Soro plate of Sambhuyasas- Gupta Year 260. ( = 508-9 A.D.)
This is a single copper plate having 19 lines of writing. The obverse contains 10 lines and the reverse 9 lines. The language of the inscription is Sanskrit. The script is Northern variety of Brahmi, of the first half of the 6th century A.D. The plate having no royal seal except a semicircular head prolonged to its left hand side of the plate. The plate records the grant of the village called Ghantakshetra adjoining sarepha, in favour of the brahmana named Bharanasvamin by king Sambhuyasas.
According to Mahabharata and some puranas, a prince namely ‘Kalinga’ had founded this kingdom in Odisha.
The Mahabharata also mentions one ‘Srutayudha’ as the king of the Kalinga kingdom, who joined the Kaurava camp
Mudgala dynasity ruled the region of North Toshali, from 500 to 620 A.D. The river Mahanadi served as the border between North and South Toshali.
Provenance: Badkhuri, near soro, Balasore district, Orissa. Now in the Ravenshaw College Museum, Cuttack.
Balasore was a part of ancient Kalinga kingdom. The history of Balasore witnessed a quick succession of several dynasties in its bosom.
Some of the major monuments in Balasore District includes the rich sculptural remains found in Ayodhya. The ruin of the old Buddhist monastery and temple is there in Kupali in Balasore District. Some of the ruined forts at the Jayachandi forests in Raibania are also there in the District. The major religious monument found in the District is the Lord Chandaneswar Shrine.
The Kalinga kingdom had undergone several changes in terms of its boundaries since ancient ages. It was also known by different names like Odra, Utkala, Hirakhanda, Mahakantara etc in different eras.
Unlike other Ancient Kingdoms in India, Odisha for most part of the History remained a stable and major power till medieval era due to wide spread martial culture and prosperity brought by successive native ruling dynasties.
Script: Northern variety of Brahmi, of the first half of the 6th century A.D.
Language: Sanskrit.
References: N,G. Majumdar, Ep.Ind., XXIII, pp-197-202.
First Side.
Footnote 1.
1. Palaeographically the writing resembles that of Patiakella grant of Maharaja Sivaraja (Ep.Ind., IX,.pp-285 and Infra. ,6), and is much earlier than
that of Ganjan plates of sasanka, dated in the Gupta year 300 ( =619 A.D.)
(Ep.Ind., VI, facing pp.144).
2. From the facsimile in Ep.Ind,. XXIII, facing pp.200.
3. Expressed by a symbol.
Footnote 2.
1. He is identical with the sambhuyasas of Mudgala gotra, referred to, by Maharaja Sivaraja in his Pattiakella plates (Ep.Ind., IX, pp. 285, 1.3, infra, IV, 6) whereby the latter made a land-grant in Dakshina-Tosali. (Ibid L4)
2. First mentioned in Asoka’ s Rock Edict at Dhauli, near Bhuvaneshvar. Tosali was divided into two provinces namely uttara (North) and Dakshina (south) (see n.1 above). The latter included Kongoda-mandala,
which is located south west of Puri, might have extended to the
borders of the Ganjam district. Uttara-Tosali included
sarepha or modern soro in Balasore district.
Second side.
Footnote 3.
1. Left out earlier samvaddha is engraved below the line.
2. Sarepha is to be identified with modern soro in Bala-sore district, in the vicinity of which, the present plate was discovered. Soro appears as one of the
Principal divisions of sarkar Jalesar in the Revised Rent Roll of shah shuja (1650 AD). It is now an important railway station.
3. Timpira denotes a unit of land measurement. It occurs also in Parikud (1.44 Ep.Ind, XI, pp-286) and Nivina
(ibid XXI, pp-35, n1) grants.
English Translation of the inscription.
Om ! From the victorious camp at Tampa-ravada-mava-saka,
Maharaja Sri Sambuyasas, who meditates on the feet of
the supreme divinity that is his father, who is crest-jewel and Iusterous moon in the firmament of the mudgala family,
competent in nursing his subjects, who has overwhelmed the enemy action with the prowess of his own arm, who is initiated into ( i.e devoted to) the sacred resolution of (granting)
freedom from fear to the people in trouble, the fame of whose,
endless pious deeds, is established in the regions of all the directions, whose wealth is enjoyable to their fill, by the
people attached to him (and) who wears the ornaments of modesty and Vedic learnings, being in good health,
offers his greetings to the present and future Mahasamanta, Maharajas, Princes, Kumaramatyas, Uparikas, Vishayapatis, their Ayuktakas, Dandavasikas (pasikas), Sthanantarikas and other classes of Officers (vallabha) stationed) in uttara Tosali and the Board of Administration, of the Saraphahara district,
headed by the chief Mahattara and Kutakolasa, and orders:-
Be it known to you that in the village of Ghantakshetra, adjoining sarepha, (and) attached to this very (sarephahara)
district (vishaya,) eight timpiras (of land) along with the standing crops and together with two hundred arm-lengths
of building site, have been granted (by us) together with minor taxes, together with (proper) demarkation (soddesah),
immune from all types violations to last as long as the moon and the sun do to Bharanasvamin of Bharadvaja gotra and Kanva sakha of the Yajurveda, for the increase of religious merit of my
Father, Mother and Myself. Therefore, this gift of ours should be nursed (or protected) The order has been executed by Ourselves. And it has been stated in the Dharmasastra:-
(Here, a traditional verse is quoted)
Written by Narayana, the Senior Minister for Peace and War.
Heated by the Mahattara Videsasvamin. In the year 260, on the
30th day of Karttika.