Tālale Plates of Gaṇḍarāditya

Hail! May there be glorious victory and prosperity!

Verse 1

Victorious is that son of Kaśyapa (Garuḍa), who, having conquered Indra, took away the jar of nectar and who caused delight to the serpents in regard to Jimūtavāhana.

Verse 2

There rose king Jatiga I, the sun in the sky of the glorious family of the Śilāhāras, a brother to the lotuses that were his friends, who destroyed the darkness in the form of his enemies. His son was Nāyivarman. His most dear son was Candrarāja, an abode of courage and fortune. Then there shone his offspring king Jatiga II. His son was Goṅkarāja.

Verse 3

His brother was king Guvala I, who vanquished a number of enemies. Then there shone his brother king Kīrtirāja, the conqueror of his enemies.

Verse 4

After him, the son of king Goṅka, Mārasiṃha by name, became the ruler, who was a veritable cupid to courtesans, a lion to the rutting elephants in the form of arrogant foes in battle, an abode of truth, the Lord of Laṅkā, by his commands, whose maternal uncle was dear to the Emperor, who possessed matchless qualities, and was the god Viṣṇu himself in respect of handsome form.

Verse 5

His son was named Guvaladeva II, an ocean of political wisdom, the sole centre of war-like qualities, whose long arm was clasped by the Lady of victory, and who was always dreadful to wicked princes.

Verse 6

His younger brother was the illustrious Bhojadeva I, whose lotus-like feet were covered by the handsome locks of kings bending before him, and who was clever in initiating in widowhood, the courtesans of his enemies.

Verse 7

His brother was king Ballāla, who was cupid to beautiful women. How can he, indeed, be described whose glory whitened the expanse of the sky and the earth? Having seen his rays robbed from him day and night by him (Ballāla), this moon now bears, in the guise of his spot, the stigma of his heart caused by shame.

Verse 8

His younger brother, the illustrious king Gaṇḍarāditya, has been shining in the world for a long time. His sole aim is to dispel the pitchy darkness in the form of a multitude of wicked enemies.

Verse 9

He whose valour is irresistible, who is always prosperous, who has innumerable wonderful horses which have the speed of the mind, and who is shining day and night, excels the Sun which bears the same name as he; for the latter’s lustre can be avoided, it rises only during day-time, it has only seven horses of ordinary speed, and it does not shine at night.

Verse 10

King Gaṇḍarāditya is the Sun, the lord of the Vidyādharas as the Sun is of planets; who develops the prosperity of the people as the Sun does the beauty of the lotuses; for he always destroys the enemies as the Sun dispels darkness.

Verse 11

King Gaṇḍarāditya is the Sun, a jewel among Vidyādharas as the Sun is among heavenly bodies. Like the Sun, holding lotuses in his hands, he shines with his lotus-like hands as the Sun is praised by a multitude of gods, he is lauded by a number of wise men; like the Sun, he shines every day; like the Sun, he makes the people active by his power, and is not actuated by any selfish object; like the Sun he, though stationed in one place, has enveloped all the regions around by his lustre, and day after day, makes this earth look more and more glorious.

Line 19-26

The illustrious mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Gaṇḍarādityadeva—who is adorned with all royal titles such as ‘one who has obtained the five mahāśabdas’, mahāmaṇḍaleśvara, ‘the lord of Tagara, the best of towns,’ ‘the illustrious Śilāhara king.’ ‘he who is born in the family of Jīmūtavāhana,’ ‘he who has the golden Garuḍa as his emblem,’ Maruvaṅkasarpa, Ayyanasiṅga, ‘a veritable Bhairava to the hostile feudatories,’ ‘a lion to the elephants in the form of his foes,’ Iḍuvarāditya, ‘Nārāyaṇa in respect of a handsome form,’ ‘he who is successful even on Saturdays,’ ‘the seizer of fortified hills,’ ‘Vikramāditya of the Kali Age,’ ‘he who has obtained a boon by the favour of the seven khollas and Koṅkaṇa, righteously by curbing the wicked and protecting the good, is reigning victoriously for a long time, holding pleasant conversation as is the custom in a camp in the village of Tīravāḍa situated in the territory of Eḍenāḍa.

Line 26-30

On Tuesday, the tenth tithi of the bright fortnight of Māgha in the cyclic year Virodhin, when one thousand and thirty-two years had elapsed by the era of the Śaka king, he gave girls in marriage to sixteen Brāhmaṇas of various gotras, and at the time of the nuptial ceremony he donated sixteen vṛttis, each provided with a residential house, and consisting of three nivartanas by the current measure, in the sacred place of the ścholla, situated in the village named Guḍāya with the hamlet of Gālaguṭṭisajayāpallī attached to it, which is comprised in the Vakavaṃna ścholla.

Line 31-41  

He also donated one vṛtti to the Superintendent of the function, when he caused a lakh Brāhmaṇas to be fed at the holy Prayāga.

In the succeeding year on the holy occasion of a lunar eclipse which occurred on the full-moon day of Vaiśākha in the cyclic year Vikṛta he, having observed the vow of Pañchalāṅgala, donated two vṛttis by way of dakṣiṇā in connection there with.

In the village of Irukuḍi situated in the Miriñja-deśa, he donated three nivartanas, one to each of the three, viz., Īśvara (Śiva), Buddha and Arhat (Jina), whose images he had installed in temples on the bank of the tank Gaṇḍsamudra constructed by himself.

He donated four nivartanas to the headman of the village of Guḍālaya. He also gave one vṛtti for maintaining a perpetual lamp in the temple of Guḍāleśvara, for the performance of agniṣṭikā, for supplying water to the people at the prapā, and for providing tāmbūla of good betel leaves for them. He continued the gift of half a nivartana made previously for the worship of Guḍāleśvara. He also continued the gift of half a nivartana previously granted for the worship of Mahādeva installed in the western region of that village.

He has thus donated, by pouring water, that village together with the rows of trees by making various gifts detailed above by means of a charter to last as long as the moon and the stars endure, and to be enjoyed by the sons and grandsons of the donees.

Line 41

The boundaries of the village are as follows: On the south-east, the boundary of the kholla of Paṇutarage; on the west, Mayūravappayā; on the south, the wall of Māsāma; on its west, a small water-course; then the stream of the river until it joins the Chandanakāla; on its south a Khadira stump; on its west, the bank of the tank; on the south of it, the threshing floor of Agavālaya is the correct boundary; on its south, Maṇiyavappās are the authoritative limit; thereafter, the boundary of the aforementioned kholla of Paṇutarage is to be regarded as the correct limit.

         (Here follows an appeal to future rulers for the preservation of the gift, and benedictory and imprecatory verses.)

Verse 17

Victorious is this charter composed by the poet named Dāmodara, who has reached the other shore of the ocean of Nyāya, and has destroyed the undeserved greatness of other disputants.

Verse 18

Appoja, who has mastered the science of architecture, and knows fully the art of engraving, and who has written several inscriptions even as a pond has many lotuses, has written this charter.

Verse 19

May the charter of the illustrious Śilāharas be of sure victory as long as the Moon and the Sun and also the oceans endure!

Srī. Srī.