The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v1.c17.s2: (2) The Karas of Tosalī
The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v1.c17.s2
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(2) The Karas of Tosalī
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The Karas appeared to have ruled in Orissa from about the 8th century down to the 11th century A.D. Most of their inscriptions were discovered in the districts of Cuttack, Puri, and Ganjam; and it seems likely that they ruled, for some time at least, over portions of these districts synchronously with the Somavamśīs of Kosala. Most of their charters were issued from Guheśvara-pāṭaka,² and record grants either in *Uttara* or *Dakṣiṇa* Tosalī. Some of these grants include Kuṅgada-*Maṇḍala* in the latter division. Tosalī has been rightly identified with Tosalī mentioned in the Orissan edicts of the Maurya emperor Aśoka.³ *Dakṣiṇa*-Tosalī is mentioned in the Patiakella grant of Mahārāja Śivarāja dated in (Gupta) *Saṁvat* 283.⁴ Kuṅgada⁵ is apparently the *Kung-yü-t'o* of Yuan Chwang,⁶ which was situated 1,200 li to the South-West of *Wu-t'u* (Uḍra)⁷ and 1,400 or 1,500 li to the North-East of *Ka-leng-ka* (Kaliṅga).⁸ Cunningham and Fergusson identified *Kung-yü-t'o* with the region about the Chilka Lake, now included within the districts of Puri and Ganjam.⁹
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² In some of their grants the name seems to be *Śubheśvara-pāṭaka*; see *JBORS*, Vol. VI, pp. 419 ff.; 1928, June, p. 282 ff.; or *Śubhadeva-pāṭaka*, *EI*, Vol. XV, p. 3.
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³ Hultzsch, *CII*, Vol. I, *Inscriptions of Aśoka*, pp. 92 ff. Also fn. 1 on p. 95.
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⁴ *EI*, Vol. IX, p. 287.
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⁵ Also spelt Kōṅgōda; see *EI*, Vol. VI, p. 141; *JBORS*, Vol. V, pp. 564 ff.
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⁶ Or *Kung-gu-t'o* or *Kung-ya-t'o*; see *YC*, Vol. II, pp. 196-98.
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⁷ Or *Oṭa* (Oḍra), *YC*, Vol. II, p. 193.
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⁸ *Ibid*, p. 198.
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⁹ *Ibid*, p. 197. Fergusson thought that its capital "was situated to the northward of the Chilka Lake and somewhere between Cuttack and Aska, where one of Aśoka's great edict tablets still exists."
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The Kara grants, like most Orissa inscriptions are undated, or are dated in eras of uncertain epoch. Recently however Prof. Sylvain Lévi has greatly assisted the attempts of scholars to find the period of the Karas in Orissa by suggesting the identification of one of its earlier kings named Śubhakara with ‘the fortunate monarch who does what is pure, the lion,’ ‘king of the realm of Wu-Cha’ who sent an autograph MS. to the Chinese emperor Te-tsong in 795 A.D.¹ The Ganjam plates of the Śailodbhava feudatory Mādhavarāja Sainyabhīta show that the Orissan coast-districts, including portions of Ganjam, were under the Gauḍa king Śaśāṅka up to year 619-20 A.D.² After the defeat of Śaśāṅka these dominions of the latter may have passed under the control of Harṣa for some time.³ It was probably during the confusion that followed the death of Harṣa that the Karas succeeded in establishing their power in Orissa. In their earlier inscriptions the Karas claim descent from the *Bhaumânvaya* or *Bhauma-kula*,⁴ while in the later records they are said to have sprung from the *Vaṁśa* of the *Kara* kings. Sometimes their dynasty is simply referred to as *Kara-kula*.
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¹ *EI*, Vol. XV, pp. 363-64.
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² *Ibid*, Vol. VI, pp. 143-46.
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³ *Life*, p. 154. It refers to the assignment of ‘the revenue of eighty large towns of Orissa’ by Śīlāditya to the learned Jayasena.
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⁴ *Cf.* Genealogies of the dynasties of Assam, see *supra*, pp. 237 ff.
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The earliest inscription of the family appears to be the *Neulpur grant of Śubhakara*. It was found among the old records of a Zamindar of Darppan, in the Cuttack District. It contains 34 lines, incised on both sides of a single plate. The circular seal which is attached to a projection on one side of the plate bears in its upper part the figure of a bull couchant. Its lower part contains the legend *Śrī-Śubhākaradevasya*. The inscription is undated, but on palaeographic grounds can be referred to the 8th century A.D. It opens with *Oṁ Svasti-* *Jaya-skandhāvārāt Śubhadevapāṭakāt*, and then gives the following genealogy of the donor :
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In the *Bhaumānveya*
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*Paramopāsaka-Nṛ(?)[gatāpha(?)-nāmā Kṣemaṅkara-deva*
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*Parama-tathāgata Svadharmāropita-varṇāśrama-Bharasaha-Śivakaradeva.*
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*Parama-saugata Mātā-pitṛ-pādānudhyāta Mahārāja Śubhakaradeva.*
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It then records the grants of the villages of *parvata-droṇī*-Komparāka and Daṇḍāṅkiyoka, situated in the *Viṣayas* of Pāñcāla and Vubhyudaya in *Uttara*-Tosalī, to one hundred Brahmans (names given). The date *Saṁvat* 8 occurs in line 30. The *Dūtaka* of the grant was the *Mahākṣapaṭalādhikarādhikṛta* Samudradatta. It was written by the *Mahākṣapaṭalika* Bhogika Brahmadatta, heated (*tāpitam*) by *Peṭṭāpāla* Nārāyaṇa, and engraved by *Taṭṭhakāra* Eḍadatta.¹
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¹ Edited by R. D. Bannerji, *EI*, Vol. XV, pp. 1-8. The editor reads the name of the donor as Śubhākara ; but I have accepted the correction suggested by Prof. Lévi and accepted by Prof. F. W. Thomas ; *ibid*, p. 364.
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From the titles of the kings it is clear that the kings were Buddhists. But, like the Pālas of Bihar and Bengal, they did not find it conflicting with their tenets to pose at the same time as guardians of the *Varṇāśramas*. The figure of the bull on their seal shows the curious blending of later Buddhism and Śaivism. Prof. Sylvain Lévi has identified the donor of the grant with the Mahāyāna Buddhist king of Wu-ch'a (Uḍra) who sent an autograph MS. to the Chinese emperor Te-tsong in A.D. 795.² The Sanskrit equivalent of the name of the king given in Chinese as 'the fortunate monarch who does what is pure, the lion' is *Śubhakara Kesarin* or *Siṁha*.
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² *Ibid*, pp. 363-64.
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Śivakara, the father of Śubhakara of the Neulpur grant, has been identified by some scholars with Śivaṅkara, the first prince mentioned in the *Chaurasi grant* of Śivakara.³ This grant was found in the village of Chaurasi, in the pargana Antarodh, thana Nimapara, in the Sadar division of the Puri district. It contains 29 lines, incised on both sides of a single plate. On a projection of the plate on its left side is the circular seal formed like an expanded lotus flower bearing the figure of a bull. The inscription on the seal is illegible. The letters of the grant are not later than the 9th or 10th century A.D. It opens with *Oṁ siddhiḥ*, and then follows (lines 2-3) the name of the residence of the donor—*Guha*(*Śubha ?*) *devīpāṭikār-vāsinah vijaya-skandhāvārāt*. Then follows the genealogy:
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³ *JBORS*, 1928, June, p. 304.
