Peñceṟekuru grant of Maṅgi Yuvarāja

Metadata

Current Version: draft, 2024-09-02Z

Editor: Dániel Balogh.

DHARMA Identifier: INSVengiCalukya00090

Hand Description:

Halantas. Final T in l19 is a reduced ta with a slightly longer stem and no headmark.

Original punctuation. The sole punctuation mark is a vertical bar in line 18, which does not quite reach the baseline. See also the apparatus to line 18.

Other palaeographic observations. Anusvāra may be above the character to which it belongs, or at headline level to the right. It is generally a plain dot, but it may also be a circle or a crescent shape as a partial circle as in l1 śrīmatāṁ. Ca is sometimes indistinguishable from va (although ideally, the former’s body is more elongated and notched on top and bottom) and has been read with goodwill where expected. There is a very unusually executed conjunct mpū in line 6, see the apparatus. Long ī and short i are as a rule not distinguished (the single exceptions are two instances of śrī, l11 and l22); I read short i and emend to ī. The old/northern cursive lo occurs in line 10. The writing at the end of 3r, after the blank space, is probably in the same hand as the rest of the text, but it is even less well-formed.

Additional Metadata

No metadata were provided in the table for this inscription

Edition

Seal

¹śrī-vijayasiddhi

Plates

^{⎘ plate 1v}¹svasti[.] śr¿i?⟨ī⟩matāṁ sakala-bhuvana-saṁst¿u?⟨ū⟩yamāna-m¿a?⟨ā⟩navya-sagotrāṇāṁ hāriti-
²-putrāṇā⟨ṁ⟩ kauśik¿i?⟨ī⟩-vara-prasāda-labdha-rājyānā⟨ṁ⟩ mātr̥-gaṇa-paripālitānāṁ bhagava-
³nnārā◯yaṇa-prasāda-samāsādita-varāha-lāñchanekṣaṇa-kṣaṇa-vaś¿i?⟨ī⟩kr̥-
⁴tā◯śeṣa-bhūbhr̥tām {m}acala-sthit¿i?⟨ī⟩nāṁ caḷuky¿a?⟨ā⟩nā⟨ṁ⟩ kulam alaṁkurvvāṇasya ma-
⁵hendra-sama-vibhava-vikramasyendra-bhaṭṭārakasya priya-sūnor aneka-samarāṁgaṇāvā-
⁶pta-jayālaṁkārālaṅkr̥ta-k¿i?⟨ī⟩rtti-sa(mpū)ritāśeṣa-bhūmaṇḍalasya Aśvamedhāvabhr̥-
^{⎘ plate 2r}⁷ tha-snā⟨nā⟩pan¿i?⟨ī⟩ta-kali-mal¡ānāṁ! śr¿i?⟨ī⟩-viṣṇuvarddhana-mahārājasya priya-tanaya(ḥ)
⁸śakti-traya-samāsāditāśeṣa-mahī-maṇḍalādhipatya⟨ḥ⟩ catur-udadhi-velā-
⁹va◯laya-paryyant¿ā?⟨a⟩-prāpta-k¿i?⟨ī⟩rttir mmanv–ādi-praṇ¿i?⟨ī⟩ta-dharma-śāstrānu⟨⟨kramānu⟩⟩pālana-pa-
¹⁰◯riraṁjit¿a?⟨ā⟩śeṣa-prakr̥ti-maṇḍalo m¿a?⟨ā⟩tā-pitr̥-pādānudhyāta⟨ḥ⟩ parama-bhā-
¹¹ga◯vata⟨ḥ⟩ śrī-sarvvalokāśraya-mahārāja Evam ājñāpayati

