A new copper-plate grant of Hars1avardhanafrom the Punjab, year 8

Panjab University, Chandigarh, India

The present inscription, which forms part of a private collection, is said tohave been discovered some time ago in a village near Nabha, the headquartersof a district of the same name in Punjab, and was acquired by a privatecollector from a scrap dealer. It was brought to us by the collector foridentification and decipherment; we were also granted permission to photo-graph the copper-plate and the seal with it.

The copper-plate, which measures 42 cm in length and 32 cm in widthweighs more than 5 kg. It contains an inscription of 18 lines engraved in thenorthern variety of the Bra:hmı: alphabet of the early seventh century.1 Theletters resemble the Banskhera copper-plate inscription of the year 22 ofHars1avardhana2 and are neatly engraved. The inscription is easily readableeven where the letters are shallow or worn out in the middle and to the rightof the copper-plate. There is a vertical mark caused by a cut almost in themiddle of lines eight to eleven, probably caused by some sharp implement thatstruck the plate. This would indicate that the plate was probably discoveredin a field under the ground. Fortunately the cut has not damaged any lettersin such a way that they cannot be easily restored. The last line contains thesignature of Hars1avardhana in ornamental script, preceded by a floral designof a conch, which exactly resembles his signature on the Banskhera copper-plate inscription. The average size of the letters is 1 cm and that of thesignatures is 1.9 cm. The language of the inscription is chaste Sanskrit. It iswritten in prose except for three verses; the first (in lines six and seven) is inSa:rdu: lavikrı:d1 ita metre and the second and third, in lines 15 and 16, are inVasantatilaka: and Anus1t1ubhmetres respectively. The same verses are also foundin the Banskhera and Madhuban copper-plates of Hars1avardhana.3 GeorgeBuhler argued that Hars1avardhana himself composed the first two verses.4However, it has been noted by the learned scholar that the two verses at theend are commonly found in several copper-plate grants and that the last oneis attributed to the Maha:bha:rata.5

An oval shaped seal discovered along with the copper-plate was originallyattached to it on the left side. It fits so accurately on the broken side of thecopper-plate that there can be no doubt about its being a part of the originalplate. It weighs about 2.5 kg. On the top it has a figure of a couchant bull,facing left6 which, being the mount of lord Siva, was probably the royalemblem of Hars1avardhana, who calls himself a devout worshipper of the godSiva (paramama:hesvara). At the bottom is the emblem of the rising sun.7 It issignificant to note in this connection that in the seals and inscriptions all the

1 D. C. Sircar has called the script Siddhama:trika: . See Select inscriptions bearing on Indianhistory and civilization, Vol. , Delhi, 1983, 221.2 Epigraphia Indica: a collection of inscriptions supplementary to the Corpus inscriptionum

Indicarum. Ed. J. Burgess [EI ]. Calcutta, 1892–. Vol. , plate.3 K. K. Thaplyal. Inscriptions of the Maukharis. Later Guptas. Puspabhutis and Yasovarman of

Kanauj, New Delhi, 1985, 178–9 and 183–4.4 EI, Vol. , 71.5 ibid., 75, n. 33.6 Cf. The Nalanda clay seal of Hars1avardhana.7 A similar emblem of a rising sun can be seen at the bottom of Hars1a's Sonipat and the

Nalanda seals also.

Bulletin of SOAS, 66, 2 (2003), 220–228. © School of Oriental and African Studies. Printed in theUnited Kingdom.

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Pus1yabhu: ti kings up to Prabha:karavardhana, the father of Hars1avardhana,have been specifically described as devout worshippers of the Sun (parama:di-tyabhakta). The portion below the bull, separated by a horizontal line, containsan inscription of twelve lines giving the complete genealogy of the Pus1yabhu: tisto the time of Hars1avardhana. The characters of the inscription are in anornamental style of the northern variety of the Bra:hmı: script of the seventhcentury.

The inscription itself refers to the donation by Hars1avardhana of a villageas an agraha:ra named Pan1n1ara:n<gaka in the D1 arikka:n1 i Vis1aya of JayarataBhukti, along with all taxes, etc., to a R1 gvedic Brahmin Bhat1t1a Ulu:khasva:minof Bha:rgava gotra for the augmentation of the merit and fame of his parentsand elder brother. The grant was executed on the orders of the office ofmaha:ks1apat1alı:ka du:taka sa:manta maha:ra: ja Kr1s1n1agupta in the year 8 (..614–15), apparently of the Hars1a era on the third day of the bright fortnightof a certain month whose name is not legible.

