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INSCRIPTION OF THE SANGAMASIMHA
NO. 11; PLATE V B
SUNAO KALA PLATES OF SANGAMASIMHA: (KALACHURI) YEAR 292
THESE plates were discovered in November 1898. They were first published, with a
translation, but without a facsimile, by Mr. A.M.T. Jackson, I.C.S., in the Journal
of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. XX, pp. 211 ff., and subsequently with a translation and photo-lithographs by Prof. Sten Konow in the Epigraphia
Indica, Vol. X, pp. 72 ff. I edit the inscription here from the lithographs accompanying
Prof. Sten Konow’s article.
The copper-plates are two in number. ‘They were found buried about
two feet below the surface of a cart track in the village of Sunev Kulla in the
Hansot Mahāl of the Broach District . . . The first plate is entire. The second has
suffered damage (I) by the wrenching of the seal, which has destroyed a few aksharas in the first line and (2) by the breaking off of a piece of the left-hand edge, which has destroyed one akshara in line 4, two in line 5, two in line 6 and one in line 7. . . The
lower edge of the first plate was formerly attached to the upper edge of the second by two
copper rings, one of which remains attached to each of the plates. The seal which was
probably carried by the left-hand ring has been wrenched off and is lost. The letters are
deeply cut and in many places show through on the back of the plates.’1 Each plate mea-
sures 12½″ broad and 6½″ high. The record consist of twenty-five lines, of which twelve
are inscribed on the first, and the remaining thirteen on the second plate. The average
size of letters is ¼″.
The characters belong to the western variety of the southern alphabets and resemble
those of the Traikūtaka grants. There is a triangular wedge at the top of letters except
in the case of b, n, ñ and sometimes of l and r. The initial ē which occurs in 1.12 shows
a closed hook on the left. The medial ō and au are not clearly distinguished, compare
e.g. ō in yaśō-vāptayē 1. II and au in Laukākshi 1.6. L occurs in two forms : (1) with a
short vertical as in kulaputraka and kuśala-, 1.3 and (2) with the vertical bent to the left as
in Gālava, 1.5 and phalam, 1.21. Th has the same form, whether it is independent or subscript, see e.g., yathā, 1.4 and sthiti-, 1.9. A final consonant is indicated by a short horizontal
stroke which takes the place of the wedge at the top; see vasēt, 1.20. The sign of the
Jihvāmūlīya occurs in 1.15 and the symbols for 200, 90, 10, 5 and 2 in 1.25.
The language in Sanskrit and except for four benedictive and imprecatory verses
in 11. 19-23, the record is in prose throughout. As regards orthography, we may note
that the consonant following r is doubled in many cases, see sarvvān, 1.2, Antar-Nnarmadā, 1.4, etc.; so also dh preceding y, see pādānuddhyāto, 1. 1. Samgamasīha for Samgamasimha
and karishayatām for karshayatām are evidently due to the influence of the Prakrits.
The plates were issued by the Mahāsāmanta, the illustrious Mahārāja, Sangamasimha from Bharukachcha. The object of the inscription is to record the grant of the village
Śonavvā in the Antar-Narmadā vishaya to five Brāhmanas, who were residents of
Bharukachchha, on the occasion of the Mahākārttikī, i.e., the full-moon day of
Kārttika. The purpose of the grant was to provide for the performance of the five great
sacrifices, viz., bali charu, vaiśvadēva, agnihōtra and havana. The grant was written by
_______________________
1J. B. B. R. A. S., Vol. XX, p. 211.
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