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In the mighty *kula* of Bhauma.
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Śivaṅkara
| = *Mahādevi* Jayābalī-devī.
*Pb.*-*M.*-*P.*-Śubhakara......*Utkalendra*
| = *Mahādevī* Mādhava-devī.
*Pb.*-*M.*-*P.* Śivakara.
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The inscription then records the grant of the village of Vuvradā in the Anarudra-*Viṣaya* of *Dakṣiṇa-Tośalī* to the Brahman Jāllu-bhaṭṭa. It is dated in line 10 in *Saṁvat* 13. It was written by the *Taṣṭākāra* Harivardhana.¹
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¹ Edited by Narayana Tripathi, *JBORS*, 1928, June, pp. 292-306. This editor also gives the name of the father of the donor as Subhākara. *Tosali* is probably a mistake for *Tosali*.
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If we accept the identification proposed above, we may have to reject the suggestion of Mr. R. D. Banerji that *Mahārāja* Śubhakara was a feudatory ruler.² For in this grant his family is given all the imperial titles that sovereign rulers assumed during this period. Unfortunately we do not know the names of the immediate successors of Śivakara II. The grants of Daṇḍimahādevī, which undoubtedly belong to a later period, contain the names of a number of her predecessors. But the name of Śivakara (II) does not occur amongst them. In the present state of our knowledge we must remain contented with the suggestion that Śivakara (II) and his ancestors preceded Lolabhāra or Loṇabhāra, the first prince in the direct line from Daṇḍi-mahādevī.¹ The following grants of this queen are known :
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² *EI*, Vol. XV, p. 2.
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¹ *JBORS*, 1923, June, p. 304.
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(1) Ganjam grant (i).—It was found in the office of the Collector of Ganjam; find-spot unknown. The inscription contains 43 lines, incised on both sides of a single plate. On its proper right is soldered a seal resting on an expanded lotus-flower, bearing the figure of a couchant bull, and below it is the legend *Śrīmad-Daṇḍi-mahādevī*. The characters of the inscription may be classed together with those of the Nadagam (in Ganjam) plates of Vajrahasta of *Śaka Saṁvat* 979 (A. D. 1058), and with those of some other inscriptions belonging to about the 12th or 13th centuries A. D.² The grant opens as usual with *Oṁ svasti*, and then comes in the 3rd line the name of the donor's place of residence : *Śrīmad Guheśvara-pāṭaka-nivāsī vijaya-skandhavārāt*. Next comes the following genealogy of the donor :
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² *EI*, Vol. VI, pp. 153-54, Nos. 568, 655, 659-60, 664, 665, 672-73 and 711-14 of Kielhorn's list of Northern Inscriptions in *EI*, Vol. V, *Appendix*. Kielhorn though not venturing to express any definite opinion on the age of the inscription, remarked that it ‘could hardly be older than the 13th century.’ But I think the date of the grant must be placed sometime before the middle of the 12th century, for there could hardly be any place ‘for a sovereign ruler in the Ganjam area during the reign of Coḍagaṅga (c. 1076-1147 A.D.). In fact it seems likely that either Daṇḍi-mahādevī or her immediate successors were destroyed by that powerful ruler of Kaliṅganagara.
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A king named Unmaṭṭa-siṁha³
From his family (*Tad-vaṁśād*)
Maṅgapāḍa (?) and others.
In their family (*Tad-vaṁśe*)
(1) King Loṇabhāra
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|—————————————————————————————|
(2) Kusumabhāra (3) Lalitabhāra
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(4) Śāntikara (5) Subhākara
| = (6) Gaurī (?)
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*Parama-māheśvarī-Mātā-pitṛ-pādānudhyātā-Pb.-M.-P.*
(7) Daṇḍi-mahādevī
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³ The name is sometimes given as Unmaṭṭa-kesarin; see *infra*, p. 421.
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The inscription then grants the village of Villa, belonging to the eastern division of the Varadā-khaṇḍa-*Viṣaya* of the *Kōṅgōda-Maṇḍala*, to the *Pratīhāra* Dhavala, on the occasion of a *Saṁkrānti* in *Saṁvat* 180. Line 41 adds that a quarter (?) of this village again was given by Dhabala to the Brahmans on the occasion of a *Saṁkrānti*. The grant ends with the name of the engraver, Sambhaka.¹
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¹ Edited by Kielhorn, *ibid*, Vol. VI, pp. 135-40.
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(2) *Ganjam grant (ii)*.—This was found with (1). The inscription contains 39 lines. It records the grant of the village of Garasāmbhā in the Arttani-*Viṣaya* in *Kōṅgōda-Maṇḍalaka* in *Dakṣiṇa-Kōśalā*² to the *Bhaṭṭaputra* Puruṣottama by the donor of No. 1. Lines 38-39 record that half of this village was given by the donee to *Bhaṭṭaputra* Ravika. It was written by the *Mahākṣapaṭalika* Bhogada, and engraved by the *Tāmrakāra* (Kaṇṭha?)kaka. The inscription is not dated. [Seal, genealogy, place of residence, titles, etc., as in No. 1.]³
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² Could it be a mistake for Tośalā (i.e., Tośalī = Tosali).
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³ Edited by Kielhorn, *EI*, Vol. VI, pp. 140-42.
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(3) *Banpur grant*.—This was found in the possession of a Brahman family of Kumurang Sasan, a village near Banpur in the Puri district, some 5 miles from the Balugan Station of the B. N. Ry. It is reported to have been discovered in the deserted village of Mansinghapur, about 7 miles from Kumurang. The inscription consists of 45 lines, incised on a single plate. It records the grant of Kaṇṭsarānagarī-*grāma* in the Khiḍiṅgahāra-*Viṣaya* in the *Kuṅgada-Maṇḍala* of *Dakṣiṇa-Tosalā* to some Brahmans by the donor of No. 1. It is dated in the 18th year of an unspecified era. At the end of the inscription occurs the name of the *Mahākṣapaṭalādhikṛta Rāṇaka* Bhūṣaṇa Nāga and *Mahākṣapaṭalika Bhogī* Padmasena. Genealogy of the donor nearly the same as in No. 1, with the following exceptions: *Śrīmad-Gayāḍa* and others is substituted for ‘Maṅgapāḍa and others,’ Lolabhāra is substituted for Loṇabhāra and Unmaṭṭa-siṁha is said here to have been born in the family of Kara kings. Everything else as in No. 1.¹
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¹ Edited by H. Panday, *JBORS*, Vol. V, pp. 564-78.
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Of the princes mentioned in the genealogy of Daṇḍi-mahādevī Gayāḍa is identified by some scholars² with Gayāḍatuṅga-deva, for whom we have the two following inscriptions :
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² *JBORS*, Vol. V, p. 568, fn. 2 ; *ibid*, 1928, June, pp. 295-96.