The inscription provides the following genealogy of the Pus1yabhu: ti dynasty:

Maha:ra: ja Naravardhana= Sri Vajrin1 ı:devı:G

Maha:ra: ja Ra: jyavardhana (I)= Sri Apsarodevı:G

Maha:ra: ja A9 dityavardhana= Sri Maha:senagupta:G

Maha:ra: ja:dhira: ja Prabha:karavardhana=Maha:devı: Yasomatı:G

G GMaha:ra: ja:dhira: ja Ra: jyavardhana (II) Maha:ra: ja:dhira: ja Hars1avardhana

It confirms the list of Pus1yabhu: ti kings and their consorts known from twoother inscriptions of the same ruler, as also from the Nalanda and Sonipatseals, but does not add any new information about the political history of thedynasty. The name of sa:manta maha:ra: ja Kr1s1n1agupta, who held the office ofmaha:ks1apat1alı:ka and also served as du:taka, has come to light for the first time.In contrast to the Banskhera and Madhuban inscriptions we here find a singleperson combining the offices of the messenger and the chief record-keeper.This being the earliest known grant of Hars1a it is possible that at the time ofits issue the administrative set-up had not been expanded, and two or moreoffices were entrusted to a single person. This is also indicated by the fact thatKr1s1n1agupta is called merely sa:manta, in contrast with the designationmaha:sa:m-anta used for his counterparts in the other two inscriptions, in spite of the factthat he held two offices simultaneously whereas the others held only one. Thename of the engraver of the grant is missing from the inscription, again adeparture from the practice followed in the later grants of this ruler.

The inscription, apart from being the earliest known record of Hars1a'sreign, is important also because of the geographical location of the spot whereit was found. The original kingdom of the Pus1yabhu: tis was located in Haryanaand Punjab with its headquarters at Stha:nvı:svara—modern Thanesar inKurukshetra District. The area of Nabha, where the inscription is said to havebeen discovered, is not far from there and probably formed a part of theoriginal territory of the Pus1yabhu: tis. It indicates Hars1a's continued interest inhis patrimony even after the occupation of Kanauj and the transfer of hiscapital to the latter place.

It has not been possible to identify any of the geographical names occurringin the inscription for want of evidence. However, one may hazard a guess that

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P

1.

Thecopper-plate

grantofHars 1avardhana.

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Jayarata bhukti, in which the district of D1 arikka:n1 i and the villagePan1n1ara:n<gaka were included, must have been located in the Patiala District,around the region where it was found. As for the identification of SriVardhama:nakot1i, where Hars1a was residing in the army camp at the time ofits issue, there is no consensus of opinion among scholars. B. P. Sinha identifiedit with Vardhama:na bhukti (modern Burdwan District in West Bengal) of theinscriptions,8whereas N. L. Dey identified it with Bardhanakot1i in the DinajpurDistrict of Bangladesh.9 Though the arguments advanced by these scholars infavour of locating it in Bengal are appealing, they lose force after the discoveryof the present epigraph, in light of the known historical facts. It is well knownthat Sasa:n<ka, the ruler of Bengal and a sworn enemy of Hars1a, continued torule at least until .. 619. It is therefore highly unlikely that Hars1a couldhave his victorious camp, from where he issued a grant pertaining to the regionof Punjab, in Bengal before that date as early as .. 614–15. There is anotherVardhama:napura mentioned by the Jain author Merutun<ga in his Prabandha-cinta:man1 i (modern Vadvan) located in Kathiawar,10 and yet another in Valabhi(Gujarat). But none of them can be identified with the Vardhma:nakot1i of ourinscription for the simple reason that Hars1a brought Valabhi under his influenceat a very late date in his reign.11 Another Vardhama:napura, located in Ma: lava,is mentioned in two inscriptions from central India.12 Though ignored by bothDey and Sinha, we feel that it is an important reference. Ma: lava played animportant role in the history of the Pus1yabhu: tis. According to Ba:n1a, thebiographer of Hars1a, two Ma: lava princes Kuma:ragupta and Ma:dhavagupta,who were probably related to the Thanesar House, took shelter withPrabha:karavardhana and were appointed to wait upon the young princesHars1a and Ra: jyavardhana by their father. Prabha:karavardhana is alsodescribed by Ba:n1a as ‘an axe to the creeper of Ma: lava's glory’.13 Thereafterthe king of Ma: lava, generally identified with Devagupta of the inscriptions, issaid to have allied himself with Sasa:n<ka of Bengal against the Maukharis andPus1yabhu: tis and was instrumental in the murder of Hars1a's brother-in-lawGrahavarman, the Maukhari king. He was defeated and killed byRa: jyavardhana, which must have led to a further deterioration in relationsbetween the two states. Hsuen Tsang refers to Mo-la-po (Ma: lava) as anindependent kingdom. The Aihole inscription of Pulakesin II refers to theLa:t1as, Ma: lavas and Gurjaras as feudatories of the Ca: lukyan ruler, with whomHars1a is said to have fought an unsuccessful war.14 In the light of these factsit is clear that Ma: lava must have been a cause of ongoing concern to Hars1a.As such his having a victorious army camp at Vardhama:napura in Ma: lava ishighly probable.

