Issued from Nandivardhana (modern Nagardhan, Nagpur, Maharashtra), this copper plate charter of Prabhāvatīguptā, was discovered in Pune. The text is engraved primarily in the nail-headed Brāhmī script and composed in Sanskrit prose. The charter dates to the twelfth tithi of Kārttika bright fortnight, thirteenth year. It was executed by the scribe Cakradāsa. The seal features the motifs of sun, moon and flower and inscribes the authority of Prabhāvatiguptā as the regent queen, who hailed from the illustrious imperial Gupta family as the daughter of Chandragupta II, was married to the Vākāṭaka Mahārāja Rudrasena II.
The charter documents the donation of the village Daṅguṇa, located in the Supratiṣṭha district, by the dowager queen Prabhāvatīguptā, acting as regent for the yuvarāja Divākarasena. The grant was bestowed upon ācārya Canālasvāmin, a devotee of the Bhagavata i.e., Viṣṇu, following an offering to the deity's footprints. The text systematically lists traditional agrahāra exemptions for the donated settlement, including immunity from entry by soldiers, obligations to supply provisions like grass, charcoal and flowers, royal prerogatives over liquors and salt along with mining exemptions and other tax exclusions. The edict concludes with an imprecatory verse and a seal affirming the authority of the yuvarāja's mother.
Editor's Comment:First Plate
1. dṛṣṭam | siddham | jitambhagavatā | svasti | nandivarddhanā dāsīdguptādi rājo mahārāja-
2. śrīghaṭotkacastasya satputro mahārājaśrīcandraguptastasya satputro-
3. nekāśvamedhayājī licchavidauhitro mahādevyā kumāradevyāmutpanno
4. mahārājādhirājaśrīsamudraguptastatsatputrastatpādaparigṛhītaḥ
5. pṛthivyāmapratirathassarvvarājocchettā caturudadhisalilāsvādita-
6. yaśā aneka gohiraṇyakoṭisahasrapradaparamabhāgavato mahārā-
7. jadhirājaśrīcandraguptastasya duhitā dhāraṇasagotrā nāgakulasambhū-
8. tāyām śrīmahādevyāṃ kuberanāgāyāmutpannobhayakulālaṅkārabhūtātyantabhagavadbhaktā
9. vākāṭakānām mahārājaśrīrudrasenasyāgramahiṣī yuvarāja-
10. śrīdivākarasenajananī śrīprabhāvatī guptā supratiṣṭhāhāre
Second Plate
11. vilavaṇakasya pūrvvapārśve śīrṣagrāmasya dakṣiṇapārśve kadāpiñjanasyāparapārśve
12. sidivivarakasyottarapārśve daṅguṇagrāme brāhmaṇādyāngrāmakuṭumbina kuśala-
13. muktvā samājñāpayati | viditamastu vo yathāyam grāmosmābhiḥ svapuṇyāpyāyanārtthaṃ
14. kārttikaśukladvādaśyām bhagavatpādamūle nivedya bhagavadbhaktācāryyacanālasvāminepūrvva-
15. dattyā udakapūrvvamatisṛṣṭaḥ yato bhavadbhirucitamaryyādayā sarvvājñā kartavyāḥ pūrvva-
16. rājānumatāmścātra cāturvidyāgrahāraparihārānvitarāmastadyathābhaṭacchātra prāveśyaḥ
17. acārāsanacarmmāṅgārakiṇvalavaṇakreṇikhanakaḥ apāramparaḥ apapaśu medhyaḥ apuṣpakṣīrasandohaḥ
18. sanidhissopanidhissakṛptopaklṛptaḥ | ta deṣa bhaviṣyadrājabhissamrakṣitavyaḥ parivarddha-
19. yitavyaśca | yaścāsmacchāsanamagaṇamānassvalpāmapyatrābādhām kuryyātkārayīta kārayedvā-
20. tasya brāhmaṇai rāveditasya sadaṇḍanigrahaṃ kuryyāma | vyāsagītaścātra śloko bhavati |
21. svadattāmparadattām vā yo hareta vasundharām | gavāṃ śatasahasrasya hanturharati duṣkṛtam ||
22. samvatsare ca trayodaśaśe likhitamidaṃ śāsanam | cakkradāsenotkaṭṭitam |
SEAL
1. vākāṭakalalāmasya
2. kramaprāptanṛpaśriyaḥ |
3. jananyā yuvarājasya
4. śāsanaṃ ripuśāsanam ||
Line 1-6
Seen. Success! Victory has been attained by the Bhagavat! Hail! From Nandivardhana-
There was the mahārāja, the illustrious Ghaṭotkacha, the first king of the Guptas. His excellent son was the mahārāja, the illustrious Candragupta I. His excellent son was the mahārājādhirāja, the illustrious Samudragupta who was born of the mahādevī Kumāradevī; who was the daughter’s son of the Licchavi chief; and who performed several horse-sacrifices. His excellent son is the mahārājadhirāja, the illustrious Candragupta II, graciously favoured by him (i.e. Samudragupta), who is a fervent devotee of the Bhagavat (Viṣṇu); who is a matchless warrior on the earth; who has exterminated all kings; whose fame has tasted the waters of the four oceans; and who has donated many thousands of crores of cows and gold coins.