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(1) *Bengal Asiatic Society’s grant.*—The find-spot of this is unknown. It contains 40 lines, incised on both sides of a single plate. The seal is elliptical, and bears the figure of a bull and the legend *Śrī-Gayādatuṅga-devasya*. The characters are similar to those of the plate of Mahābhavagupta Janamejaya, and may be referred to the 10th or 11th century A. D. The inscription opens with the praise of a mountain called *Mahāparvata*, whose body was marked by the kings of the Tuṅga dynasty. Then occurs the name of Yamagartta-*Maṇḍala*. Next comes the genealogy of the donor, as follows :
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In the Tuṅga-*vaṁśa*, Śāṇḍilya-*gotra* Rājā-Jagattuṅga, who came from Rohitāgiri (mod. Rohtasgarh in Shahabad district, Bihar ?).
In his line Salāṇatuṅga
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*Parama-māheśvara-Samadhigata-pañca-mahāśabda*-Gayāḍatuṅga-deva.
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The inscription then records the grant of some land in the village of Toro in the Veṇḍuṅga-*Viṣaya*, in the Yamagartta-*Maṇḍala*, to a number of Brahmans settled at the village of Kuruvābhata in the Oḍra-*Viṣaya*.³
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³ Edited by Prof. N. Chakravarti, *JASB.* 1909, Vol. V (N.S.), pp. 347-50. The editor thinks that the word Vānāryaśatru occurring in line 11 may be a surname of Jagattuṅga or of a predecessor of the latter. The Candras of Bengal also claimed to have come from Rohitāgiri ; see *EI*, Vol. XXII, pp. 116 ff. ; also *supra*, p. 322.
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(2) *Talcher grant.*—This belongs to the Talcher State of Orissa; find-spot not known. The inscription contains 36 lines.
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It records the grant of the Vāmāitāllo-*grāma* in the Tuṅkerā-*Viṣaya* in the Yamagartta-*Maṇḍala* to 3 Brahmans who were settled in the Oḍra-*Viṣaya*. One of the donees came from the Varendra-*Maṇḍala*, while another came from Sāvathī. (=Śrāvastī). [Everything else as in No. 1.]¹
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¹ Edited by R. D. Banerji, *JASB*, 1916, Vol. XII (N.S.), pp. 291-95. Previously edited by N. Vasu in the *Archaeological Survey of Mayurabhañja*, Vol. I, p. 152 ff. For another inscription of the Tuṅga family see the *Bonai grant of Mahārāja Rāṇaka Parama-māheśvara-Samadhigata-pañca-mahā-śabda-Aṣṭādaśa-Gondamādhipati-Vinitatuṅga II*, son of Khaḍgatuṅga and grandson of Vinītatuṅga I, who came from Rohitāsi (Rohtasgarh ?). The seal is circular, and bears in relief 'a couchant deer with trees in front, symbols for the sun and moon, a lotus,' and the legend *Śrī-Vinitatuṅga-deva*. It was edited by H. P. Śāstri in *JBORS*, Vol. VI, pp. 286-40.
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These grants seem to indicate that Gayāḍatuṅga was a worshipper of Śiva, and possibly a feudatory. The find-spot of his second grant shows that his territory was not far-removed from the centre of power of the Kara rulers. The seals of his inscriptions also bear the figure of a bull like those of the Karas. The designation of the family name as *Tuṅga-vaṁśa* should be no insuperable bar to the acceptance of these rulers as members of the Kara family. Family names in Indian dynasties sometimes start from an accidental similarity of the ending of the names of some of its members, and I think the occurrence of 3 successive names ending in *Tuṅga* may have led the *praśasti-kāra* of the 3rd prince to call his dynasty *Tuṅga-vaṁśa*. On the evidence available we cannot be sure on the point but on the whole it seems more reasonable to accept tentatively the identification proposed. But we must at the same time conclude that the period between Śivakara II and Loṇabhāra was a period of disruption in the family history of the Karas. It is not unlikely that during this period a more powerful neighbour, possibly the Somavaṁśīs of Kosala completely destroyed their sovereignty. Unmaṭṭa, Maṅgapāḍa and Gayāḍa were probably representatives of the family who held a precarious power as feudatories in different parts of the seaboard of Orissa.
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Loṇabhāra was descended from one of these branches, and appears to have succeeded in reviving the lost prosperity of his family.
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No records have yet been discovered of Loṇabhāra and his two sons Kusumabhāra and Lalitabhāra. But the *Dhenkanal grant* of Tribhuvana-mahādevī, the queen of the last prince, throws important light on his reign and the period immediately following. This inscription was discovered in the State of Dhenkanal in Orissa. It contains 42 lines, incised on both sides of a single plate. The seal has the figure of a bull couchant and the legend *Śrīmat Tribhuana(vana?)-mahādevī*. It was issued from the *Vijaya-skandhāvāra* at Śubheśvara-pāṭaka and is dated in year 35 of an unspecified era. It records the grant of the village of Kontaspārā in the Tosala-Viṣaya to *Bhaṭṭa* Jagaddhara for the object of ‘bringing down rain,’ by the queen Tribhuvana-mahādevī. The genealogy of the donor is given as follows:
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When the *Mahārājas* Unmaṭṭa-kesarin¹ and Gayāḍa
had gone to the city of Indra:
*In the Kara-kula* (line 16)
*M.-P.-*Lalitabhāra = *M.-P.-Ph.-Parama-vaiṣṇavī-Mātāpitṛ-pādānudhyātā*
Tribhuvana-mahādevī.
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¹ Same as Unmaṭṭa-siṁha of the Ganjam grant of Daṇḍī-mahādevī; see *supra*, p. 417.
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We are told by this inscription that the donor of the grant was the daughter of *Rāja* Malladeva the ornament of the southern regions. This Malladeva appears to have helped the Karas to uphold their power after the death of a prince who was possibly his own son-in-law. We are then told that Tribhuvana-mahādevī, though at first unwilling to take up the reins of the government, was at last prevailed upon by a very pious lady named Purāyidevī. The *Dūtaka* of the grant was the *Mahākṣapaṭalika* Balabhadra, and the writer *Mahākṣapaṭalika* Bhogī Nāgaḍadeva.¹
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¹ Edited by H. P. Śāstrī, *JBORS*, Vol. II, pp. 419-27. The editor takes Unmaṭṭa, Kesarin and Gayāḍa as members of different dynasties each of which was distinct from the Karas. But see above, p. 417, the Ganjam grant (i) of Daṇḍi-mahādevī where the line of Loṇabbāra is said to be descended from the line of Unmaṭṭa-siṁha and Maṅgapāḍa.
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In the genealogy given in the Ganjām grant (*i*) of Daṇḍimahādevī we have 7 rulers of the line of Loṇabhāra. The inscription noticed above gives us the name of an additional member and the total number of princes from Loṇabhāra to Daṇḍi-mahādevī now stands at 8. The only other member of this family for whom we have epigraphic records is Sāntikara, the son of Lalitabhāra. One of his inscriptions was discovered in a small cave near Aśoka's rock-edict at Dhauli in Puri district.² Another short inscription of 5 lines belonging to this prince was discovered in the Gaṇeśagumpha at Khandagiri, in Puri district³ which appears to record some dedication made by Bhīmaṭa, a physician (*bhiṣak*).
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² Noticed in *EI*, Vol. XV, p. 3.