karmma-
¹²-rāṣṭre peñceṟekuru nāma grāme Indrapura-vastavy(ā)ya kāty(ā)yana-s¿u?⟨ū⟩tr¿a?⟨ā⟩ya
^{⎘ plate 2v}¹³ kauṇḍinya_-sagotrāya vājasaneyine nāgaśarmmaṇa⟨ḥ⟩ putr¿a?⟨āya⟩ ṣaṭ-karmma-niratā-
¹⁴ya goḷaśarmmaṇe tat-sthāna_-n¿a?⟨i⟩vāsine tasya ¡s!⟨sy⟩ālāya ca bhāradvāja-sa-
¹⁵gotrā◯ya vinayaśarmmaṇe ca[.] ceḷiyūru-path¡ā!⟨ād⟩ Uttarata⟨ḥ⟩ muni-kṣetrāt pū-
¹⁶rvva◯ta⟨ḥ⟩ śravaṇa-kṣetrāt pūrvvata⟨ḥ⟩ kuduti-brāhmaṇa-kṣetr¡ā!⟨ād⟩ dakṣ¿a?⟨i⟩ṇata⟨ḥ⟩ puna⟨ḥ⟩
¹⁷kuduti-brāhmaṇa-kṣetrāt pūrvvata⟨ḥ⟩ dantiya-brāhmaṇa-kṣetr¡ā!⟨ād⟩ dakṣiṇata⟨ḥ⟩[.] _ pulleṟu-nady¿a?⟨āḥ⟩
¹⁸paścimata⟨ḥ⟩ koḻasāmi-brāhmaṇa-kṣetr¡ā!⟨ād⟩ Uttarata⟨ḥ⟩[.] puna⟨ḥ⟩ paścimata⟨ḥ⟩| dv¿au?⟨ā⟩catvā-
^{⎘ plate 3r}¹⁹ riṁśaT nivarttanāni _22_

²⁰vi◯jaya-rājya-saṁvatsare dvit¿i?⟨ī⟩ye

I. Anuṣṭubh

bahubhir vvasudhā dattā

bahubhiś cānupā²¹litā ◯

yasya yasya yadā bhūmi⟨s⟩

tasya tasya tad¿a?⟨ā⟩ ¿p?⟨ph⟩ala⟨M⟩

II. Anuṣṭubh

bh¿u?⟨ū⟩mi-dānāt paran dānaṁ

na bh¿u?⟨ū⟩²²tan na bhaviṣyati

tasyaiva haraṇāt p¿a?⟨ā⟩paṁ

na bhūtan na bhaviṣyati

śrīpālasya Ājñapti⟨ḥ⟩

Apparatus

Seal

¹ -vijayasiddhi • There is a slight chance that this is not the seal originally associated with the plates; see the commentary.

Plates

³ -varāha- • This may be eyeskip haplography for -vara-varāha-, but the absence of vara is not uncommon in the earlier grants of the dynasty.
⁶ -sa(mpū)ritāśeṣa- • This word seems at the first glance to be -samarpūritāśeṣa-. I feel certain that -sampūritāśeṣa- was intended, but this being the bottom line on the page, there was not enough vertical room for the conjunct mpū. For some reason, an anusvāra was not used to represent the nasal (although the two seem to be wholly interchangeable, cf. °ālaṁkārālaṅkr̥ta in the previous line). Instead, a full ma was written, followed by pū, to which a vertical stroke (resembling a superscript r) was attached to indicate that it is to be read in conjunction with the previous glyph.
⁷ -mal¡ānāṁ! • The compound ending here is normally part of the dynasty’s description; it was either clumsily lifted by the composer into the description of a single king or omitted earlier from the dynastic part and added here by a scribe who did not fully understand the language.
⁹ °ānu⟨⟨kramānu⟩⟩pālana- • The insertion is engraved between lines 9 and 10, to the right of the descenver of the nu in line 9.
¹² peñceṟekuru • This name is recorded as Peñcūṟukūru in the ARIE appendix and Peñceṟukūru in the ARIE body text, both incorrect. — ¹² kauṇḍinya_-sagotrāya • This space of about one character width gives the impression that the gotra was filled in after the rest of the text had been inscribed. The hand does not differ.
¹³ tat-sthāna_- • The space again seems to suggest that this was filled in after the rest of the text had been inscribed. However, the deep descender of tsthā extends into the next line and the two characters on either side of it appear to be more widely spaced than usual.
¹⁵ ca[.] • I believe that the two instances of the connective ca in this sentence are redundant. Alternatively, there is a slight chance that the sentence actually ends before this word rather than after it, so that the following toponym is Caceḷiyūru rather than Ceḷiyūru; and an even fainter chance that the sentence does end where I supply punctuation, but there are three donees (Goḷaśarman, an unnamed brother-in-law, and an unrelated Vinayaśarman).
¹⁸ paścimata⟨ḥ⟩| • The daṇḍa here may be a scribal mistake for a visarga.
¹⁹ nivarttanāni _22_ • Below this incomplete line, there is blank space sufficient for two further lines. The next inscribed line is level with the centre of the binding hole.

