Eḍeru plates of Vijayāditya I

Metadata

Current Version:  draft, 2024-09-02Z

Editor:   Dániel Balogh.

DHARMA Identifier: INSVengiCalukya00020

Hand Description:

Halantas. N: full-size without headmark, l15 pramukhāN. M: if correctly read in l27 phalaM, then a small J shape with barely a bit of a hook, almost just a short vertical stroke. Read by Kielhorn as a punctuation mark. Indistinct at the end of line 27 (read as an unclear M by Kielhorn). The M is quite clear in l28 vasundharāM, definitely a simple J shape.

Other palaeographic observations. Anusvāra is usually at headline height after the character to which it pertains, but it is on top of the next character in the seal legend (which Kielhorn transliterates as tribhuvanakuṁśa), and in l16 kuṭuṁbinas (where Kielhorn transliterates as expected, and only mentions the position of the anusvāra in a note), l17 Āpastaṁbha (Kielhorn: bhaṁ, no emendation), l21 °ālaṁkatāya (Kielhorn does not read it); l25 saṁgraha (Kielhorn: sagraṁha).


Additional Metadata

No metadata were provided in the table for this inscription

Edition

Seal

1śrī-tribhuvan¿a?⟨ā⟩ṁkuśa

Plates

⎘ plate 1v 1svasti[.] śrīmatāṁ sakala-bhuvana-saṁstūyamāna-mānavya-sagotr¿a?⟨ā⟩ṇ(ā)ṁ hārī-
2ti-putrāṇām kauś¿ī?⟨i⟩k¡i!-vara-prasā⟨da⟩-labdha-rājyānāṁ bhagavan-nār¿a?⟨ā⟩yaṇa-prasāda-sam¿a?⟨ā⟩-
3sādita-vara-varāha-lāñchanekṣaṇa-kṣaṇa-vaśīkr̥tārāti-maṇḍalānāṁ Aśva-
4medhāva◯bhr̥¿t?⟨th⟩a-snāna-pavitr¿i?⟨ī⟩kr̥ta-vapuṣāṁ caḷukyānāṁ kulam alaṁka-
5riṣṇor vvividha-yuddha-labdha-vijaya-siddhe⟨ḥ⟩ bhuvana-mano-[’]bhirāma-vikramar¿a?⟨ā⟩-
6masya pautraḥ pratāpāvanata-para-maṇḍala-nr̥pati-maṇḍalasya śrī-vi-
7ṣ(ṇ)uva¿n?⟨rd⟩dhana-mahārājasya priya-tanayaḥ nija-bhuja-niśit¿a?⟨ā⟩si-dh¿a?⟨ā⟩-
⎘ plate 2r 8rā-praśamita-para-cakra-vikramaḥ śak(t)i-trayālaṁkr̥ta(ḥ) kṣīra-sāgara
9Iva lakṣmī-prabh¿ā?⟨a⟩vo dinakara Iva satata-rañjita-pa¿t?⟨d⟩maḥ śaśadha-
10ra Iva (ku)-mud-avana-priyo dharmmaja Iva nija-dharmma-nirmmalo
11dharmmaj(ā)◯nuja Iva duśśāsana-kṣaya-karaḥ merur iva sthira-sthi-
12tir atula-tulā-dhr̥ta-kaḷadhauta-dhauta-durbala-malinaḥ para-
13ma-brahmaṇyo viṣ¿n?⟨ṇ⟩ur iva jiṣ¿n?⟨ṇ⟩u⟨ḥ⟩ samasta-bhuvan¿a?⟨ā⟩śraya-śrī-vija-
14yāditya-mahārājādhir¿a?⟨ā⟩ja-parameśva⟨ra⟩-bhaṭṭārakaḥ kaṇḍe{(ḥ)}ṟuv(ā)-
⎘ plate 2v 15ḍi-viṣaye va(ṇḍṟ?)(upi)(ṭeyu?) (n)āma grāmasya kū(ṭa)ka-pramukhāN
16kuṭuṁbinas sarvvān ittham ājñāpayati

