North Indian Inscriptions

SUPPLEMENTARY INSCRIPTIONS

No. 201 ; PLATE CLXXVII
KUNDEŚVARA COPPER PLATE INSCRIPTION OF THE TIME OF VIDYĀDHARADĒVA
[ Vikrama ] Year 1060

THE plate which bears this inscription was found at Digōdā,^[9] a village about 24 kms. straight north of Ṭīkamgaḍh, the principal town of a district in the Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh. The record was briefly noticed in the Annual Report of Epigraphy, 1971-72, as No. A-7. The plate was then in the possession of Shri S. P. Srivastava, Principal of the Basic Training Institute at Kuṇḍēśvara, near Ṭīkamgaḍh ; but at present, as I am informed, it is exhibited at the local Museum at that place. The definite year and the circumstances under which the plate was found are not known. The inscription, which is of great value for the history of the Chandēlla rulers and the Turkish invasion of India, as to be seen below, is edited here for the first time, from an impression kindly provided to me by the Chief Epigraphist. I also revised my reading from the original plate placed at my disposal, due to the courtesy of Shri P. C. Sen, the Director of Archaeology, Madhya Pradesh.

The inscription is on a single copper-plate, which is fairly large but thin. The plate is broken on all the four sides and the corners, especially at the lower right-hand side, resulting in the loss of some letters in the last three lines. Its ends are slightly raised and it shows a curvature on the right side also. It is inscribed on one side only. The greatest length of it is 58.8 cms. and the breadth is 34 cms. The writing covers an area about 58 cms. broad by 33.5 cms. high. In the middle of the top-margin the plate shows a rectangular hole (1 cm. by .5 cm.), which appears as bored some time later, apparently for hanging it by a nail on the wall, as also stated in the Report of Epigraphy, referred to above. A similar attempt also appears to have been made at the bottom, which has mutilated a portion of the plate. It weighs 2 kilograms and 8.80 grams.
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^[1] The word, which is used here for alliteration, means a mountain.
^[2] The daṇḍa has disappeared, leaving only traces.
^[3] As said above, here the word denotes Vikramāditya VI of the Western Chālukya dynasty.
^[4] The word bala is used in double meaning: army and strength. Since Jagaddēva’s army had scattered, he won the battle on his own strength.
^[5] Prof. Kolte emends the second letter to kshya, meaning the aìm. But it is unnecessary. Here it means hundred thousands, that is, innumerable, which is also consistent with ajayat.
^[6] The first akshara in this line is partly broken, and the sandhi is not observed for the sake of metre.
^[7] This akshara too is partly broken, Kālamēgha, literally meaning ‘cloude of deluge’, appears as the name of Jagaddēva’s horse.
^[8] Kolte read the third letter of the name as chchha and corrected it to stha. But also see the same letter in the name of the poet, above, on Plate XXXII, line 28.
^[9] This place is mentioned as Dugauḍā, above in No. 112, verse 6, and as Dugauḍa, above, in No. 150, verse 7.