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³ Edited by R. D. Banerji, *EI*, Vol. XIII, p. 167, No. XVII. A difficulty in the way of accepting the identification of this Sāntikara with the son of Loṇabhāra is the period of the script of this inscription. According to the editor it belongs to about the first half of the 9th century A.D., which, considering the nature of the script of the Ganjam grant of Daṇḍi-mahādevī, is much too early for her uncle.
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We do not know the name of any other ruler of this family after Daṇḍi-mahādevī. As the characters of the grants of this queen belong to the period *c.* 1058-1200 A. D., it is not unlikely that the dynasty was destroyed during her reign or in that of one of her immediate successors by the growing power of the Eastern Gaṅgas of Kaliṅganagara. It seems almost certain that the Karas must have been swept away before the advance of Avantavarman Coḍagaṅga (*c.* 1076-1147 A. D.) who conquered the ruler of Utkala and apparently extended the frontiers of his kingdom from Godavari valley to the Ganges.
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*The Bhañjas.*
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Princes bearing names which end in *bhañja* appear to have ruled in Orissa and the northern portion of Ganjam district for about three or four hundred years. Their grants, most of which are undated or dated in eras whose epochs have not yet been fixed, have been referred by various authorities to periods ranging from about the 10th or 11th to the 14th or the 15th centuries. These inscriptions were mostly discovered in the states of Mayurbhanj, Sonpur, Baudh, Despalla and the northern portion of the Ganjam district. The proposed identification of the localities mentioned in these grants, if accepted, would show that with a few exceptions most of them were situated in the area indicated above. It is evident that there were at least two main branches and more than one minor branch of these princes. Some of the inscriptions actually say that like the Rudras, the Bhañja princes were many thousands in number. The seals and the stories of the origin of the different branches also often vary considerably from one another. In many of the grants the princes are designated ‘lords of Khiñjali’, while some of the oldest records seem to give Khijinga as one of the capitals of the Bhañjas. If the identifications of Khiñjali-*Maṇḍala* and Khijinga with Keonjhar and Khiching in Mayurbhanj are accepted,¹ it is possible that one of the two main branches ruled in the region now occupied by those two states. The other important branch appears to have held sway in the valley of the Rushikulya river in the north of Ganjam district. From the fact that none of these princes had any imperial titles it seems certain that none of these Bhañja princes ever attained sovereign rank, and it appears that they were feudatories of their more powerful neighbours. But unfortunately their charters never mention the names of their overlords. Thus though in different localities and periods they may have acknowledged the authority of the Somavamśīs of Kosala, the Karas of Tosalī, or the Eastern Gaṅgas of Kaliṅganagara, yet there is little definite evidence to conclusively prove this suggestion. The absence of the names of their overlords in their grants may however indicate a larger degree of autonomy and freedom from control than usually falls to the lot of subordinate rulers.
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¹ Accepted by Hiralal; but see R. D. Banerji, *JBORS*, March-June, 1929, pp. 83-84. He proposes its identification with “the country on both banks of the Mahanadi near and about the modern states of Sonpur and Baudh,”
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Attempts have been made from time to time to reduce the genealogical data found in the introductory portion of the Bhañjas' grants to one family tree.¹ But in spite of these attempts "Bhañja chronology still remains a subject of great controversy." In the present state of our knowledge it would perhaps be too risky to attempt any synthetic study of all these Bhañjas. In the following pages therefore I shall simply give a description of their epigraphic records and their contents, indicating wherever possible their age and the identifications of the localities mentioned therein. To avoid confusion and facilitate reference, I have, following Hiralal, given the letters A to P to the records included in his list.² The letters after P will mark those inscriptions which are not noticed in his list.
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¹ The most recent attempt is that by Hiralal in the *EI*, Vol. XVIII, pp. 282-303. But see R. D. Banerji in *JBORS*, Vol. III, pp. 319-23; also B. C. Mazumdar in *EI*, Vol. XI, pp. 90-99; the same author in *JBORS*, Vol. II, pp. 359-67; *ibid.*, Vol. VI, pp. 267-68, and fn. 6 on p. 268.
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² *EI*, Vol. XVIII, pp. 283-84 and 291.
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(1) A. *Baudh grant of Raṇabhañja.*—This was found in the Baudh State. The inscription contains 49 lines, incised on three plates held together by a ring. The seal soldered to the ring is round in shape. 'The impression of the seal consists of a crescent above, the name of the king *Śrī-Raṇabhañja-devasya* in the middle and a seated bull facing the proper left below. The characters of the inscription, according to the editor, are more archaic in form than those of the Bamanghati grant of the same king or the Sonpur grant of his father Satrubhañja. They are more akin to the characters of the Gumsur grant of Netṛbhañja and the Orissa plates of Vidyādharabhañja.' The inscription gives the following genealogy of the donor :—
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In the line of Bhañja rulers
Nṛpa Gandhaṭa
|
*Aṇḍaja-vaṁśa-prabhavaḥ Parama-māheśvara-Mātā-pitṛ-pādānudhyāto*
*Bhañjāmala-kula-tilako Mahārāja Raṇabhañja-devaḥ*.
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The inscription was issued from Dhṛtipura, and granted the village of Konatinthi,¹ in the Khātiyā-*Viṣaya* of the Khiñ-jalī-*Maṇḍala*,² to a Bhāṭa(*Bhaṭṭa*?)-putra, the son of Vasudeva, an inhabitant of Amvāsara-*caraṇa*. The grant was written in the 54th year of the king in the dark half of Bhādrapada by the *Sāndhivigrahiya*(*hika*?) Himadatta, and incised by the *Arkaśālī* Gonaka. It ends with *lāñchitaṁ Mahārājakiya-mudreṇa*.³
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¹ Hiralal suggests : Kontinthi (Kontinvi) = Kontuani, about 2 miles south of Baudh ; *EI*, Vol. XVIII, p. 300.
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² Identified by Hiralal with Keonjhar State ; *ibid*, pp. 288-89 and 292. According to T. C. Rath it was the name of a tract of country which is now known as Baudh Despalla, and Gumsur; *ibid*, Vol. XIX, p. 42. According to him Khiñjaliya-gaḍa-*Viṣaya* signifies the former name of Gumsur and *Khiñjaliya-gaḍa* corresponds to the present name of "Gaḍamutha," a subdivision of the old Gumsur State. According to B. C. Mazumdar it is identical with modern Kimedi in the N. W. of the Ganjam district; but see Hiralal above.
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³ Edited by R. D. Banerji in *EI*, Vol. XII, pp. 321-25. First noticed by N. N. Vasu, in *Archaeological Survey of Mayurabhanja*, Vol. I, pp. 129 ff.
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(2) B. *Baudh grant of Raṇabhañja.*—This was also found in the Baudh State. It comprises 59 lines, incised on three plates strung together by a ring. The seal is oval in shape and 'bears in high relief, a couchant bull facing the proper left, and above it the crescent and the sun.' Below the bull is the legend ***Śrī-Raṇabhañja-devasya***. Below this is an expanded lotus-flower with stem. The introductory portion of the record gives the following genealogy of the donor :—
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In the *Bhañja-kula*
*Śatrubhañja*
*Aṇḍaja-vaṁśa-prabhavaḥ Parama-vaiṣṇava-Mātā-pitṛ-pādānudhyāto Bhañjā-mala-kula-tilaka-Ubhaya-Khiñjaly-adhipatiḥ*¹ *Samadhigata-pañca-mahā-śabdo Mahāsāmanta-vandita-Stambheśvarī-labdha-vara-prasādo*² *Rāṇakaḥ-Raṇabhañja-deva*.