viditam astu vo [’]smābhiḥ
17minamini-v¡a!⟨ā⟩stavyāya kāśy¿ā?⟨a⟩pa-gotrāya Āpastaṁ¿bh?⟨b⟩a-sūtrāya tai¡trī!⟨ttirrī⟩-
18ya-b¿v?⟨r⟩a◯hmacāriṇe turka(śa)rmma-¡tredi!⟨trivedi⟩-pautr(ā)⟨ya⟩ veda-ved(āṁ)ga-vi-
19d¡e!⟨aḥ⟩ ṣaṭ-karmma-nirat¡āya!⟨asya⟩ doṇaśa(r)mma-trivedi-putrā⟨ya⟩ b¿v?⟨r⟩āh(m)aṇa-gu-
20ṇa-gaṇālaṁk¿a?⟨r̥⟩tāya paḷḷa-bhaṭṭ¿a?⟨ā⟩rak¿a?⟨ā⟩ya sū⟨r⟩yya-grahaṇa-nimi-
21tte Asminn eva grāme dvādaśa-khaṇḍika-kodrava-bīja-saṁsthānaṁ
⎘ plate 3r 22(kṣetra)(ñ ca?)| Āvāsana(ṁ) sarvva-kara-parihā(rī)⟨kr̥tya⟩ (datta)[ṁ tac-ca]t(ur-a)vadhi
23pūrvvataḥ koṟṟapaṟu-sīm¿aḥ?⟨ā⟩[.] dakṣ¿a?⟨i⟩ṇataḥ (ta)ṭ(ā)kaḥ[.] pa(ścima)taḥ ṟa-
24māṭī[.] Uttarataḥ reṇ¿v?⟨ḍ⟩uvaṭi boḷa-reṇḍuvaṭi[.] ¡Ette! ca(t)ur-avadhi[.]

I. Anuṣṭubh
25¿A?⟨Ā⟩jñapti◯r asya dharmmasya
nirmmalo dharmma-saṁgraha⟨ḥ⟩
boḻama nāma lo26ke [’]smi¿t?⟨n⟩
puṇya-citt(o) narottamaḥ

II. Anuṣṭubh
bahubhir vvasudhā dattā
bahubhiś cānu 27pālitā
yasya ya¿y?⟨s⟩ya yadā bhūmis
tasya tasya tad(ā pha)la(M)

III. Anuṣṭubh
sva-datt¿a?⟨ā⟩(M) 28para-dattām vā
yo haret¿⟦i⟧⟨⟨u⟩⟩?⟨a⟩ vasundharāM
ṣaṣṭiṁ varṣa-sahasrāṇi
viṣ¿ṭ?⟨ṭh⟩ā¿s?⟨y⟩āṁ jāyate k¡r(a)!⟨r̥⟩mi⟨ḥ⟩

