly) watered their face-lotuses with tears (to nourish them as it were to matching bloom).
11. This abode of living beings (i.e. the earth), being piled at this place by him with sacrificial rites,
shines (looks beautiful) as if bearing horns in (the shape of) sacrificial posts and it has been adorned (by him) with the construction of palaces,
as beautiful as moonlight and lofty as the mountains, who has distributed wealth in the form of houses for noble brahmanas, (the houses) which are radiant like the moon as a result of multifarious gifts (made by.the
king to the latter). He the virtuous son of Yasogupta, is the illustrious Maharaja Gauri who is highly salf-respecting (and)/his body adorned with bright fame.
12. He, desirous of the grace of the goddess (i.e. the Mother goddess Parvati), has built this palatial
building (i.e the temple of the goddess) of marvellous appearance which is as white as the moon, necklaces
kunda (Jasmine) flowers, (and) is as lofty as the king of mountains (e. the himalayas). Whatever merit
(For the construction of the temple) is proclaimed in this world, by the noble Brahmanas, and whatever is
announced in the scriptures, may all that accrue inexhaustively to me and also) to our parents.
13. When five hundred of the years, exceded by two Scores together with seven, had passed away (the said
temple) was consecrated on the tenth titthi on the bright day (i.e. day of the bright half), which was white and bright like the full blown kunda flowers,
of the month of Magha
14. Thia is the composition of Bhrahmarasoma, the son of
Mitrasoma who was begotten byJivadaharana. And this
aforesaid (eulogy has been written by Aparajita, who
meditates on the feet of (i.e is favoured by) prince Gobhata.
Footnote
It appears that the prayer is from the king himself, and is being quoted as direct speech. Hence in the translation, it is being pit within inverted commas. Kings are too proud to use singular pronouns for themselves. That explains.the use of our parents. Accordingly nah should have been used in place of mama (Me)
The matter was first written down on the surface of stone or copper plate and handed over to the engraver for carving out the lettering.