Indian Epigraphy c11.t5: 2. Classification of Contents
Indian Epigraphy c11.t5
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- English
2. Classification of Contents
c11.t5.1
² See B. Ch. Chhabra, 'Diplomatic of Sanskrit Copper-plate Grants' in The Indian Archives, Vol. V, 1951, pp. 1 ff. especially pp. 6 ff. The author uses the word 'diplomatic' in the sense of 'a critical study of diplomas' and 'diploma' in that of 'documentary source of history'. The Roman 'diploma' (from a Greek verb meaning 'to double') was so called because it was formed of two sheets of metal, which were shut together like the leaves of a book. Similar is the case with the grants of some West Indian rulers, which were incised on the inner side of two plates of copper with two rings passing through holes in their upper margin holding them together (cf. above, pp. 75, 122).
c11.t5.2
The contents of royal charters, which were generally engraved on copper plates but sometimes also on stone slabs, may be divided into three broad sections, viz. (a) Preamble, (b) Notification and (c) Conclusion. But the grants of different ages, different royal families, different rulers of the same family and different categories of rulers often exhibit differences and there may be omissions and alterations in the details in each one of the sections.
c11.t5.3
The Preamble generally comprises the following items: (1) invocation, (2) the place of issue, (3) the name of the donor with his titles and ancestry, and (4) the address in respect of the grant. The Notification similarly comprises: (1) specification of the gift, (2) the name of the donee, (3) the occasion of the grant, (4) the purpose of the grant, and (5) the boundaries of the gift land. The Conclusion likewise contains: (1) an exhortation in respect of the grant, (2) the names of the officials responsible for the preparation of the document, and (3) the date and authentication of the record.
c11.t5.4
The language in which these items are indicated is generally similar in different charters of the same king and of the kings of the same family. Some medieval copper-plate grants are, however, entirely written in verse and do not follow such stereotyped drafts.¹
c11.t5.5
¹ Cf. *Ep. Ind.*, Vol. III, pp. 24 ff., 120 ff., 131 ff., 240 ff.