1 EPIGRAPHICAL NOTES By S. V. Sohoni I A NOTE ON NALANDA PLATE OF DHARMAPALADEVA This copper plate was found in 1927-28, lying among the debris in the north veranda of monastery no. at Nalanda. It has been discussed by Hiranand Shastri in the Annual Report on the tArcheological Survey of India, 1927-28, p.138; by B. N. Bhatta- charya in the Epigraphia Indica, vol, 23, 1940, pp. 290-292; and by Hira- nand Shastri in “Nalanda and Its Epigraphic Material”,1942, pp. 84-85. ‘The document records the gift of a village Uttarama near the village of Niguha, belonging to Jambunadi vithi, in the Gaya vigaya of the Nagarabhukti. The beneficiary is apparently a Buddhist monk, whose name begins with “Dharmma”. The Jambunadi referred to in the record is now known as the Jamun which flows northwards, to the west of Gaya town and joins the Morhar near Jehanabad. But the villages are not situated near this river. They are, in fact, situated beyond much bigger rivers than the Jamun, viz, the Dardha, and the Morhar. ‘The present names of Niguha and Uttarama villages are, Nighwan and Utrawan respectively, both being situated near the police station of Kurtha. These epigraphical particulars have some value in determining the meaning of the term ‘vithi’. Since it is likely that the present Jamun river was then known as the Jambunadi, it follows that ‘Jambunadi vithi’ did not mean that tract which was situated along the banks of the river but was larger included the river itself while taking the river’s name. The vithi was a part of a district, ie. a subdivision, named apparently after one of the rivers flowing through it and not necessarily the biggest -tiver travershing it, A. possible explanation can be that. en ie smaller river had-greater cultivation along its banks,126 EPIGRAPHICAL NOTES [Be RS It is noteworthy that in this copper plate grant occurs the expre-~ ssion: “Nagara-bhuktau Gaya-vis-y-antahpati-Jamyu ( mbu )-nadi-vithi- prativa(bajddha-Niguha-gram-asanna U-ttardma-gramake”. In other words, the village Uttarama has defined as being near the village Niguha, imp- lying thereby that Niguha was more important at that time, This holds good even to-day—Niguha or, Nighawan has more population and cultiva- 4 ble area, and pays more taxes than village Uttarama or modern Utrawan. ‘The fact that the donated village, Uttarama was described as “near the village Niguha”, was probably, due to there being many other villages of that name. Village Nighawan bears Thana no. 167 and village Utrawan Thana | PHO NOH" GF Kurta "Revenue Thana. Their area and the recoverable rent as also population are noted below— Educa- | tion | Total | cess. si. | Name of — |Popu- No.| the village/ lation] Area thane | | | Rent | Cess | i 1, | Nighawan 167 23 ae 6988.07 | 416.26! 416.26 | 7820.59 2, | Utrawan 169| 750 | 296.92 | 1533.21 | 95.29) 95.29 | 1723.29 i l 1 | ee | fl THE NANDAPUR COPPER PLATE ‘The Nandapur copper plate grant of the Gupta year 169 of 458 A.D. was published by N. G. Mazumdar in Epigraphia Indica, Vol. XXII, pp. 52-26. ‘The following conclusions were submitted by him— (1) The copper plate comes from the village Nandapur which fies on the southern bank of the Ganges and at a distance of about two “ miles to the north-east of Surajgarha in Monghyr district. The plate ‘was said to have been fixed to the wall of a niche in a dilapidated temple. (2) The charter was issued from a village called Ambila. It records the purchase of four kulyavapas of fallow land in the village ofVOl.L, PARTS I-IV] EPIGRAPHICAL NOTES , a Jungoyika at the rate of two dinaras per kufyavapa, by the ‘Vigayapati Chhattramaha, and its transfer as gift toa Brahmana of village Jungoiki in order to enable him to perform the five great sacrifices. The name of the donee, ending in “‘svamin™, could not be made outwith certainty: He was an inhabitant of Nandavithi and Khatapurana-agrahara, The land donated was bounded on the south, by the plot given away to Goraksita; and on the west, by the land known as Gopalibhoga, (3) In the transaction, the Visayapati Chhattramaha, himself was the applicant and appeared before the Adhikarana to, secure the plot Stand by means of a tamra-patra. ‘The matter was enquired into and reported on by the Record Keepers ( pushtapala ), Pradyotasimha and Bandhudasa. Mazumdar further stated, “That the document was drafted, engraved and issued from Bengal, or more precisely from North Bengal, follows not only from the nature of the script but also from the close agreement of its pharseology with that of Baigram and other plates of this century, discovered in North Bengal. Moreover, from the mention of 8 by 9 nalas, and the standard cubic length of darvvi karmma, the conclu- sion becomes irresistible that the land that was so measured and given away, must have belonged to the same region, although the donee him- self resided at Nandapur in the Monghyr district of Bihar.” 