Jayaraja Inscription no 50
Inscription number 50.
Mallar Plates of Maha Jayaraja,
Regnal year 9.
Provenance: Mallar, Bilaspur district, Madhya Pradesh.
Script: Box -headed variety of Southern Brahmi.
Language: Sanskrit.
Metres: V.1- वसंन्ततिलका V.2- इन्द्रवज्रा VV.3-5- श्लोक अनुष्टुब
References G. Bhattacharya and M. Sivayya, Ep.Ind.
XXXIV, pp. 28-31.
Footnote-1.
1. From the facsimile in Ep.Ind.. XXIV.
2. The medial a is engraved as a vertical stroke, below the right arm of m.
3. Mark of punctuation is superfluous.
Second plate first side.
Footnote-2.
1. From the next line to 1.23, the whole text is written over an erasure by beating down the earlier writing.
2. It is clear that after these two names there were several other names, which were beaten out clean, leaving only the plural genitive ending.
3. The visarga like sign after दित
seems to belong to the original writing. अस्माभि: is unnecessarily repeated.
Third plate First side.
Footnote-3.
1. Read
2. The mark of punctuation is superfluous.
3. A subscript y of the previous writing is visible below d. This and other surviving marks of the previous writing are being ignored in the transcript.
Third Plate Second side
Footnote-4.
The final stop consists of six successively, shortening vertical strokes tapering into the seventh horizonal line.
English Translation of the inscription.
Peace ! From Sarabhapura. The illustrious Maha Jayaraja, the pair of whose feet are washed by the sprinkling of water, that is the radiance of crest jewels in the crowns
of the feudatory chiefs reduced to submission by his prowess; who
is the cause of removing the auspicious partition of hair on the heads of the ladies of his enemies who is the giver of wealth, Land and cows the great devotee of Bhagavat (vishnu)
and always in the thoughts of his parents; commands the householders residing in Mokkeppika, situated in the Nagarottarapatta.
Be it known to you that by us this village, a promoter of happiness and stability in heaven (for us), to be enjoyed as long as the world lasts with its darkness, dispelled by the rays of the sun, the moon and the stars,
and together with major and minor deposits (nidhi and upanidhi)
not to be entered by the chatas, begar officers and bhatas, and
exempt from all taxes having been donated by Theft Recovery Officer,
Vatsa to Mahesvarasvamin of Bhargava gotra and an expert in the Rigveda and Rudrasvamin (also) of
Bhargava gotra, an expert in the Rigveda and belonging to
Sabara division (or a jagirdar of sabara) has been confirmed
by us through this copper-plate charter for the increase of religious merit of my parents and myself. (Therefore), having
learnt thus, You should live on happily listening to and obeying their orders and presenting to them their proper
share of produce. And to the future kings he points outs;
The ancient (sages) who had settled views on laws of piety, declare the merit arising from protecting a gift to
be superior to the gift itself.
There fore, your inclination should be towards protecting land granted to a Brahmana of pure lineage and learning.
There fore, this gift should also be maintained by you, And in this context the verses sung by Vyasa are
quoted;
(Here follow another set of three benedictory and imprecatory verses)
Engraved by Achalasimha on an oral order (from the king) The increasingly victorious year 9. the 5th day of
the month of Jyeshtha.
Seal: chastiser of the enemies. This charter, is from the illustrious Jayaraja, the on of Prasanna and
uprooter of enemies with his prowess.
Footnote-5.
Tentatively located near modern Sirpur, the ancient Sripura , in Raipur-district. Eventually Sripura became the capital of the family (Ep,Ind.,XXXIII pp.156). The discovery of most of the charters
issued from Sarabhapura, near about Sirpur has lent credibility to this view. But difficulty in accepting this identification has been caused by two charters issued by Sudevaraja in his 7th regnal year and engraved by two different persons, one issued from
Sarabhapura and the other from Sripura (see, Ep.Ind. XXXI, pp.104 and 314 ff. respectively; infra, III, 53 and 54).
2. The village of Mokkeppika and the patta or district of Nagarottara are represented by the modem settlement of Mopka and Nagaroda respectively, both about 16 km from Bilaspur.
Footnote-6.
1. For nidhi and upanidhi, see copper plate of Prabhavatigupta, year 13, supra II, 1, L.18, n. .
2. D.C Sircar takes it to stand for Sanskrit term ह्रित-प्रग्राहामात्य
i.e an officer in charge of
seizure of stolen goods. He draws attention to the yukta in charge of प्रणष्टाधिगत-द्रव्य
known from the Manusmriti and to the police officer mentioned as chaurodđharanika in later Inscriptions.
