Inscription number 72.
Faridpur Copper-plate Inscription of the time of Gopachandra –Regnal year 18.
Provenance: Faridpur district, Bangla Desh.
Faridpur is one of the seventeen districts in the Dhaka Division and is a major commercial hub of Bangladesh.
It is located on the banks of Padma river.
It is pertinent to mention here that during ancient times i.e the early period of Indian history, the region of Bengal covered vast territorial
area including the modern state of West Bengal and some parts of the adjoining
districts of Assam and Bihar and included most of the parts of present day of Bangladesh.
Script: Late Brahmi of the Northern class of the middle of the 6th century A.D.
Language: Sanskrit,
Metre: Vv.1-2 श्लोक (अनुष्टुभ)
References: F. E. Pargiter, Ind.Ant, XXXIX, 1910, pp.204
D.C. Sircar, sel.Inss, I, pp. 370–72, Bhandarkar’s List, No. 1724 (for other references).
Footnote 1.
- Pargiter read the date as 19, and deduced from the developed form of य in this record that Gopachandra was
later than Dharmaditya. His relation with the latter is unknown. His dominions extended from the Faridpur
District of Bangla Desh to south-west Bengal in India.
Apparently like Dharma-ditya, he was independent of central Gupta authority. His identification, is suggested with the king of the east called Gopa, in the
Aryamanjusrimulakalpa (ed. sankrityayana, v. 780) - From the facsimile in Ind.Ant. XXXIX.
Footnote 2.
- Read: तदनुमोदनाल्लब्धा-
- Pargiter interprets व्यापारण्डय as the business of managing trade. But Sircar suggests the emendation
व्यापार – कारण्डीय (See supra, III, No.70,L5, n.4) - Pargiter क्रियामात्य
- Read कालेवारक
- Pargiters स्वामि (ना). ष्ट (स्य) and suggested स्वामिना तस्य
- Sircar amends to विनय कुण्ड
Footnote 3. - Note that Individualss like Ghoshachandra and
Anachara and officials like Dharmasila and Siva-chandra, referred to here also figure in the grants of Dharmaditya,
(Supra III, Nos. 69-70) indicating a close continuity between Dharmaditya and Gopachandra. The latter appears to be the Immediate successor of Dharmaditya. - Read
गुणवते काण्व – वाजसनेयि – लौहित्य – भटट – गोमिदत्त स्वामिने प्रतिपादयितुम् - Pargiter suggested अंशमडिन्कतुमिति and Sircar प्रसादड़न्कत्र्तुमिति
- The first side of the plate is worn out and mostly illegible. Only the first 6 to 10 1etters in the first ten lines and the last few letters in the last five lines,
are legible. Hence, the reading in worn out part of the plate is conjectural. The same is true about the 1st line on the second side.
Footnote 4.
- The central lower loop of ण is rubbed out, so it appears to be two letters.
- Pargiter: नयभूतेस्तु स्थूलावधारणया
- N.G. Majumdar read
(Those who are acquainted with administrative affairs). Sircar suggests
करणिक – जनान् - कुलवार possibly means an arbitrator.
- Appears to be the name of a village.
English Translation of the inscription.
Seal: (The seal) of the government of the district of Varakamandala
L1.1-5: welfare !
During the sovereignty of the Supreme king of great Kings, Sri Gopachandra, the emperor, who is a matchless
warrior, is equal in steadfastness to Yayati and Ambrisha, during the administration in Navyavakasika
of the firmly rooted Kumaramatya-
Uparika Nagadeva, (who is also) the chief warden of the Gate and Executive 0fficer incharge of Business, who
gained his position on having been confirmed by him
(i.e. Gopachandra) ( and when) Vatsapalasvamin is the
Commissioner of Business in the district of Varakamandala,
L1.5-10s During his (vatsapalasvami’s) term of administration, the Board of Administration headed by the senior most kayastha Nayasena, the Mahattaras beginning with
Mahattara Vishayakunda, Ghoshachandra, Anachara, the Mahattras (and) the chief
Merchants were petitioned, according to their Jurisdiction
(yatharham) by Vatsapalasvamin)
L1,10-15: I desire through your honours favour, to buy at the proper price, a kulyavapa of farmland from your
honour– named Mahakottika
and, in order to augment the religious merit of my mother and father and my own to bestow it to the virtuous Bhatta Gomidattasvamin, who belongs to Kanva sakha Vajasaneya, charana, Lauhitya gotra. Therefore, let your honours deign to collect the price from me, who am of Bharadvaja gotra and do me the favour (of selling the land).
L1.15-21: wherefore giving heed to this petition, since there is a previously established rule coming down (to us)
that farms are sold at the rate of four dinaras per kulyavapa, we have after getting the land determined through the check-up of land (records) by the record keeper Nayabhuti (and) after the Board of administration, had appointed the arbitrators, well-versed in administrative rules sold one kulyavapa of farmland to Vatsa-palasvamin after getting it marked out with measuring
rods of ashtaka and navaka standard through the agency of
Pratita, Dharmasila and Siva-chandra.
He has also, after having purchased, bestowed it on Bhatta Gomidattasvamin with the legal right of ownership to the succession of his sons grandsons etc.
L1.21-25: And the boundary marks in this respect are: To the
east is the boundarY of Dhruvilati agrahara; to the south is (the village of)
Karanka; to the west is the
boundary of the village of Silakunda; to the north is the boundary of Karanka.
An imprecatory verse is inserted here).
L.25: the year 18. The sumvat 18 is engraved before the second half of the imprecatory verse.
Footnote.
The date should follow the verse.
Sircar takes the word संवत in the sense of a regnal year. It is an abbreviation of संवत्सर, meaning year and is normally used in the sense of a dynastic year or an era. Possibly Gopachandra expected his regnal reckoning to be continued as an era.