Text of the inscription15

L.1. Svasti [d*] maha:nauhastyasvajayaskandha:va:ra-SriVardhama:nakot1ı:va:sakah1 [d*] Maha:ra: ja sri-Naravarddhanah1 [d*] tasyaputrastatpa:da:nudhya:tah1 sri-Vajrin1 ı:devya:mutpannah1parama:dityabhaktomaha:ra: ja sri-Ra: [ jya]–

8 The decline of the kingdom of Magadha, Patna, 1954, 270 ff.9 The geographical dictionary of ancient and mediaeval India, London, 1927, 25.10 Ibid.11 For a discussion of Hars1a's conquest of Valabhi see R. C. Majumdar, History and culture

of Indian people. Vol. , Bombay, 1954, 103–05; K. K. Thaplyal, Inscriptions, 60–61.12 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, , 67 ff.; Indian Antiquary, vol. , 350 ff.13 Hars1acarita. (Tr. E. B. Cowell and F. W. Thomas), Delhi, 1961 (reprint), 133.14Majumdar, History and culture, 103–06.15 From the original plate.

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L.2. varddhanah1 [d*] tasyaputrastatpa:da:nudhya:tah1 srimad-Apsarodevya:mutpannah1 parama:dityabhakto maha:ra: ja srimad-A9 dityavarddhanah1 [d*] tasya putrastatpa:da:nudhya:tah1 sri-Maha:senagupta:devya:mutpannah1 catussamu–

L.3. dra:tikra:ntakı:rttih1 prata:pa:nura:gopanata:nyara:jovarn1n1a:sramavyavastha:pana-pravr1ttacakra ekacakraratha i[va] praja:na:ma:rttiharah1parama:dityabhaktah1 paramabhat1t1a:raka maha:ra: ja:dhira: ja-

L.4. sri-Prabha:karavarddhanah1 [d*] tasyaputrastatpa:da:nudhya:tah1 sitayasah1 -prata:navi[c]churita sakala bhuva man1d1alah1 parigr1hı:ta-Dhanada-Varun1endra prabhr1tilokapa: lateja:-

L.5. h1 satpathopa:rjjita:nekadravin1abhu:miprada:nasamprı:n1 ita:rthi-hr1dayotisayita-pu:rvvara: jacaritah1 devya:m< amalayasomatya:m sri-Yasomatya:mutpannah1 parama-

L.6. saugatah1 Sugata iva parahitaikaratah1 paramabhat1t1a:rakamaha:ra: ja:dhira: ja sri Ra: jyavarddhanah1 [d*] Ra: ja:no yudhi [du]s1t1a-va: jinaiva sri-Devagupta:dayah1 kr1tva: yena kasa:-

L.7. praha:ra vimukhah1 sarvve samam< sam< yata:h1 [ |*] utkha:ya dvis1ato vijityavasudha:m< kr1tva: praja:na:m priyam< pra:n1a:nujjhitava:nara:tibhavanesatya:nurodhena ya[h1 ] | [ |*] Tasya:nujastatpa:da:nudhya:tah1 parama-ma:-

L.8. hesvaro mahesvara iva sarvva satva:nukampı: paramabhat1t1a:rakamaha:ra: ja:dhira: ja sri-Hars1ah1 Jayarata (Jayaratha?)bhuktavis1yasambaddha D1 arikka:n1 i Paribha:s1yama:n1a Pan1n1a-Ra:n<gakagra:me sa-