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¹ On Ubhaya-Khiñjali, see Hiralal, *ibid*, Vol. XVIII, pp. 288-89.
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² On the origin and cult of this goddess, see *JASB*, 1911, pp. 444-47. The same epithet is also used by the Śūlki rulers of Orissa, see *infra*.
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This inscription was also issued from Dhṛtipura, and records the grant of the village of Vāllāśriṅgā,³ in the Khātiā-*Viṣaya* to *Bhaṭṭaputra* Dāmodara, in the 26th year of the *Rāṇaka*. The inscription was incised by the *vaṇik* and *Suvarṇakāra* Śivanāga, son of Pāṇḍi, and sealed with the Royal Seal.⁴
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³ Mod. Balasinga, about 2 miles from Baudh and situated on the confluence of the Mahanadi and Salanki (*i.e.*, Salki) in Baudh State, *ibid*, p. 300.
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⁴ Edited by R. D. Banerji, *ibid*, Vol. XII, pp. 325-28.
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(3) C. *Sonpur grant of Śatrubhañja.*—This was discovered in the State of Sonpur. The inscription of 44 lines is incised on 3 plates, strung together on a circular ring, the ends of which are secured by an oval seal bearing in relief the legend *Śrī-Śatrubhañja-devasya*. Above this there is a crescent, and below the figure of a recumbent bull. The introductory portion of the inscription gives the following genealogy of the donor :
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In the Bhañja line
Śilābhañja-deva
|
*Aṇḍaja-vaṁśa-prabhava-Parama-vaiṣṇava-Mātā-pitṛ-pādānudhyāto*
*Bhañjāmala-kula-tilakaḥ* Śatrubhañja.
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The inscription was also issued from Dhṛtipura, and grants Milupāḍī-khaṇḍakṣetra in the Royarā-*Viṣaya*,⁵ in Ubhaya-Khiñjali-*Maṇḍala* to *Bhaṭṭaputra* Kṛṣṇa. It was sealed by Śivanāga, son of Pāṇḍi.⁶ (4) D. *Bamanghati grant of Raṇabhañja.*—This was found buried in the ground in the Bamanghati subdivision of Mayurbhanj State. The inscription contains 36 lines incised on both sides of a single plate. The seal is shaped like a full-blown lotus, and bears the figure of a bull standing before a trident. Below the bull there is the legend *Śrī-Raṇabhañja-debasya*, and above it a crescent moon. The characters belong to the 12th century. The inscription begins by an invocation to Bhava (Śiva) and then gives the following genealogy of the donor :
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⁵ Mod. Royra on the borders of the Sonpur State ; *ibid*, p. 300 ; Vol. XI, p. 101.
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⁶ Edited by B. C. Mazumdar, *ibid*, Vol. XI, pp. 98-101. The Śivanāga of this grant appears to be the same as the Śivanāga of No. 2.
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``` Virabhadra......who had pricked the pea-hen's egg (mayurāṇḍam : bhittvā) and who was protected by the sage : Vasiṣṭha. : In the Bhañja-Vaṁśa
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Koṭṭabhañja
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Digbhañja
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Raṇabhañja-deva......resident in Koṭṭa and a worshipper of Hara. ```
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The inscription was issued from Khijjiṅga¹ and records the grant of the villages of Timaṇḍirā,² Konkola, Jambupadraka ³ and Prasannā ⁴ in the *Viṣayas* of Korandiā ⁵ and Devakuṇḍa ⁶ in the Uttara-*Khaṇḍa* to Bodhāka Sāmanta. The inscription is dated in *Saṁvat* 288 (?) of an unknown era.⁷
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¹ Mod. Kiching to the west of Baripada, the present capital of the Mayurbhanj State ; *ibid*, Vol. XVIII, pp. 289 and 300.
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² Probably Teṇḍrā, S. W. of Bamanghati ; *ibid*, p. 300.
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³ Probably Jamda, 8 miles west of Bamanghati ; *ibid*.
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⁴ Mod. Pasanā, 7 miles N. W. of Bamanghati ; *ibid*.
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⁵ Mod. Korinjiya, 5 miles from Kiching ; *ibid*.
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⁶ Place of the same name about 8 miles W. of Bamanghati ; *ibid*, p. 301.
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⁷ Edited by P. C. Ghosh, in *JASB*, Vol. XL, Part I, 165-67. For the date, see *EI*, Vol. V, Appendix 88, No. 655 and f. notes 6-7. According to B. C. Mazumdar *Saṁvat* 288 is to be referred to 'Coḷa-Gaṅga' era and is equivalent to A.D. 1060.
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(5) E. *Bamanghati grant of Rājabhañja.*—Found with No. 4. It contains 34 lines incised on both sides of a single plate. The seal has the legend *Śrī-Rājabhañja-devasya*, and bears the same figures as in No. 4; genealogy as far as Raṇabhañja same as in No. 4. His son was Rājabhañja. It records the grant of the village of Brāhmaṇavasti¹ in the *Viṣaya*² of the same name in the Uttara-Khaṇḍa to *Mahāsāmanta* Vutta, son of *Sāmanta* Muṇḍi. It is undated.³
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¹ Mod. Brahmanavas, 6 miles from Bamanghati, *ibid*, Vol. XVIII, p. 301.
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² Bamanghati subdivision of Mayurbhanj; *ibid*.
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³ Edited by P. C. Ghosh, *JASB*, Vol. XL, Part I, pp. 168-69. Here also the donor is said to be *Koṭṭa-vāsī* and a devotee of Hara.
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(6) F. *Orissa grant of Vidyādharabhañja.*—Find-spot unknown. It contains 38 lines incised on three plates. The seal soldered to the ring bears in relief, on a countersunk surface a couchant lion facing to the proper right, and below this the legend *Śrī-Vidyādhara-bhañja-devasya*. The inscription was issued from Vañjulvaka. The genealogy of the donor is as follows:
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{c} Raṇabhañja-deva. / \mid / Digbhañja-deva. / \mid / Śilābhañja-deva. / \mid / Parama-māheśvaro-Mātā-pitṛ-pādānudhyāta Bhañjāmala-kula-tilako / Mahārāja-Vidyādharabhañja-deva Amoghakalaśa.
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It records the grant of the village of Tuṇḍurāva⁴ in the Ramalavva⁵-*Viṣaya* to *Bhaṭṭa* Dārukhaṇḍi. It was engraved by the *Akṣasālin* Kumāracandra.⁶
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⁴ Mod. village of Tuṇḍura in the Aska taluka of the Ganjam district, *EI*, Vol. XVIII, p. 301.
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⁵ Probably Revulabado in the Aska taluka; *ibid*.
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⁶ First imperfectly edited by R. L. Mitra in *JASB*, Vol. LVI, Part I, pp. 154-60, plate IX. Then edited by Kielhorn in *EI*, Vol. IX, pp. 271-77. According to this scholar the script of the grant is similar to that of the Buguda plates of Mādhavavarman (c. 10th century A. D.), *ibid*, Vol. VII, p. 101.
