Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Medieval India c21.1

c21.1

Some years ago, no less than five copper-plate charters of the time of three emperors of the Gupta dynasty were discovered at a place called Dāmodarpur near the Phulbari Police Station in the Balurghat Sub-Division of the Dinajpur District, North Bengal. One of these records refers to the Gupta emperor Budhagupta (477-95 A.D.), the *uparika Mahārāja* Jayadatta, viceroy of the Puṇḍravardhana *bhukti*, and the *āyuktaka* Gaṇḍaka (or Saṇḍaka) who was in charge of the Koṭivarṣa *viṣaya*. Gaṇḍaka is said to have been helped in the administration of the Koṭivarṣa district by the *nagaraśreṣṭhin* Ṛbhupāla, *sārthavāha* Vasumitra, *prathama-kulika* Varadatta and *prathama-kāyastha* Viprapāla. The *śreṣṭhin* Ṛbhupāla one day approached the *adhiṣṭhān-ādhikaraṇa*, i.e. the office of administration at the headquarters of the district, with the following petition: हिमवच्छिखरे कोकामुकस्वामिनः चत्वारः कुल्यवापाः श्वेतवराहस्वामिनोपि सप्त कुल्यवापाः अस्मत्फलाशंसिना पुण्याभिवृद्धये डोङ्ग्रामे पूर्वं मया अप्रदा अतिसृष्टकाः । तदहं तत्क्षेत्रसामीप्यभूमौ तयोराचकोकामुकस्वामिश्वेतवराहस्वामिनोर्नामलिङ्गेमेन देवकुलद्वयमेतत् कोष्ठिकाद्वयञ्च कारयितुमिच्छामि । अर्हथ वास्तुना सह कुल्यवापान् यथाक्रममर्यादया दातुमिति । After having examined Ṛbhupāla’s application, the *pustapālas* Viṣṇudatta, Vijayanandin and Sthāṇunandin reported that some *Kulyavāpas* of land at the rate of three *Dināras* per *Kulyavāpa* might be sold to the *śreṣṭhin*, because : अनेन हिमवच्छिखरे तयोः कोकामुकस्वामिश्वेतवराहस्वामिनोः अप्रदाः क्षेत्रकुल्यवापा एकादश दत्ताः । तदर्थञ्च इह देवकुलकोष्ठिकाकरणे युक्तमेतद् विज्ञापितं तत्क्षेत्रसामीप्यभूमौ वास्तु दातुमिति । It should be pointed out that we have quoted above the epigraphic texts with the elimination of minor grammatical errors.¹