Pravarasena II

Memorial stone inscription discovered during cleaning undertaken by the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Maharashtra Government in the early 1980s. The inscription is carved onto stones fixed on the inside wall of the mandapa of the Kevala-Narasiṃha temple at Ramtek. The inscription records a pious action of an unidentified daughter of Prabhāvatī Guptā, during the reign of her brother Pravarasena II. However the inscription is damaged and a clear reading is not possible at this point in time.

The set of four copper plates was discovered by Shri Ramchandra Narayan Wakadiker whilst digging in the ramparts of Paunī. The charter was issued from Pravarapura and records the donation of land measuring 50 nivarttanas by royal measure to Duggāryya, a student of the Ṛigveda and part of the Aupamanyava gotra. According to the inscription the land is located in the ‘holy place of Achalapuka’ and was given in exchange for another plot of land. The grant was issued in the 32nd year of Pravarasena II’s reign and provides the last date for the rule of Pravarasena II, showing that he ruled at least 32 years.

This charter, issued in the 19th year of Pravarasena II’s reign, records the donation of a piece of land in the north west of Matsakadraha village in honour of 19 Brāhmaṇas who are named in the inscription.

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 later Vākāṭaka copper plate charters. Each charter was complete with ring and seal attached. This charter was issued from Pravarapura and it records the donation of the village Mayasagrāma in favour of Upādhyāya Māṭrisvāmin by Pravarasena II. The charter dates to the 16th and 17th year of Pravarasena II reign, with the first date recording the year when the donation was made and the second year recording when the charter was written and issued. According to the inscription one third of the religious merit of the donation is to go to Ājnākabhaṭṭārikā, mother of Narendrarāja, although it is not known who these two people are. According to Shastri, the identification of Mayasagrāma is not possible at present, but it is also not possible to rule out Māṇḍhaḷ as the possible location of the ancient village.

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.