Apparatus

Seal

Plates

9 -rañjita- FK-rakṣita- NS
10 (ku)-mud-avana- • For the secondary meaning, segment this compound into kumuda-vana-.
12 -kaḷadhauta- FKkaṅka dhauta NS
13 -brahmaṇyo-brāhmaṇyo NS FK • I see no trace of ā in the otherwise clear scanned estampage. Since neither of the previous editors emend their reading, I must assume that this is a typo in both editions.
14–15 kaṇḍe{(ḥ)}ṟuv(ā)/ḍi-kaṇḍeṟuv(ā)/ḍi- FK; kaṇḍeṟuv(ā)/ṭi- NS • Kielhorn does not read this superfluous visarga, but does mention it in a note. Naṭeśa Śāstrī ignores it. It may have been deleted in some way, but it seems quite clear and it also seems to occupy horizontal space.
15 va(ṇḍṟ?)(upi)(ṭeyu?)vana [...] NS; vamṟupi(/)eyu JFF; va(ṇḍ)ṟupiṭe(y)u FK • I adopt Kielhorn’s reading and only cite him as a separate witness to show the level of his confidence, which I do not share. Kielhorn further remarks that this name is identical to that of the village said to be to the west of Koṟṟapaṟṟu in line 44 the Koṟṟapaṟṟu grant, which was read by Hultzsch as vā(ṇḍhṟū)pe(dayū) and by Fleet as vāṇḍṟūpedayū. I am particularly doubtful of reading the second character as ṇḍṟu, since the upper part does not look line , and I discern no indication of in the subscript parts. Possible alternatives include sthu, ñju and nthru, but all of these are likewise problematic.15 kū(ṭa)ka- FKku [...] ka NS
18 turka(śa)rmma- FKturkavarmma- NS • Kielhorn affirms that the problematic character is distinctly (śa), and does not mark it unclear in his edition. He further emends the name to tūrkaśarmma-, noting that this form occurs in another Eastern Cālukya plate (Masulipatam plates of Vijayāditya III) and in a Pallava inscription.18 -pautr(ā)⟨ya⟩-pautr¿a?⟨āya⟩ FK18–19 -vi/d¡e!⟨aḥ⟩ ... -nirat¡āya!⟨asya⟩ • Though no previous editor suggests an emendation here, on the basis of the structure of this passage I feel quite certain that this compound was intended to describe the donee’s father, not the donee himself. My emendation is indicative of this, but incomplete, since to express this purport in textbook grammar, doṇaśarmma-trivedi-putrāya would also need to be emended to doṇaśarmma-trivedinaḥ putrāya.
20 paḷḷa- FKpa(dma?) NS
21 -khaṇḍika- FK-veṇḍika- NS21 -saṁsthānaṁ FK-saṁsthitaṁ NS
X (kṣetra)(ñ ca?) FK[...] NS • As Kielhorn notes, the third character is quite clear, but hard to interpret. Indeed, ñca seems to be the best bet, though if ca is present in the sentence, it ought to be after Āvāsanaṁ (as also noted by Kielhorn). Alternatively, the character might be kha, erroneously for khaṇḍaṁ, in which case the following sign may be an anusvāra at median height instead of a superfluous punctuation mark.
22 (datta)[ṁ tac-ca]t(ur-a)vadhi[...] NS; da(ttaṁ|?) cat(u)r-avadhi FK • While I largely agree with Kielhorn, I do not see a clear ca before tu. Kielhorn remarks that ete catvāro vadhayaḥ or simply tasyāvadhayaḥ would be expected in the context. I find that dattaṁ tac-catur-avadhi is possible from the vestiges and fits the context even though it is rather awkward in language.
23 (ta)ṭ(ā)kaḥ FKta(ṟu?)kaḥ NS23–24 ṟa/māṭīṟu/māṭi NS; ṟa/māṭi FK
24 reṇ¿v?⟨ḍ⟩uvaṭi boḷa-reṇḍuvaṭi FKreṇvuvaṭi-bauha-reṇvuvaṭi NS24 ¡Ette! FK[...] NS
25 saṁgraha⟨ḥ⟩saṁgrahaḥ NS; ¿sagraṁhaṁ?⟨saṁgrahe⟩ FK25–26 boḻama nāma lo/ke [’]smi¿t?⟨n⟩bādhamāna-male/¿kasvat?⟨kaścit⟩ NS; boḻama-nām¿a?⟨ā⟩ lo/ke smi¿t?⟨n⟩ FK • I prefer to see nāma as a neuter accusative, next to the name that is understood to be in the nominative, not in compound.
26 -citt(o)-vitto NS; -citt¿e?⟨o⟩ FK
27 ya¿y?⟨s⟩yayasya NS FK
28 haret¿⟦i⟧⟨⟨u⟩⟩?⟨a⟩ • I accept Kielhorn’s opinion as to which of the engraved vowel marks was corrected into which.