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(7) G. *Ganjam grant of Netṛbhañja (i).*—This was found in Gumsur, in Ganjam district, "amongst other effects" of the local *raja*. It contains 36 lines, incised on three plates. The characters are referred to the 10th century A.D. The grant was issued from Vañjulvaka and gives the following genealogy of the donor :
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Śatrubhañja-deva.
|
Raṇabhañja-deva.
|
*Parameśvara-Mātā-pitṛ-pādānudhyāna-rataḥ* Neṭṛbhañja Kalyāṇakalaśa.
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It records the grant of the village of Mācchaḍagrāma,¹ belonging to the *Viṣaya* of the same name, to a Brahman. The *Dūtaka* of the grant was *Bhaṭṭa* Stambhadeva. It was written by *Sāndhivigrahī* Kakka and incised by *Akṣaśālin* Durgadeva.²
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¹ According to Hiralal Machgaon in the Cuttack district. But I prefer to accept Krishnamacharlu's identification with Majhigam in Berhampur (Madras); *EI*, Vol. XVIII, pp. 301 and 303.
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² Edited by Prinsep, *JASB*, Vol. VI, Part II, pp. 667-71, plate XXXII (copper-plate grant from Gumsur). See corrections by Kielhorn in *EI*, Vol. IX, p. 272, fn. 2.
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(8) H. *Ganjam grant of Neṭṛbhañja (ii)*.—Find-spot not known. It was sent to the Government Epigraphist of India by T. C. Rath, the District Munsiff of Aska, Ganjam district. The inscription contains 41 lines incised on three plates. The ring which held the plates carried ‘a fixed seal,’ circular in form, the engravings on which are all lost. The characters are similar to those of the Orissa plates of Vidyādharabhañja. The inscription, which was issued from Vañjulvaka, gives the following genealogy of the donor :
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In the Bhañja line
Śilābhañja.
|
Śatrubhañja.
|
Raṇabhañja.
|
*Parama-māheśvara-Mātā-pitṛ-pādānudhyāna-rata*
Neṭṛbhañja Kalyāṇakalaśa.
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The inscription records a grant of the village of Rātaṅga¹ in the Vāsudebakhaṇḍa-*Viṣaya*² to a number of *Agnihotrins*. The *Dūtaka* of the grant was *Bhaṭṭa* Sumaṅgala. It was written by the *Sāndhivigrahika* Savarāja, engraved by the *Akṣaśālika* Durgadeva, and sealed by Māmmā.³
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¹ Mod. Rottongo, in Gumsur Taluk, Ganjam district; *EI*, Vol. XVIII, p. 301. The name of the village was read by Krishna Sastri as Arātaha; see his *Epigraphic Report for 1917-18*, p. 12, No. 6.
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² Mod. Vasudevapur, 4 miles from Rottongo, *EI*, Vol. XVIII, p. 301.
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³ Edited by Hiralal, *ibid*, pp. 233 and 293-95. First noticed by Krishna Sastri in his *Epigraphic Report for 1917-18*. According to Hiralal Māmmā is a short form of Mahāmāyā (the queen).
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(9) I. *Ganjam grant of Netṛbhañja (iii)*.—Find-spot, etc., as in No. 8. It contains 37 lines, incised on 3 plates. The seal is damaged, and nothing remains of its original engravings. Characters as in No. 8. It was issued from Vañjulvaka, and gives the same genealogy of the donor as in No. 8. It records the grant of the village of Macchaḍagrāma⁴ of the Machāḍa-*Khaṇḍa* to the *Bhaṭṭa* Rūdaḍa (Rudraṭa ?). The name of the *Dūtaka* is lost. It was written by the *Sāndhivigrahika* Kunera (Kubera ?), incised by the *Akṣaśālika* Durgadeva, and sealed by (the lady ?) Jacchikā.⁵
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⁴ See *supra*, p. 429, fn. 1.
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⁵ Edited by Hiralal, *EI*, Vol. XVIII, pp. 283, 285 and 296-98. First noticed by Krishna Sastri in his *Epigraphic Report, 1917-18*.
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(10) J. *Ganjam grant of Vidyādharabhañja*.—Find-spot, etc., as in No. 8. The inscription contains 30 lines, incised on 3 plates. The engravings on the seal are all lost. It was issued from Vañjulvaka, and it gives the same genealogy as in No. 6. It records a grant of the village of Mūla-Māchāḍa (*i.e.*, Māchāḍa proper) in Māchāḍa-khaṇḍa-*Viṣaya* to *Bhaṭṭa* Purandara, an emigrant from Mamnāṇā⁶ in Taḍisama-*Viṣaya*⁷ in Varebdhi.⁸
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⁶ Hiralal suggests its identification with Mandāra (?) in the Gumsur Taluk, *EI*, Vol. XVIII, p. 301.
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⁷ Pobably Taḍasinga (?) in the Gumsur Taluk, 20 miles from Mandāra *ibid*.
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⁸ Krishna Sastri suggests the reading Varendhi (*EI*, 1917-18, p. 186, para. 13). Could it be a mistake for Varendra?
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It was sealed ‘by Trikaliṅga-Mahādevī on the record being apparently presented by the prime minister *Bhaṭṭa* Keśavadeva.’¹ It was written by the *Sāndhivigrahika* Stambha and incised by the *Akṣaśālī* Kumāracandra. In line 28 occurs the name of *Vārgulika* Cācika.²
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¹ *Lāñchitam Śrī-Trikaliṅga-mahādevyā mantriṇā Śrī-bhaṭṭa-Keśavadevena*. I would like to translate it as ‘sealed by Bhaṭṭa Keśava-deva the mantri of the *Trikaliṅga-mahādevī*.’ This queen may have been either Daṇḍi-mahādevi, her mother (Gauri ?) or Tribhuvana-Mahādevi. In that case this is an important piece of evidence to show the subservience of this branch of the Bhañjas to the imperial Karas.
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² Edited by Hiralal, *EI*, Vol. XVIII, pp. 283, 285 and 296-98. First noticed by Krishna Sastri in his *Epigraphic Report*, 1917-18.
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(11) K. *Antirigam grant of Yaśabhañja.*—Found in Antirigam in the Chatrapur Taluk of the Ganjam district. It contains 42 lines, incised on three plates strung on a ring which carries a representation ‘of the *Kalaśikā* seen on the top of the broad umbrella used in the South Indian temples.’ The characters are more modern than in Nos. 8-10 ‘and exhibit more prominently the Oriyā style of writing.’ The grant gives the following genealogy of the donor:
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*Rājādhirāja* Devabhañja.
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Rāyabhañja I
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Virabhañja
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Rāyabhañja II ......*jayaika-dhāma-viditaḥ*
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*Jagadekamalla-vijayī Khiñjali-deśādhipati* Yaśabhañja-deva.