L.9. mupagata maha:sa: [ma]nta-maha:ra: ja-daussa:dhasa:dhanika-prama:tara-ra: jastha:nı:yah1 -kuma:ra:ma:tyo=parika-vis1ayapati-bhat1a-ca:t1a-sevaka:dı:nprativa:sijanapada:n< s=ca

L.10. sama: jna:payati viditamastu vo yatha:yamuparilikhita gra:mah1svası:ma:paryantah1 so=dran<gah1 sarvvara: jakula:bha:vyapratya:yasametah1sarvva-parihr1tapari-

L.11. ha:ro-vis1aya:duddhr1ta pin1d1ah1 puttra-pauttr-a:nugascandra:rkkaks1itisamaka: lı:nah1 bhu:michidranya:yena maya: pituh1paramabhat1t1a:raka-maha:ra: ja:dhira: ja sri-Prabha:-

L.12. karavarddhanadevasya ma:tusca bhat1t1a:rika:-maha:devı:-ra: jnı:-sri-Yasomatı:devyah1 jyes1t1habhra:tr1paramabhat1t1a:raka-maha:ra: ja:dhira: ja sri-Ra: jyavarddhanadevapa:da:na:m ca-

L.13. pun1ya-yaso-bhivr1ddhaye Bha:rggavasagottra-bahvar1casabrahmaca:ribhat1t1o=lukhalasva:mine pratigrahadharmmen1a:=graha:ratvena-pratipa:ditah1 viditva: bhavadbhih1 sama-

L.14. numantavyah1 prativa:sijanapadairapya: jna: sravan1avidheyairbhu: tva:yatha:samucitatulyadeya-bha:ga-bhoga-kara-hiran1ya:di-pratyayah1anayorevopaneya:h1 sevopastha:nam ca-

L.15. karan1 ı:yamityapi ca | Asmatkulakkramamuda:ramuda:haradbhiranyaiscada:namidamabhyanumodanı:yam< (yam) [ |*]Laks1mya:stad1 itsalilavu(bu)dvu(dbu)dacancala:ya: da:nam< phalam para-

L.16. yasah1 paripa: lanam< ca d [2 d*] Karamman1a: manasa: va:ca: karttavyampra:n1 ibhir hitam< (hitam) [ |*] Hars1en1aitasa (tsa)ma:khya:tam<dharmma:rjjitamanuttamam< (mam) d [3 d*] Du: tako [s]ttramaha:ks1apat1ala:dhikaran1a:dhi–

L.17. kr1tasama:nta-maha:ra: ja-Kr1s1n1aguptah1 tada:desa:ccotkı:rn1n1a [m< ] d sam< vat8—[su]di 3.

L.18. Svahasto mama maha:ra: ja:dhira: ja-sri-Hars1asya | : | * | : |

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Translation

Hail! From the residence at Sri vardhama:nakot1i, the great victorious camp(having) boats (navy), elephants and horses (cavalry). The great king, theillustrious Naravarddhana; his son, favoured by his feet, born of the illustriousqueen Vajrin1 ı:, most devout worshipper of the Sun, the great king, the illustriousRa: jyavarddhana; his son, favoured by his feet, born of the illustrious queenApsaro, most devout worshipper of the Sun, the great king, the illustriousA9 dityavarddhana; his son, favoured by his feet, born of the illustrious queenMaha:senagupta: , he whose fame had spread beyond the four oceans, who hadsubdued other kings by his majesty (and) affection, whose sovereign powerwas engaged in establishing (the order of ) castes and stages of life, who (was)the remover of the afflictions of the subjects like (the god) whose chariot hasa single wheel (i.e. the Sun), a most devout worshipper of the Sun, the supremelord, the supreme king of great kings, the illustrious Prabha:karavarddhana; hisson, favoured by his feet, who covered the circumference of the entire worldwith the canopy of his brilliant fame, who completely appropriated the lustreof the guardians of the earth, Dhanada, Varun1a, Indra and so forth, who withhis wealth gained in righteous manner gladdened the hearts of needy men bymany gifts of land, who surpassed the achievements of former kings, born ofthe illustrious queen Yasomatı: possessed of blemishless fame, (who was) themost devout worshipper of the Buddha, and was devoted to the good of otherslike the Buddha (himself ), the supreme lord, the supreme king of great kings,the illustrious Ra: jyavarddhana; by whom the kings Devagupta and others wereturned back and subdued, like wicked horses made to turn away from thelashes of the whip;16 who after uprooting his enemies, conquering the earth,and enhancing the welfare of his subjects, in consequence of his adherence tohis promise gave up his life in the house of his enemy. His younger brother,favoured by his (elder brother's) feet, a most devout worshipper of Mahesvara,who like Mahesvara is compassionate towards all creatures, the supreme lord,the supreme king of great kings, the illustrious Hars1a, lays down this order,(in connection with) the village Pan1n1ara:n1gaka connected to the District (vis1aya)D1 arikka:n1 i in the province (bhukti) of Jayarata, to the great feudal lords, thegreat kings, daussa:dhasa:dhanikas,17 prama:tr1s,18 viceroys, kuma:ra:ma:tyas,19 gov-ernors, district officers, bhat1as and ca:t1as,20 servants and others as well as the