Translation by Dániel Balogh

Seal

Plates

1-16Greetings. The grandson of Vikramarāma (Maṅgi Yuvarāja), the heart’s delight of the world who prevailed in victory (vijaya-siddhi) in diverse battles and who was eager to adorn the lineage of the majestic Caḷukyas—who are of the Mānavya [gotra] which is praised by the entire world, who are sons of Hāriti, who attained kingship by the grace of Kauśikī’s boon, to whom the realms of adversaries instantaneously submit at the [mere] sight of the superior Boar emblem they have acquired by the grace of the divine Nārāyaṇa, and whose bodies have been hallowed through washing in the purificatory ablutions (avabhr̥tha) of the Aśvamedha sacrifice—; the dear son of His Majesty King (mahārāja) Viṣṇuvardhana (III), who by his valour subjugated the circle of the rulers of foreign realms;↓1 His Majesty the supremely pious Supreme Lord (parameśvara) of Emperors (mahārājādhirāja), the Sovereign (bhaṭṭāraka) Vijayāditya (I), shelter of the entire universe (samasta-bhuvanāśraya), supreme devotee of Maheśvara, who was deliberately appointed (as heir) by his mother and father, who is as eager to conquer as Viṣṇu, who represses the onslaught of enemy armies by the sharp swordblade [wielded by his] own arm, who is adorned by the three powers (śakti-traya), who gives rise to prosperity as the Milk Ocean {produced Lakṣmī}, who constantly delights Fortune (Padmā) ↓2 as the sun {makes the lotuses bloom pink}, who is fond of fostering the joy of the earth as the moon {is the beloved of waterlilies},↓3 who is immaculate due to his innate righteousness (dharma), like (Yudhiṣṭhira) the son of Dharma, who eradicates abusive governance (duḥśāsana) as (Bhīma) the younger brother of the son of Dharma {who killed Duḥśāsana}, whose position is as steady as {the endurance} of Mount Meru {is permanent}, and whose impurity, slight (to begin with), has been washed off by gold weighed in an unrivalled [number of] balance scales↓4—(this Vijayāditya) commands all householders (kuṭumbin)—including foremost the overseers (kūṭaka)—of the village Vaṇḍṟupiṭeyu in Kaṇḍeṟuvāḍi district (viṣaya) as follows:

16-24Let it be known to you that on the occasion of an eclipse of the sun we have given in this very village a field comprising (an area sufficient for sowing) twelve [khaṇḍikā]s of [kodrava] seed and a homestead, with exemption from all taxes, to the Master (bhaṭṭāraka) Paḷḷa of the Kāśyapa [gotra], an adherent of the Āpastamba [sūtra] of the Taittirīya school, a resident of Minamini who is decorated with a host of Brahmin virtues, grandson of the Trivedin Turkaśarman and son of the Trivedi Doṇaśarman who was familiar with the Vedas and Vedāṅgas and devoted to the six duties (of a Brahmin). ↓5 [Its] four boundaries [are]: to the east, the perimeter of Koṟṟapaṟu; to the south, a pond; to the west, Ṟamāṭī; to the north, Reṇḍuvaṭi [and] Boḷa-reṇḍuvaṭi. These are the four boundaries.

I.
The executor (ājñapti) of this ruling (dharma) is the immaculate and pious-minded ¿superintendent of justice? (dharma-saṁgraha)↓6, that greatest of men known in this world as Boḻama.

II.
Many (kings) have granted land, and many have preserved it (as formerly granted). Whosoever at any time owns the land, the fruit {reward (accrued of granting it)} belongs to him at that time.

III.
He who would seize land, whether given by himself or by another, shall be born as a worm in faeces for sixty thousand years.

Translation into French by Estienne-Monod 2008

Estienne-Monod translates Naṭeśa Śāstrī’s text.