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It records the grant of the village of Komyāṇa³ of Voḍā⁴-*Viṣaya* to the astrologer Jagaddara Śarman, a resident of Paṭṭavāḍa- *pāṭaka*¹ in the district of Koṇṭarāvaṅga-*Viṣaya*,² an emigrant from Vapabhūmi,³ situated in the middle of Thihāra⁴-*Viṣaya* .........The grant is dated in line 30 in *Saṁvat* 3.⁵
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³ Konomona in the Chatrapur taluk of the Ganjam district, *EI*, Vol. XVIII, p. 302.
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⁴ Probably Bodda-patti, 3 miles from Konomona, *ibid*.
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¹ May be Paṭatupuram in the Chatrapur taluk, *ibid.*
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² May be Koṭayagaḍa in the Chatrapur taluk, *ibid.*
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³ May be Boppangi in Gumsur taluk, *ibid.*
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⁴ Identified with Tikkarapada in Gūmsur, *ibid*, p. 303.
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⁵ Edited by Hiralal, *ibid*, pp. 284-85 and 298-99. The editor says (*ibid*, p. 302) that it was issued from Vanjulvaka. But I cannot find the name of the place in the grant. The editor also mentions Jaipuri as conquered by this line of kings. Did he derive the name from the epithet given to Rāya-bhañja II?
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(12) L. *Ṭāsapaikerā grant of Raṇabhañja.*—This was found buried at Binka, in Sonpur state. It contains 51 lines, incised on 3 plates. The seal is damaged, but seems to bear the figure of a bull. The grant contains almost the same text (excepting the names of the donees and donors) as in No. 3. The seal bears the legend: *Rāṇaka Śrī-Raṇabhañja-devasya*. The inscription gives the following genealogy of the donor:
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Satrubhañja-deva
|
*Aṇḍaja-vaṁśa-pr bhava-Parama-vaiṣṇava-Mātā-pitṛ-pādānudhyāta-Bhañjāmala-kula-tilaka-Ubhaya-Khiṁjalyādhipati*⁶ *Samadhigata-Pañcamahāśabda-Mahāsāmanta-vandita-Stambheśvarī-labdha- vara - Rāṇaka-Raṇabhañja-deva.*
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⁶ The editor misread it as *Khiṇḍinyādhipati*. See *EI*, Vol. XVIII, p. 292.
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The inscription grants to the Brahman Śrīdhara the village of Ṭāsapaikerā⁷ in the Uttara-palli on the river Mahānadī. It was incised by the same as No. 3. It is dated in the 16th year of the donor.⁸
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⁷ The village of the same name in Binka, to the north of Mahanadi, *ibid*, p. 302.
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⁸ dited by B. C. Mazumdar, *JBORS*, Vol. II, pp. 167-77. One serious mistake of the editor is his misreading of the word *bodhayati* as *Baudhapati* (line 7, plate II, first side). He has thus been led to identify the prince as ruler of Baudh.
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(13) N. *Baudh grant of Kanakabhañja.*—This was found in the possession of a Khond peasant in Baudh. It contains 43 lines, incised on three plates. The ring is closed ‘in a lump of copper shaped like the bud of a lotus.’¹ The editor has referred the script of the grant to about 1475 A.D.² The genealogy of the donor is as follows:—
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¹ See the seal of No. 11 above.
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² But see *ibid*, Vol. III, p. 823, where R. D. Banerjee ‘safely assigns its script to the beginning of the 12th century A. D.’
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The Sage Kāśyapa, in his family the
Bhañja-vaṁśa.
⋮
Solanabhañja…retired to Benares, having entrusted his kingdom
| to able ministers.
Durjayabhañja.
|
Kanakabhañja…*Maṇḍaleśānām-cuḍāmaṇir-iva nṛpasattamaḥ*
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The inscription grants to the Brahman Harivaṁśa some villages³ on the southern bank of the Tela-nadī⁴ in the 3rd year of the donor.⁵
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³ Names uncertain and they have not yet been identified. The names of the villages appear to be contained in the following line: *Bāhulā-Beṇḍaki-Jamarāpura-Siṁhapura-ubhaya-pāṭakau Dharmapurā(?)bhi-Rāṇaka-śāsitam*.
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⁴ River Tel, which joins the Mahanadi in the State of Baudh.
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⁵ Edited by B. C. Mozumdar, *JBORS*, Vol. II, pp. 356ff. According to the editor and Hiralal the charter refers to Baudh State as the kingdom of the donor; see *ibid*. p. 868 and *EI*, Vol. XVIII, p. 302.
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(14) N. *Kumurukela grant of Śatrubhañja.*—This was discovered in the village of Kumurukelā, in the Sonpur State. It contains 45 lines, incised on three plates. The editor refers the inscription to about 1325 A.D. The seal contains the legend *Śrī-Śatrubhañja-devasya* and a crescent moon. The genealogy of the donor is given as follows:—
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In the Bhañja line
Aṅgati (?)
|
?
*Aṇḍaja-Parama-vaiṣṇavo Mātāpitṛ-pādānudhyāta-Bhañjā mala-kula-tilakaḥ Rāṇaka Śatrubhañja-deva.*
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The inscription grants in the 15th year (of the donor) the village of Kumurukelā¹ together with Jaintāmurā in the Uttara-palli of Khiñjali-*Maṇḍala* to the Brahman *Bhaṭṭa* Manoratha. The grant was written by the [*]Sandhivigrahika* Sarvadatta, and incised by the goldsmith Devala. It was sealed with the royal seal, *mahārājakīyamudrā*.²
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¹ The village where the inscription was discovered.
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² Edited by B. C. Mazumdar, *JBORS*, Vol. II, pp. 429-35. Here also the editor in the 8th line of the first side of the 2nd plate wrongly reads the word *bodhayati* as *Baudhapati* and *Khiñjali* as *Khiñjani*.
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(15) O. *Khandadeuli grant of Narendrabhañja.*—This was found in the village of Khandadeuli in the Bamanghati subdivision of the Mayurbhanj state. It contains 38 lines, incised on both sides of a single plate. The seal of the grant contains the figure of a bull and a goddess and a *Svastika*. The genealogy of the donor is as follows:
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In the hermitage of Kautsa after breaking the pea-hen's egg
*Galadaṇḍo* Vīrabhadra
:
Koṭṭabhañja.
|
Digbhañja.
|
*Khijjiṅga-Koṭṭa-vāsī* Raṇabhañja.
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Pṛthvībhañja.
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Narendrabhañja-deva.
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The inscription grants the village of Banula connected with the Sidhāhimbā-*Viṣaya* of the Uttara-*Khaṇḍa* to the *Bhaṭṭaputra* Rāncho.
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³ Edited by H. P. Sāstrī in the *JBORS*, Vol. IV, pp. 172-77. He referred the grant to Raṇabhañja; but see on the point Hiralal, *EI*, XVIII, p. 292. Hiralal takes *Galadaṇḍa* as *Gaṇadaṇḍa*, which according to him has been abbreviated in No. 1 as *Gandhaṭa*. But in No. 15 the letter on the plate after *Ga* appears to be distinctly *la* and not *ṇa*.
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(16) P. *Patna Museum grant of Raṇabhañja.*—It refers to ‘Dhṛtipura as the old capital of Ubhaya-Khiñjala’ and records the grant of the village of Vāhiravāḍa on the Mahanadi in the Dakṣiṇapalli (or the tract to the south of the Mahanadi).¹
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¹ Awaiting publication in *EI*. Noticed by Hiralal in *EI*, Vol. XVIII, p. 303.
