Material: Metal / copper alloy

The Thālner copper plates, which consist of three inscribed copper plates with a ring, were acquired from a resident of Thālner by a blacksmith from Dhule. The plates date to the third year of Hariṣeṇa’s reign and are the only known official charter of the king, who was the last ruler of the Vatsagulma branch of the Vākāṭakas. The plates record the donation of two villages and some land to a group of Brāhmaṇas who were students of Sāmaveda.

This set of 5 copper plates dating to the reign of Pṛithivīṣeṇa II, were discovered in June 1971 in a field during ploughing. The field was owned by Shri Borkar who, at that time, lived in the village. The village, according to V. B. Kolte (1972: 183), is an ancient site with many archaeological remains dating to the Vākāṭaka period. There are also stone circles which date as far back as 3000 years suggesting continued habitation throughout this period. This is one of the only known copper plate charters of Pṛithivīṣeṇa II which is complete. The charter was issued in the king’s 17th year of rule and records the grant of the village Jamalakheṭaka to the Brāhmaṇas Vishṇudatta and Bhavadatta, residents of Pṛithivīpura, from where the charter was issued.

This set of five copper plates were discovered during archaeological excavations undertaken at Māṇḍhaḷ by the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Nagpur University. These plates were discovered with two other Vākāṭaka copper plate charters (IN00183 and IN00189). Each charter was complete with ring and seal attached. This charter, inscribed on four plates, records the donation of the village Govasāhikā to four Brāhmaṇas, including two – Maheśvarasvāmin and Brahmasvāmin – who are also mentioned in the Māṇḍhaḷ copper plate charter of Pṛithivīṣeṇa II, year 2 (IN00189). Shastri (1997: 99-103) argues that the three plates found at this site record donations by two Vākāṭaka kings to two generations of the same family.