Translation by Dániel Balogh

Seal

Plates

^1-11Greetings. The dear son of His Majesty King (mahārāja) Viṣṇuvardhana (II)—who permeated the entire circle of the earth with his reputation ornamented by the ornaments of victory achieved on the field of many a battle, who had cast off the filth of the Kali [age] by bathing in the purificatory ablutions (avabhr̥tha) of the Aśvamedha sacrifice^↓1 and who was the dear son of Indra Bhaṭṭāraka—who equalled the Divine Indra in power and valour and who ornamented the family 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, who are protected by the band of Mothers, to whom all kings instantaneously submit at the [mere] sight of the Boar emblem they have acquired by the grace of the divine Nārāyaṇa, and who [enjoy] imperturbable status—[this son of Viṣṇuvardhana II, namely] His Majesty King (mahārāja) Sarvalokāśraya (Maṅgi Yuvarāja), the supreme devotee of the Bhagavat (Viṣṇu)—who was deliberately appointed (as heir) by his mother and father, who has achieved dominion over the circle of the earth by means of his three powers (śakti-traya), whose reputation has reached the edges of the ring comprised of the shores of the four oceans, who has earned the affection of the sphere of his subjects through observing the compendium of legal treatises (dharma-śāstra) composed by Manu and others—commands thus.

^11-19[I have donated land] in Karmarāṣṭra [district] at the village named Peñceṟekuru to the Vājasaneyin Goḷaśarman, son of Nāgaśarman, a resident of Indrapura of the Kātyāyana school and the Kauṇḍinya gotra engaged in the six duties (of a Brahmin), as well as^↓2 to his sister’s husband Vinayaśarman of the Bhāradvāja gotra, a resident of that place.^↓3 [Item,] to the north of the road to Ceḷiyūru, to the east of the Sages’ Field (muni-kṣetra), to the east^↓4 of the Ascetics’ Field (śravaṇa-kṣetra),^↓5 to the south of the Kuduti Brahmin field. Item, to the east of the Kuduti Brahmin’s field, to the south of the Dantiya Brahmin field, to the west of the river Pulleṟu, to the north of the Koḻasāmi Brahmin field. Item, to the west. [The total extent is] forty-two nivartanas.^↓6

²⁰In the second year of the victorious reign.

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.

II.

There has never been and will never be a gift superior to the gift of land, nor has there ever been or will ever be a sin [superior] to the seizing of the same.

²²The authority (ājñapti) is that of Śrīpāla.

Commentary

The plates are in extraordinarily good condition.

According to the description in ARIE 1990-1991: 5, the seal face shows a sun as well as a moon above the legend, and the legend is viṣamasiddhi, whereas all other known grants of Maṅgi have seals with vijayasiddhi. On the seal presently associated with the plates in the museum, the seal legend is vijayasiddhi and there is no sun in the emblem. There is a slight chance that the seal has been misplaced and another grant’s seal attached to these plates, but I believe it is more likely that the ARIE is mistaken.

Bibliography

Reported in ARIE 1990-1991: page 24, appendix A/1990–91, № 9 with a description at ARIE 1990-1991: 4–5. No previous editions known. The present edition was created for DHARMA by Dániel Balogh, on the basis of photographs taken by myself in February 2023 at the ASI Archaeological Museum, Amaravati.

Primary

Secondary

ARIE 1990-1991. Page 24, appendix A/1990–91, № 9.

ARIE 1990-1991. 5.

Notes

↑1. See the apparatus to line 7.
↑2. See the apparatus to line 15 about a small textual problem here.
↑3. This probably means that Vinayaśarman was also a resident of Indrapura. This is how the ARIE report interpreted the expression. It is also possible that Vinayaśarman was a resident of the village Peñceṟekuru.
↑4. One or the other of the “east”-s in this demarcation may be a mistake for “west”.
↑5. This may have been land owned by Jains, or possibly by Buddhists.
↑6. I am not sure how many plots are demarcated here. There seem to be two, and the word punaḥ seems to function as the introduction of a plot other than the first. But this word is used twice, and the last “to the west” does not seem to be connected to anything. The intent may have been to say that the 42 nivartanas are not the total extent but the size of a third plot (with the size of the first two being unspecified), and that this third plot lies to the west of the second, but that would logically overlap the Kuduti field. As indicated in the edition, space was probably left blank for the specifics of the land and filled incompletely at a later time. Even though plenty of space remains blank on the plate, there is no record of the king’s actual command (to respect the donees’ rights) or of other details (such as the occasion of the donation, exemption from tax, and a libation). The description of the plots and their boundaries may thus also be unfinished.