Srungavarapukota Plates of Anantavarman. Vasishtha dynasty ruled kalinga in the fifth century C.E. Siripuram and Srungavarapukota copper-plate inscriptions provide genealogical details of Vasishtha dynasty. These Inscriptions are in Sanskrit and , written I’m Brahmi script of early southern type of 5th-6th centuries A.D. Provenance: Srungavarapukota, Vizagapatam district, Andhra Pradesh. Script: Brahmi, early southern type of 5th-6th centuries A.D. Language: Sanskrit. References: M. Narasimham, J. Andhra Historical Research Society. VIII, pp.153-60 R.C. Majumdar, Ep.Ind. XXIII, pp. 56-61.
Footnote 1. 1. Also known from his Sripuram copper plates (See M. Narasimgham, Telugu journal Bharati. sept. 1931) Footnote 2.
1. The cultivator who found the plates, broke the third Plate and got the broken half smelted under the misconception that these were of gold. 2. From the facsimile in Ep.Ind, XXII, facing pp.60. 3. Pishtapura is identified with Pithapuram in Godavari district and Devarashtra with Vizagapatam district. G. Jouvean-Dubreuil (Ancient history of the Deccan, pp.60) proved with the help of Kasimkota plates Elamanchi Kalingadeso formed part of Devarashtra. Modern Yellamanchili represents Elamanchi, the chief city of Kalinga in those days. The present grant supports this identification. In his Allahabad prasasti samudragupta claims to have conquered ishtapura as also Devarashtra,indicating that they are separate, but neighbouring kingdoms in his time Footnote 3. 1. Identification is not certain. M. Narasimham states that the moden Jeypore must have been called Tellavalli Vishaya in ancient times on account of the river Tel, known in early times as Telivahi, which flows across it. Majumdar on the other hand suggests the identification of this town with the village of Tella-gamudy (82°-58′ x17° 58′) about 24 km South West of Srungavarapuka, the find-spot of the plates, located near another village named Kondapalem, which may represent the village Kindeppa of the inscription. He realises the difficulty in the latter identification because there are sevaral villages named Kondapalem in the neighbourhood of Srungavarapukota. English Translation of the inscription.
Om Hail! From the administrative office of Pishtapura, the city of victory, the illustrious Maharaja Anantavarman, the lord of Kalinga, who adores the feet of his mother and father, who is a devout worshipper of Mahesvara (Siva) whose greatness has been enhanced by his solicitude for the gods. the twice-born (i.e.Brahmanas) and the elders, who has acquired fame and is richly endowed with prudence, modesty and strength, who has acquired the earth by his own strength and valour who is the dear son of the illustrious Maharaja Prabhanjanavarman, the moon of the Vasishtha family, who (Prabhanjanavarman) brought about the prosperity of the kingdom by the three elements of regal power, who (Anantavarman) is the most excellent grand son of the illustrious Maharaja Gunavarman, who acquired fame by victory, in many stubbornly fought battles, who was the lord of Devarashtra, whose spotless virtues, like the rays of autumn moon, pervaded the sphere of the earth– commands all the ryots present at the village of kindeppa in the district Tellavalli: This village has been granted by us, during Solstice, for increasing our religious merit, to this Matrisarman of Kaushika gotra, a student of Taittiriya sakha, and a resident of Achantapura-bho ga, making (the village) annagrahara or as long as the moon the sun and the stars endure, and exempting it from all the taxes and liabilities. Having understood this command you should daily attend upon him in obedience to this order.The Brahmana enjoying his agrahara in hereditary succession (lit. through sons and grand sons) should not be sacked by any Officers, however eminent. The future royal ascetics, nursing their own good conduct should act in a manner that this source of virtue continues without intermission.This being so, the association of those succeeding kings also with the act of piety is accorded in the Smitis. Here follow three of the customary verses) By the increasing majesty On the thirteenth ) during the summer solstice this religious gift is made. 3Y kings own oral order. Footnote 1. 1. Narasimham: Majumdar: The full sentence presumably was 2. This inscription adds three names viz. Gunavarman, Prabhanjanavarman and Anantavarman to the list of kings, who ruled in Kalinga between the expedition of samudragupta (335 to379 A.D.) and the rise of Ganga dynasty (About 496 A.D.) The other known kings are Achandavarman (Komarti Plates, Supra, IV/10, Ep.Ind. IV,144 ff) Uma-varman Brihatproshtha grant ib, XII, pp.4 ff and Tekkali Plare.J.A.H.R.S, VI, pp 53-54 and Supra, IV,7) Nanda-Prabhanjanavarman, Ind.Ant, XIII, pp.48 f) Sakti-varman Ragolu Plate, Ep.Ind, XII, pp.1 ff, and supra, IV, 12) and visakhavarman (Ep.Ind,. X, pp. 23ff, Supra, IV, 16)
Footnote-2. 1. The three saktis are Prabhu, mantra and utsaha, i.e. the majesty of the king, good counsel and high morale respectively, 2. In the inscriptions of the sallodbhava, the Parivrajaka, the Uchehakalpa and the Ganga kings, the term bhogika is used as an official designation presumably of the officer incharge of a bhoga, i.e. A territorial unit. The office carried dignity and prestige for in the records of the Parivajaka and utchchakalpa kings, even high officials like Mahasandhi vigrahika performed the same office, and described their fathers and grand fathers as bhogikas. Mother meaning of Bhogika given in Sanskrit Dictionaries, is groom or horse-keeper cE. also Telugu bhoi = A palanquin-bearer. Neither sense suits the present context. The donee matrisarman, a Vedic scholar, can neither be taken as a regular official, Footnote-2. nor as a menial. Hence, the term here seems to have been used merely to identify the district of his origin. The sense of vallabha-durlabha is not clear. means, an over seer, superintendent or herdsman I Vallabha probably stands for a royal official. One of the Dictionary meanings of durlabha is eminent or extraordinary.