Seal

Plates

1-16Prospérité ! le petit-fils de Vikramarāma, Vijayasiddhi,↓7 ornement de la lignée des Calūkya, illustres, du même gotra que les descendants de Manu, honorés par tous les êtres, fils de Hārīti, qui obtinrent leur royaume grâce à l’excellente faveur de Kauśiki, dont les cercles ennemis furent soumis en un instant à la vue du signe du sanglier illustre, faveur octroyée par le bienheureux Nārāyaṇa, dont les corps furent purifiés par les bains purificatoires de l’aśvamedha, le cher fils du grand roi illustre Viṣṇuvardhana, devant la majesté duquel s’incline le cercle des rois des provinces étrangères, [le roi] dont la vaillance soumit les armées ennemies au moyen de la lame d’une épée aiguisée [tenue] par son bras, paré des trois pouvoirs, - tel l’océan de lait donne naissance à Lakṣmī, ainsi donne-t-il naissance à la prospérité, comme le soleil protège sans cesse les lotus, ainsi abrite-t-il sans cesse la Fortune, comme l’astre lunaire est l’ami des massifs de lotus, ainsi aime-t-il créer sur terre une joie abondante, comme le fils de Dharma, il est purifié par ses propres actes dharmiques, comme le frère cadet du fils de Dharma causa la perte de Duḥśāsana, ainsi cause-t-il la perte de ceux qui mènent une politique néfaste, comme le Meru possède une inébranlable assise, ainsi montre-t-il une inébranlable fermeté, l’or, pesé sur la balance au-delà de toute pesée, a plus d’une fois effacé les fautes infimes dont il s’était souillé, - excellent dévôt, tel Viṣṇu, il est vainqueur, refuge de l’univers entier, l’illustre Vijayāditya, roi suprême des grands rois, excellent souverain, grand seigneur, ordonne ceci aux chef du village [...], dans le viṣaya de Kaṇḍeṟuvāṭi, et à tous les habitants :

16-24qu’il soit connu de vous que, par nous, à Padma-Bhaṭṭāraka, habitant Minamini, du gotra des Kāśyapa, qui suit le sūtra Āpastaṁba, disciple de l’école des Taittiriya, petit-fils de Turkavarman versé dans trois Veda, qui connaît le Vedāṁga, voué à ses six devoirs,↓8 fils de Droṇaśarman versé dans deux Veda, orné par une multitude de vertus brahmaniques, à l’occasion de l’éclipse de soleil, dans ce même village, un terrain sur lequel douze veṇḍika↓9 de kodrava peuvent être semés, exempté de toute taxe. A l’est, la limite de Koṟṟupaṟu, au sud Taṟuka, à l’ouest R̥umāṭi, au nord Reṇvuvaṭi-Bauha-Reṇvuvaṭi, [...] les quatre limites.

I.
L’exécuteur de ce don, immaculé, trésor du dharma, dans [ce monde] exposé aux soulliures, [est] le meilleur des hommes, ayant sa pureté comme richesse.

II.
Beaucoup ont donné une terre, beaucoup l’ont protégée, celui qui possède la terre en possède le fruit.

III.
Qu’elle soit donnée par lui ou par un autre, celui qui prend une terre, renaît ver de terre dans les excréments pendant soixante mille ans.

Commentary

According to Naṭeśa Śāstrī, the name of the findspot is transliterated Īḍeru. Kielhorn uses Ēḍēru. A village named Iḍiyūru is mentioned (as a bordering village) in lines 64 and 66 of the Kalucuṁbaṟṟu grant of Amma II, which Fleet in the preamble to his edition (1902-1903: 179) identifies as modern “Eedooroo”, a mile and a half west-northwest of “Kunsamurroo”, a village three miles south-by-west of Attili. I assume, but have not checked, that this is the same village.