Line 7-15
His daughter is the illustrious Prabhāvatīguptā of the Dhāraṇa gotra. She was born of the illustrious mahādevī Kuberanāgā, who herself belonged to the Nāga family. A fervent devotee of the Bhagavat (Viṣṇu), she was the Chief Queen of the illustrious Rudrasena II, the mahārāja of the Vākāṭakas, and is the mother of the yuvarāja, the illustrious Divākarasena. Having announced her good health, she commands the householders, brāhmaṇas, and others residing in the village of Daṅguṇa, situated in the āhāra of Supratiṣṭha, to the east of Vilavaṇaka, to the south of Śīrṣagrāma, to the west of Kadāpiñjana, and to the north of Sidivīvaraka, as follows:
“Be it known to you that on the twelfth lunar day of the bright fortnight of Kārttika, We have, for augmenting our own religious merit, donated this village, with the pouring out of water, to the ācārya Canālasvāmin, who is a devotee of the Bhagavat, as a gift not previously made, after having offered it to the foot-prints of the Bhagavat. Wherefore, you should obey all his commands, with proper respect.
Line 16-17
And we confer here on him the following exemptions incidental to an agrahāra granted to the Caturvidya (brāhmaṇas), as approved by former kings: This village is not to be entered by soldiers and policeman; it is exempt from the obligation to provide grass, hides as seats, and charcoal to touring royal officers; exempt from the royal prerogative of purchasing fermenting liquors and digging salt; exempt from the right to mines and Khadira trees; exempt from the obligation to supply flowers and milk; it is donated together with the right to hidden treasures and deposits and together with major and minor taxes.
Line 18
Wherefore, this grant should be maintained and augmented by future kings. Whoever, disregarding our order, will himself cause or make others cause the slightest obstruction, upon him, when complained against by the Brāhmaṇas, we will inflict punishment together with a fine.
And there is, on this point, the following verse sung by Vyāsa:
(Here occurs an imprecatory verse.)
Line 22
This charter has been written in the thirteenth regnal year. It has been engraved by Cakradāsa.
SEAL
This is the enemy-chastising command of the Mother of the Yuvarāja, the ornament of the Vākāṭakas, who has attained royal fortune by inheritance.
| Dynasty: | Vākāṭaka |
| Ruler: | Prabhāvatīguptā |
| Date: | c. 397 to 398 CE (Kārttika, śukla 12, Regnal year 13) |
| Donee: | Ācārya Canālasvāmin |
| Language: | Sanskrit |
| Deities: | Bhagavata i.e. Viṣṇu |
| Nature of grant: | Land donation |
| Purpose: | For religious merit after observance of Ekādaśī fast |
| Provenance of inscription: | Pune, Maharashtra |
| Type of Inscription: | Copperplate grant |
| Source: |
Bibliography & Research
- Mirashi, V. V. (Ed.). (1963). Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum: The Inscriptions of the Vākāṭakas (Vol. V). Archaeological Survey of India.
- Pathak, K. B. (1912). A Gupta-Vākāṭaka Copper Plate Grant. Indian Antiquary, XLI, 214-215.
- Pathak, K. B., & Dikshit, K. N. (1920). No. 4 Poona Plates of the Vakataka Queen Prabhavati-Gupta: The 13th Regnal Year. Epigraphia Indica, XV, 39-44.
