Sangoli Plates of Harivarman. Regnal year 8. 545 A.D.
The inscription was issued from Vaijayanti, and records the grant of village Tedava to twenty-three Brahmaṇas of eight different gotras, all well versed in the Atharva Veda, by the Kadamba king Harivarman, on the Amavasya in the month of Asvina during his eighth regnal year. Some of the gotra names of the Brahmaṇas are Kaimabala, Kalasa, Sravistha, Valandata, Cauliya. Harivarman founded maukhari dynasty and was the first ruler to be named in the known Maukhari records. He was succeeded by his son Adityavarman. Consequent to the fall of Gupta Empire, he occupied kannauj and bore the title of Maha-raja. His fame had stretched out all over the world and was compared with lord Chakradhara, in employing his sovereignty for regulating different castes as well as religious activities of his empire.
Provenance: Sangoli on the river Malaprabha, Sampgaum taluk,
Belgaum district, Karnataka.
Script: Southern Brahmi closely resembling the script of the other Kadamba grants.
Success ! Victorious is (the god) sambhu, lord of all the worlds, with his crown of matted hair permanently
adorned the young moon and who has neither beginning nor end. In the victorious city of vaijayanti of the family, of the Kadambas, who were anointed as a result of meditation
upon the Lord Karttikeya and the group of his six mothers who belong to the Manavya lineage and are descendants
of Hariti, who were regular in study and discussion of the sacred texts, who are the seat i.e. base of wealth, and who are famed to have stored an immense pile of religious merit through the succession of many previous births; the
illustrious Harivarman, who is Lord Dharma incarnate as it were, whose spotless fame has risen in all the various quarters, who is initiated into the vow of protecting the subjects,
whose body has been sanctified by means of learning and modesty,
who is intent on the service of the Brahmanas, and who is a
great devotee of Mahesvara (i.e. Siva), in the eighth year of his flourishing reign, on the new moon day of Asvina on the autumnal equinox gave for the prosperity of his dynasty, the village Tedava, with all its eighteen divisions, along with dakshina with libation of water to Sivasarman, Prajapatisarman, Dhatrisarman, Nandisarman and
Dharmasarman, all of the Kaimbala gotra, Vaikunthasarman,
Vasusarman, Nagasarman, Mandanasarman, all of the Kalasa
gotra, Vishnusarman, Prajapatisarman and Pitrisarman of the Garga gotra, Kumarasarman, Tvashtrisarman, Skandasarman and
Varunasarman of the Kautsa gotra Yasasasarman, Ayasarman,
Pasupati sarman and Mitrasarman of the Sravishtha gotra,
Vanasarman of chauliya gotra Prajapatisarman of Valandata gotra,
and Kumarasarman of Kasyapa gotra, the brahmanas, who are the
masters of the Atharvaveda, and who are devoted to their religious duties and rites. He who revokes this grant shall be guilty of five deadly sins.
And he who protects will share the fruit arising from the religious merit of this
donation. And it has been said:
(Here follow two of the traditional imprecatory verses).
May there be success ! Obeisance to the trinity of gods, Vishnu, Siva and Brahma. May there be well-being of the
subjects.
Footnote.
1. Vishupa in Asvin would be an autumnal equinox (Tula Sankranti), which occurred in the years 507, 526 and 545 A.D. in the first half of the 6th century A.D. when Harivarman, perhaps the last Kadamba ruler can be
placed, since they were ousted by the chalukyas before 570 AD. If we accept Harivarman as the last, or last
but one Kadamba ruler, before the advent of the Chalukyas about 570 A.D. the year 545 A.D. will have to be accepted as the likely year of this record.
2. A cash gift necessarily accompanying other gifts to