Naṭeśa Śāstrī does not discuss the issuer. Kielhorn says he was Vijayāditya II, without any discussion or reasoning. Estienne-Monod cautiously assigns the plates to Vijayāditya I or II, though she seems to prefer Vijayāditya I because of the epithet bhaṭṭāraka, which is strongly associated with that ruler Estienne-Monod 2008: page 435, note 1369. Since the name (and the complete signature stanza) of the executor is the same as that in the Zulakallu plates and Nemmaḷūru grant of Vijayāditya I, we can now be sure that the issuer is indeed Vijayāditya I. The ruler’s grandfather is here called Vikramarāma, which must thus have been Maṅgi Yuvarāja’s epithet. The description of Maṅgi Yuvarāja as vividha-yuddha-labdha-vijaya-siddhi and bhuvana-mano-rāma in the Zulakallu plates (lines 5-6) is also practically identical to the description of Vikramarāma here, confirming this supposition. 

Bibliography

A rudimentary translation was published in Madras Government Order No. 367 of 7 April 1873.↓10 Reported in Sewell 1884: page 26, № 180. First edited, possibly from the original plates, by S. M. Naṭeśa Śāstrī (1884: pages 55–57, № 2), with a translation, without facsimile.↓11 Some readings revised in Fleet 1891: 101. Re-edited from estampages by F. Kielhorn (1898-1899: pages 118–122, № A), with an abstract of the contents and with inked rubbings produced by Hultzsch. The present edition by Dániel Balogh is based on a collation of the above editions with Kielhorn’s facsimiles. No image of the seal is available, so the seal legend is reproduced here as reported by Kielhorn.

Primary

Naṭeśa Śāstrī, S. M. 1884. “Two Eastern Chalukya Copper-Plates.” IA 13: 50–57.
Pages 55–57, № 2. [siglum NS]
Kielhorn, Lorenz Franz. 1898–1899. “Six Eastern Chalukya Copper-Plate Inscriptions.” EI 5: 118–42.
Pages 118–122, № A. [siglum FK]

Secondary

Fleet, John Faithfull. 1891. “The Chronology of the Eastern Chalukya Kings.” IA 20: 1–15, 93–104, 266–85.
101. [siglum JFF]
Sewell, Robert. 1884. List of Inscriptions, and Sketch of the Dynasties of Southern India. Archaeological Survey of Southern India 2. Madras: Government Press.
Page 26, № 180.

Notes

↑1. I translate the text as received, but I suspect corruption; perhaps the intent was [pratāpāvanata-para-nr̥pati-maṇḍalasya], “subjugated the circle of enemy rulers,” or [pratāpāvanata-parimaṇḍala-nr̥pati-maṇḍalasya], “subjugated the realms of surrounding kings.”
↑2. Kielhorn suggests one more alternative interpetation for this bitextual simile, according to which the king delights myriads (padma) of people.
↑3. This bitextual simile requires the compound to be broken up in two separate ways; see the apparatus on line 10.
↑4. That is, gold weighed on a scale against his body, the tulāpuruṣa mahādāna.
↑5. The two phrases qualifying Doṇaśarman in my translation may, instead, go with the donee himself; see the apparatus on line 18.
↑6. I assume that [dharma-saṁgraha] is synonymous to [dharmādhyakṣa] or [dharmādhikaraṇika], but it may be the title of a different official, or it may be used in a non-technical figurative sense as “storehouse of justice”.
↑7. Cf. insc. nos 10, 11 et 12 où ce biruda est glosé.
↑8. L’étude des Veda, leur enseignement, l’accomplissement des sacrifices, officier aux sacrifices d’autrui, faire des dons, en recevoir. Manusmr̥ti, X, 75.
↑9. Sans doute une unité de mesure, nous n’avons pu identifier ce terme.
↑10. Not traced.
↑11. Though PEM’s metadata say a facsimile is present - CHECK a printed IA13 volume