Inscription number 37.
Kanteru Plates of salankayana Vijaya-Skanda-Varman.
(First quarter of 4th century A.D.) Regnal year 1.
As we are aware that, the Vengi throne was again captured by Achandavarman, the
eldest son of Nandivarman, namely
the Hastivarman 2, who was over looked in succession to the
throne. However his son
Skandavarman was instrumental in placing him on the throne. At this stage Hastivarman was very old. He was succeeded by Vijaya-Skanda-Varman.
Provenance: Kanteru Guntur taluk and district, Andhra Pradesh.
Kantheru village is located in Tadikonda mandal of Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is situated 7km away from sub-district headquarter Tadikonda and 16km away from district headquarters Guntur. Mangalagiri is nearest town to kantheru for all major economic activities, which is approximately 13km away from this village.
Script: South-eastern Brahmi of 3rd to 6th century A.D.
Footnote 1.
1. Hastivarman of this list appears to be identical with the Vaingeyaka
Hastivarman whom samudra-gupta (320 to 355 A.D. )
claims in his Allahabad Prasasti (Supra, II,5) to have subdued.
The salan-kayana king, Vijaya-Deva-varman, must
be placed earlier, because the language of his charter is Prakrit, which was in vogue before the Imperial Guptas made sanskrit universally popular
as the language of state administration on the basis of similarity of script and phraseology used
in the present grant to that in the Prakrit plates of Vijaya-Deva-varman (Supra, IV, 33)and the Omgodu grant of vijaya-skanda-varman 2, (Supra, IV,23) also the Uruvupalli grant of
simha-varman, Panchamukhi concludes that Vijaya-Skanda-Varman, of the present record flourished close
after Vijaya-Deva-Varman and was a predecessor or an elder contemporary of Hastivarman.
The charter of Vijaya-Skanda-Varman records a donation of the village of Chinnapura in Kudrahara vishaya to Sivarya, a resident of the village of Lekumari and a member of the Maudgalya gotra. The donation was made by Vijaya-Skandavarman and was issued from Vengipura, (modern village of Pedavegi)
The grant was issued on the full moon day of Vaisakha in the 1st year of Skandavarman’s reign.
Language: Sanskrit.
References: K.V. Lakshmana Rao, J. Andhra Historical Research Society, V, pp. 21ff. R.S. Panchamakhi,
EP Ind. XXV, pp.42-47.
Footnote 2.
1. From the facsimile in Ep.Ind., XXV, between pp. 46 and 47.
2. All inscribed sides are numbered in the left margin.
English Translation of the inscription.
Peace ! From the victorious (city of Vengi) At the command of the illustrious Maharaja Vijaya-Skanda-Varman, a
salankayana, a meditator on the feet of Lord chitrarathasvamin.