2. would venture to modify these conclusions in two respects— (a) It is evident that neither Mazumdar who published the copper-plate grant nor Chakravarti who was then editing the Epigraphia Indica, gave a correct translation of the first two lines which read as follows— 1. “Syasty=Amwvi ( mbi) la-gram-agraharot = sa-vitvasam = adhi- Karanam ( nam) Jungoyika Brahmay-ottaran = samvyavaha— 2. “ay-adi-hutumvi( mbi nah — kuSalam—anuvarnya bodhayanti (1 Jlithanti( ti )cha (1*) Pijha ayatinah visayapati—Chhattramahah” Mazumdar’s translation was, “Hail! From the (royal ) grant (agrahara) of Ambila village our head of the district ( vigeyapati ) Chhattramaha, with confidence intimates, addresses in writing and informs the great ( adhikarana ), as well as the Brahmanas, the chief officers and others and also the house holders, at the village of Jungoyika ce after having enquired about their well-being.” tanaclld128 EPIGRAPHICAL NOTES [eRe s. Chakravarti’s translation is, “From. Ambila (the ayutakas) - intimate and. write to ( bodhyanti Tikhanti cha) the Court that Vigaya- pati Chhattramaha informs us-++.-+.+.”” Actually, the subject of this sentence is neither the Vigayapati Chhattram@ha, ( as assumed by Mazumdar inspite of the plural bodhayanti and [ikhanti ) nor the Ayuktas ( as assumed by Chakravarti, although there is no reference to them in the coppoer plate). The subject is, “Samvya- vaharyadikuyumvi (mbi) nah,” viz. the Samvyavaharis. and Kutumbins. ‘These parties had gone to the agrahara situated at village Ambila.. The expression ‘agraharat’ may be compared with the use of “skandhavarat”. They are addressing the text recorded on this copper. plate to the Brah- CoO ° They have made this reference. to, those Brahmin after ‘intimating their own welfare, ( kuSalam anuvarnya ). ‘According to usual'contemporary style, this reference was being made with confidence, “Saviévasam”. Ibis these parties before whom an application was made (vijiapa- yati nah ) by the District Officer, Chhattramsha. Since the District Officer himself was the applicant, he submitted his application before the other parties, who, otherwise, along with him, would normally have constituted the authority to deal with such applica- tions for purchase and assignment of fallow land. To whom were the Samvyavaharis and Kutumbins reporting with confidence? ‘To the Adhikarana or the office—presumably, of the Vigt- yapati or the District Officer himself, ‘Thus it was that although the District Officer was the applicant, he had not only to pay for the land after ascertaining the customary price and satisfying those concerned that it was fallow land, unproductive of any taxes, etc. The application was dealt with by the other members of the authority which dealt with such matters. Besides this compliance with ordinary procedure, the usual office, viz. his own office was also addressed. Ido not think that the adhikarana was that of the officer in- charge of the province or the bhukti. 3, The transaction took place during the reign of Budhagupta ; and closely resembles records of other donations of land issued in that emperor's reign, ‘The principal point. of interest lies in. the fact-that ‘although the District Officer himself was the applicant, he had to complyVOL. L, PARTS I-IV] EPIGRAPHICAL NOTES 129 rigidly with all points of the standard procedure. This reflects to what extent the normal rules could not be by-passed even by the privileged. 4. The visaya or the district has not been named in the grant—the transaction was complete and required no reference to any outside authority. ‘The visaya must have been the Krimila district of Srinagara Bhukti. The donee was resident of Nandapur, not far away from the district headquarters, the distance between Nandapur and Krimila (Kiul) being only a few miles. 5. The southern and eastern boundaries of the land in village Jungoyika have been mentioned as presumably, on the east and north there was a river. Jungoyika might be present-day Jamui, and Khatapurapa, village Khata near Barhi. The village Ambila lam not able to locate. If it were in the neighbourhood of the district headquarters at Krimila or Kibila, then the agrahara where the parties had gone to put their direction in acceptable form to the Brahmins of village Jungoyika, might be or close to, Krimila itself. 6. Inthese circumstances, [am unable to subscribe to the view that, “The land that was so measured and given away must have also belonged to North Bengal.” It has been generally found that when land was donated in favour of an individual, it was nearly always not far from the place where the donee himself resided. Distance introduced complications, then as now. The anxiety of the donee to avoid trouble with the local Brahmins in village Jungoyika by getting a direction addressed to them as well as to the Adhikarana by the concerned authorities, is another point of inte- rest in this transaction.