Community: Vākāṭaka epigraphy

The charter consists of five plates, but only three bear inscription and the attached seal is also without inscription. According to Shastri 1997: 70, this indicates that the charter was left unfinished. Mirashi 1963: 79 also states that the charter was left incomplete as it does not specify the donation. It does however record the planned place of issue, Pṛthivīṣeṇa II’s temporary residence at Vembāra, which Mirashi 1963: 80 has identified with the modern village of Bembāl, 28 miles east of Chandrapur and 2 miles west of the Waingaṅhā river. Although incomplete, the importance of the inscription lies in its mention of Pṛthivīṣeṇa II and his father Narendrasena II. Prior to the discovery of this charter, neither ruler was known as only grants of Pravarasena II were known before 1893. Because of this, the description of both Narendrasena II, Pravarasena II’s son (?) and Pṛthivīṣeṇa II were new contributions to the known Vākāṭaka history.

This plate, which is unfinished, was found in the village of Mohallā in the Durg district of Chhattīsgaḍh. The details of the charter are not recorded in the inscription as it is not finished. According to Shastri, the plate is possibly dated to the reign of Pṛithivīṣeṇa I.

This plate, the fourth of a five plate charter, was discovered whilst digging for manganese in the Mānsar area. It is not know where the donated areas are or where the plate was issued.

This inscription, of which only one plate is now known, records the donation of the village of Śrīparṇakā by Pravarasena II to three beneficiaries: Gaṅgārya, Vasurārya and Rudrārya. The charter was issued to replace an earlier grant of the village Māṇapallikā. The donation was made to augment the religious merit of Pravarasena II’s mother, Prabhāvatī Guptā, indicating that she is still alive at the time of issue. However, as only one of the plates of this grant is known, the date and place of issue is not known.

This charter has five copper plates and records the donation of 2000 nivartanas of land by royal measure in the village of Dhuvavāṭaka (Dhruvavāṭaka) to a number of Brāhmaṇas. An additional 26 nivartanas in two other villages is recorded in the third plate as being specifically donated to the Brāhmaṇa Somārya. Both Mirashi 1963: 64 and Shastri 1997: 34-35 argue that this third plate is actually a forgery, inserted into the charter at a later date to benefit Somārya. The first part of the donation (that of the 2000 nivartanas) was issued in exchange for the earlier donation by Pṛthivīṣeṇa I of the village of Vijayavallī-vāṭaka. The charter was issued in the 29th year of Pravarasena II reign and was issued from the temple of Pravareśvara.

The charter was issued by Pravarasena II in the 27th year of his reign and is, according to Shastri 1963: 31, a unique charter in the Vākāṭaka examples because it provides for a free feeding house, attached to a temple as opposed to an individual donation of a land grant. The donation was made at the request of Nārāyaṇarāja.

The inscription records the donation of four hundred nivartanas by royal measure in the village of Velusuka and was issued in the 25th year of Pravarasena II reign although the grant was made in the 20th year. The donation was made to Brāhmaṇa Rudrarya.

The copper plates date to year 23 of Pravarasena II and record the donation to Varuṇārya, a resident of Cāndrapura, of the village Kosambakhaṇḍa in order to gain religious merit for both Pravarasena II and his mother Prabhāvatī Guptā.

The charter records the donation of 25 bhūmis (nivartanas) in the village of Darbbhamalaka to Yakshārya and 60 bhūmis of land in the village of Karmakāra-grama to Kaliśarman. The land was donated in the 23rd year of Pravarasena II reign.

The charter records the donation of the village of Viśākhārya-vāṭaka located to the north of Āramāka, to Viśākhārya’s son Goṇḍārya and his sons Manorathārya, Govārya, Devārya, Bāppārya, Kumārārya and Droṇārya who lived in the village of Āramāka. The donation was granted by Pravarasena II and the Merchant Chandra in the 23rd year of Pravarasena II reign. According the Shastri the charter is interesting for a number of reasons – first there are numerous mistakes in the engraving and secondly because it appears that the charter is merely formalising an earlier grant, perhaps to Viśākhārya and confirming the donation to his son and grandsons.