16 Cf. Kielhorn, EI, , 159, n. 3.17 For an explanation of the term, see Buhler, EI, 74, n. 26.18 He appears to be an officer connected with the operation of measuring the land for

assessment of revenue, rather like the rajjuka of the Asokan inscriptions; see also Buhler, EI, 74, n. 27; J. Ph. Vogel, Antiquities of Chamba State, Delhi, 1911, , 122–3; Jagannath Agrawal,Inscriptions of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Kashmir and adjoining hilly tracts, Delhi,1999, 66.19 Buhler has taken it to be a compound of two words and translated the term as ‘princes'

ministers’, EI, 74. Fleet and Vogel used the same term. Others have variously translated it as ayoung minister (Raychaudhuri, Political history of ancient India, Calcutta, 1923 (7th edition,1972), 562–3), a minister since childhood (EI, , 50n), a minister raised to the rank of a prince(Jayaswal, Journal of Bihar and Orissa Research Society, , 399), a minister enjoying the statusof a prince (Sircar, Indian epigraphy, Delhi, 1965, 358), etc. However, none of these interpretationsappear to be satisfactory in the light of the various forms in which this term occurs frequently inthe seals and inscriptions from the Gupta period onwards. The term appears to refer not to thedesignation of a particular officer but, as pointed out by A. S. Altekar (State and government inancient India, Varanasi; 1955, 339–40), to a cadre of superior civil service like the I.C.S. andI.A.S. of modern times. This view has been endorsed by Jagannath Agrawal, Inscriptions, 64–5.20 The early epigraphists like Fleet (cf. Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, , 98 and n. 2) and

Buhler (cf. EI, , 74) translated the terms bhat1a and ca:t1a as ‘regular and irregular troops’.However, Vogel (Antiquities, , 131–2) takes the form in the sense of a ‘royal servant’ and thelatter as an officer connected with the internal management of a district and collection of revenue.This view has been endorsed by Jagannath Agrawal (Inscriptions, 59–60) and others.

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subjects resident in the country.21 Be it known to all that, I have granted, thevillage mentioned above, up to its boundaries, together with the udran<ga,together with (the right to) all the income that ought to accrue to the royalhouse, endowed with all immunities, this piece of the district so dispersed22(with the right of) inheritance by sons and grandsons, for as long as the moon,sun and earth last, according to the rule of bhu:michidra,23 for the increase ofthe merit and fame of (my) father, the supreme lord, the supreme king of greatkings, His Majesty the illustrious Prabha:karavarddhana, and of (my) mother,the supreme lady, the chief-queen, Her Majesty the illustrious queen Yasomatı:and of the feet of (my) elder brother, the supreme lord and the supreme kingof great kings, His Majesty the illustrious Ra: jyavarddhana,—to Bhat1t1aUlu:khasva:min of Bha:rggava gotra and a fellow student of the Bahvr1cas (aR1 gvedi), as agraha:ra according to the laws of the acceptance of gifts. Knowingthis you should agree (to it), and the residents of the janapada being obedientto (my) command should bring to him (the donee) alone the due income,which is to be given according to weight and according to measure, (viz.)the share (of the produce), offerings,24 the taxes (payable in) kind and incash,25 and so forth, and they should also render him service.

