Inscription number 24
Halsi (Kapoli) Plates of Asankita-varman (Regnal) Year 5..
Provenance: Halsi, Khan pur taluk, Belgaum district, Karnataka.
Script: Southern Brahmi of 6th or 7th Century A.D.
Language: Sanskrit.
References: A.M. Annigeri, Ep.Ind, XXXI, pp-234-36.
The charter purports to record the gift of the village of Vamsavataka situated in the tract of Sollunduraka-seventy in Palasika-vishaya to Nagasarman of the Harita gotra, who was endowed with all the qualities of a Brahmana. The gift was made with the approval of Maharaja Asankitavarman of the Bhoja family by the chief Elakella of the Kaikaya lineage for the merit of both. The executor of the grant was the Maharaja himself. The record is dated in the 5th regnal year of the Bhoja king Asankitavarman and the gift is stated to have been registered on the full-moon day of Jyoshtha.
The Bhoja ruler Asankita-varman and Elakella who must have been a feudatory may be placed approximately in the sixth or seventh century. King Asankitavarman is described as a great devotee of Siva. If this king is identical with his namesake of the Hiregutti inscription, he has to be regarded as tolerant towards Buddhism. Elakolla, the donor who belonged to the Kaikaya lineage, is known for the first time from the present record. The Kaikeya family, however, is known from several epigraphs. The Halmini inscription of Kadamba Kakusthavarman refers to a fight of the Kadambas with the Kekayas and Pallavas. Kadamba Koishnavarman I married a Kaikeya princess. Prabhavati, queen of Kadamba Mrigesavarman and mother of Ravivarman, belonged to the Kaikeya lineage. The Kaikeya family also figures in later inscriptions such as the Haldipur plates of Gopaladeva and the Kekkar inscription” of Anneyarasa of the eighth century. In regard to the geographical names in the record, the village of Vamsavataka may be identified with Kapoli from where the plates were unearthed. Sollunduraka-seventy remains to be located. It seems to have comprised an area of the Khanapur and Halyal Taluks.
First plate
Footnote-1
1. Annigeri calls these as “Kapoli” plates” and gives
Kapoli, a neighbouring village in the same taluk as the find-spot. But on a later verification D.C. sircar,
the editor of the Ep.Ind., XXXI, found that the original find-spot was Halsi. Subsequently the plates were taken
to Kapoli by B.K. Desai for decipherment.
2. From the facsimile in Ep.Ind., XXXI, facing pp.233 and 236.
3. Expressed by the spiral symbol, which some read as siddham.
Second plate first side.
Footnote-2.
1. Annigeri identifies Asankitavarman of the present plates with his namesake of Hiregutti plates, on the
ground that the seals of both bear identical figures of an elephant (cf. Ep.Ind. XXVIII, pp.70 ff.). But
the editorial note initialled P.B.D. (EP.Ind., XXXI, pp.235, n.2) rejects this identification on the ground that the seal is of respective records and their
paleography are different. The characters of the present record are box-headed while those of the
Hiregutti plates are not.P.B.D. considers Asankita-varman of Hiregutti plates to be a predecessor of his namesake of the present plates.
2. The word is evidently required before
It seems to have been omitted through oversight.
3. Kailkeya family is referred to in several epigraphs;
see MysArch.Rep.1910-11, p-35, 1936, pp.72 f, Ep.Ind. VI, pp.18 XXI, pp-173, XXVIII, pp.75, Progress of Kannada Research in Bombay Province, 1941-46, pp-5.
Second plate second side.
Footnote-3.
1. Annigeri treats Vamsavataka as the name of the donated village and saptati as a term denoting a territorial division.But names of villages ending a
in numerals, such as Chaturasiti are known from other inscriptions.
2. Panga may be derived from the Kannada base pangu, meaning
obligation. Panga occurs in many Telugu inscriptions.
(cf. S.I.I., X, Nos. 257, 405, 422 etc.). Brown’s Telugu-English Dictionary explains it as 1/4 of the
Produce collected in ancient times by the government, as tax from lands of gods and Brahmanas. It’s modification
as panga occurs in Kadamba records of a later period.
English Translation of the inscription.
Om ! Seen. At the command of Maharaja Asankita-varman,
who by favouring it by his birth, has adorned the family of the Bhojas, who are like lotuses in the round lake that is
the surface of the whole earth who is the sole abode of the gems
of all the kingly qualities, who is a devout worshipper of Siva and who is protecting (the land) in the fifth year of
(his) reign flourishing with victories and wealth, the (present, and future Bhogikas, Ayuktakas, sthayins and others be instructed thus.
On the full-moon day of (the month of) Jyeshtha, a bamboo-grove in the (village of) Sollunduraka-saptati in the
district (vishaya) of Palasika has been granted with libation
of waters, free from all imposts by Elakella, who was born in Kaikeya family for increasing ours and his own
religious merit, to this Nagasarman, who possesses all the
qualities of a Brahmana and belongs to Harita gotra.
We have also approved it. Knowing thus, nobody, whether of our own
family or some one else, should confiscate (it). Whosoever
confiscates this (gift) shall incur five great sins.
Further, Lord Manu has said,
(Here a customary verse has been quoted).
The executor (of the grant) is the Maharaja himself
Written by Madhavadeva, the son of the Bhogika Govinda and the drafter of royal charters. Hail.
(Divakara is the engraver)
1. Divakara appears to be the name of the engraver of the record.