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(17) Q. *Antirigam grant of Jayabhañja.*—This was found in the village of Antirigam of Pūrva-*khaṇḍa*, Chatrapur Taluk, Ganjam district. It contains 37 lines, incised on three plates. The ring from which the plates are suspended bears “a lump of copper of a rather peculiar conical shape, the top of which is marked by a number of circular ridges.”² At the base of this lump of copper is written, according to the editor, the legend *Śrīmad-sūbha-Jadeva-nṛpatiḥ*.³ The characters closely resemble the Oriya script.⁴ The following genealogy of the donor is given :
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² Compare the rings of Nos. 11 and 13.
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³ Hirananda Sāstrī suggests *Śrīmad-Yaśabhañja-deva-nṛpatiḥ*; see *EI*, XIX, p. 41, n. 1. The editor of the grant suggests that *Jadeva* is a mistake for *Jayadeva*. But Hirananda seems to be right, because the word after *su* clearly reads *bhaṁ*.
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⁴ The editor thinks that this grant is later than Nos. 1, 2, and 7, and that it is probably to be assigned to the 12th century.' See *EI*, Vol. XIX, p. 43.
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In the Bhañja-*vaṁśa*
Virabhañja
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Rāyabhañja
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*Nṛpati* Jayabhañja-deva.⁵
|
*Yuvarāja* Vīravañja-deva
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⁵ Hirananda Sāstrī suggests that Jayabhañja was a younger brother of Yaśabhañja and the former issued this charter under the seal of his elder brother the king; *ibid*, p. 43, fn. 1. But note that Jayabhañja is also called *nṛpati*.
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The inscription grants the village of Reṅgaraḍā, situated in *Khiñjalīya-gaḍa-Viṣaya*, to the Brahman Jagaddhara, on the occasion of a lunar eclipse on the 15th of Jyeṣṭha-śukla. The charter was issued from the camp (*kaṭaka*) at Kolāḍa in the 3rd year of the victorious reign. It was written by *Vanig-Gaṇeśvara*.¹
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¹ Edited by T. C. Rath, in *EI*, Vol. XIX, pp 41-45.
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(18) R. *Daspalla grant of Raṇabhañja.*—This was found in the course of cultivation in a field in the village of Chakradharpur, in the Daspalla State. It contains 52 lines, incised on 3 plates. The circular seal attached to the ring bears the figure of a couchant bull, a double lotus, the symbol of the sun and the moon, and the legend *Śrī-Raṇabhañja-devasya*. The inscription gives the following genealogy of the donor :
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In the Bhañja line
Silābhañja.
|
Satrubhañja.
|
*Aṇḍaja-vaṁśa-prabhava -Parama-vaiṣṇava-Mātāpitṛ-pādānudhyāta-Bhañjāmala-kula-tilako Ubhaya-Khiñjalyādhipati-Samadhigata-pañca-mahāśabda-Mahāsāmanta-vandita-Stambheśvarī-labdhavara-prasāda-Rāṇaka* Raṇabhañja-deva.
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It records the grant of the village of Hastilendā in the Tullāsidgā-*Viṣaya* of Khiñjali-*Maṇḍala* to the Brahman Padmākara, an immigrant from Varendrī. It was incised by the same as in Nos. 2 and 3. It is dated in year 24.²
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² Edited by B. Bhattacharyya, *JBORS*, Vol. VI, pp. 266-78.
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(19) S. *Daspalla grant of Neṭabhañja.*—Same find-spot as that of No. 18. It contains 53 lines, incised on 3 plates. The circular seal bears in relief a couchant lion and the legend *Śrī-Neṭabhañja-devasya*. The grant was issued from Vañjulvaka, and gives the following genealogy of the donor :
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Digbhañja
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Silābhañja.
|
Vidyādharabhañja.
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*Parama-vaiṣṇavo-Mātā-pitṛ-pādānudhyātu-Bhañjāmala-kula-tilaka-*
Neṭabhañja.
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The inscription grants a piece of land (*valkā-khaṇḍa-kṣetra*)
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in the village of Drolladā(?) in the Rāmalavva-*Viṣaya* of Khiñjali-*Maṇḍala*, to the Brahman *Bhaṭṭa* Puruṣottama.¹
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¹ Edited by B. Bhattacharyya, *ibid*, pp. 274-79.
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(20) T. *Singharā grant of Raṇabhañja.*—It was unearthed near the Bhagavatī temple in the town of Sonpur in the Sonpur State. It contains 47 lines, incised on three plates. The seal attached to the ring has the figure of a recumbent bull, a crescent, and the legend *Śrī-Raṇabhañja-devaḥ*. The genealogy of the donor is given as follows :
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In the Bhañja line Silābhañja.
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Satrubhañja.
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*Aṇḍaja-vaṁśa-prabhava-Parama-māheśvara-Mātā-pitṛ-pādānudhyāta-Bhañjāmala-kula-tilaka-Samadhigata-pañca-mahā-śabda-Mahāsāmanta-vandita-Stambheśvarī-labdha-vara-prasāda-Ubhaya-Khiñjanyādhipati-Rāṇaka* Raṇabhañja.
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It records the grant of the village of Mahallopi on the banks of the Vyaghra-nadī² in the Bhogī-*Khaṇḍa* of Dakṣiṇa-palli in Khiñjaṇī³-*Maṇḍala* to the *Bhaṭṭaputra* Vohe (?) who was an immigrant from the village of Bhadrapalāsī in Magaha (Magadha?). It is dated in *Vijaya-rājya-saṁvatsare* 9. The grant was incised by the *Vanik-Suvaṇṇakāra* Padmanābha, the son of Pāṇḍi.⁴
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² Mod. Bagh River, which forms the boundary between the states of Sonpur and Baudh. *JBORS*, Vol. VI, p. 481.
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³ Is Khiñjaṇī a mistake for Khiñjali? See *supra*, p. 434, fn. 2, and *infra*, p. 440, fn. 1.
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⁴ Edited by B. C. Mazumdar, *JBORS*, Vol. VI, pp. 480-86. This Pāṇḍi is probably the same as the Pāṇḍi of the grants Nos. 2 and 3. The Bonai grant of Udayavarāha is referred by H. P. Sāstrī to the Bhañja line, *ibid*, pp. 241-45. But this seems to be improbable. Apart from the difference of the name which does not end in *bhañja*, the donor distinctly refers himself to the *Mayūra-vaṁśa*. The seal which bears the figure of a peacock, dagger, and a double lotus, is also different from the known seals of the Bhañjas. The genealogy of Udayabarāha is as follows : In the Mayūra-vaṁśa Uditavarāha
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Tejavarāha
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*Parama-saugato-Samadhigata-pañcamahāśabda-Mahārāja-Rāṇaka* Udayavarāha. The inscription grants the village of Kodāsamā in the Telai-Maṇḍala to two Brahmans.
Linked texts (6)
- Vemalūrpāḍu plates of Amma II — Sanskrit
- Kopparam plates of Pulakeśin II — Sanskrit
- Epigraphia Indica
- Khiching
- Miraj inscription of Saka 1065 and 1066 — Kannada
- Buguḍa plates of Mādhavavarman — Sanskrit