Indian Epigraphy c11.t3.17

c11.t3.17

The Andhavaram plates² of the Eastern Gaṅga king Indravaraman record the grant of a village as an agrahāra or rent-free holding in favour of several Brāhmaṇas. The king is clearly mentioned as the donor. But the record is stated in the end to have been written under orders of Lokārṇavadeva, the vanquisher of many foes. The charter was issued in the Gaṅga year 133. But, instead of describing it as the usual pravardhamāna-vijaya-rājya-saṁvatsara or Gāṅgeya-vaṁśa-pravardhamāna-vijaya-rājya-saṁvatsara as we find in other Gaṅga records, the inscription in question calls it Tunburu-vaṁśa-rājya-saṁvatsara. This reminds us of the Santa-Bommali plates³ issued by a Kadamba feudatory of a Gaṅga king, which describe the Gaṅga era as Gaṅga-Kadamba-vaṁśa-pravardhamāna-vijaya-rājya-saṁvatsara even though the Kadambas had nothing to do with the establishment of the era. It appears that the grant recorded in the Andhavaram plates of Gaṅga Indravarman was really made by his feudatory Lokārṇava of the Tumburu dynasty. Unless such was the case, it is difficult to explain why he was introduced as ordering for the writing of the document and why the Gaṅga era is described only in this record as associated with the Tumburu dynasty.⁴