Moreover, By those who profess (to belong to) the noble line of our raceand by others this gift ought to be agreed to. Gifts and the protection of thefame of others (are) the result of fortune that is unstable like lightning of awater bubble. With deeds, thoughts and words one should do good to theliving beings. Hars1a has declared that an unsurpassable (mode of ) acquiringspiritual merit.26

21 Buhler has translated this as ‘provincials of the neighbourhood’ (EI, , 75); Kielhorn takesit as ‘resident people’ (EI, , 159); Vogel, translating the Brahmaur copper-plate grant ofYuga:karavarman and the Chamba copper-plate of Somavarman and A9 sat1a takes this expressionto mean ‘neighbouring country people’ (Antiquities, , 164, 195). He has been followed byJagannath Agrawal for the same inscriptions (Inscriptions, 179 asnd 214). This is the literaltranslation of prativa:si-Janapada:n< sca. Both Monier Williams and V. S. Apte have taken prativa:sinto mean ‘neighbouring’. However, this meaning does not suit the context unless the neighbouringcountry is taken in the sense of a province of the same country. Otherwise how could a king issuean order to the people of an independent state beyond his jurisdiction? Interestingly, in the Sungalcopper-plate grant of Vidagdha (Cf. Jagannath Agrawal, Inscriptions, p. 186) the same expressionhas been taken to mean, ‘subjects resident (in the agraha:ra)’. At another point in the sameinscription (line 10, p. 182) we have a better expression kut1umbi janapada:n< sca that has beencorrectly translated as ‘house-holders and the country people’ (ibid., p. 185). I feel that in thepresent context ‘subjects resident’ should be the best translation, taking them to be immigrantsettlers.22 Kielhorn, EI, , 160, ‘as a piece taken out of the district’. But he is not certain of the

meaning. (See ibid., n. 4.) Buhler has left this expression untranslated. Vis1aya:duddhr1ta pin1d1ah1appears to be a technical term. The present translation is tentative. Professor O. P. Bharadwaj,in our discussion of this term, has suggested the meaning to be ‘the revenue of the district thathas been excluded from the royal income’.23 Buhler, on the authority of the Vaijyanti of Ya:davapraka: sa, has translated the term as ‘land

unfit for tillage’ (EI, , 74 and n. 30). Kaut1ilya, in his Arthasa:stra, also defines bhu:michidra (2. 2.1–2) as forest land and uncultivable tracts to be used as pasture land. However, it has been aptlypointed out by S. K. Maity (Economic life in northern India in Gupta period, Delhi, 1970, 43–4)that this definition cannot be applied to the term occurring in several inscriptions of the Guptaand post-Gupta period because here the land in question was always village land already undercultivation. It appears that the term was originally used to denote the grant of permanent landtenure to those who first brought it under cultivation by clearing the forest, etc. Later it wasapplied to all types of land, and should be defined as the ‘grant of permanent land tenure’. It isin this sense it should be taken here, since uncultivable land can hardly be given as an agraha:ra.24 Articles to be occasionally supplied to the king or his officers; cf. Buhler. EI, 75, n. 32 and

Jagannath Agrawal, Inscriptions, 73–4.25 Buhler and several other early writers have translated the term hiran1ya in its literal meaning,

i.e. ‘gold’ (EI, , 75; also U. N. Ghoshal, Contributions to the history of Hindu revenue system,Calcutta, 1929, 60, n. 5; Lallanji Gopal, The economic life of northern India (c. .. 700–200),Delhi, 1989, 38–40; and, Jagannath Agrawal, Inscriptions, 73–4). Goshal, Gopal and Agrawal assome others have pointed out that it is a technical term probably denoting certain taxes whichwere paid in cash in contrast with the general practice of paying land revenue in kind.26 The translation of these two verses is that of George Buhler (EI, , 75).

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P 2. The oval shaped seal found with the copper-plate.

The messenger (of this grant) is the chief of the office of records, the feudallord, the great king Kr1s1n1agupta, on whose orders it has been incised. [SriHars1a] Sam< vat 8—[su]di 3.

This my own hand Maha:ra: ja:dhira: ja Hars1a.

Text of tile seal27

L.1. Siddham!28 Maha:ra: ja sri Naravarddhanah1tasyaputtrastatpa:da:nudhya:tah1 sri Vajrin1 ı:-

L.2. devya:m=utpannah1 parama:dityabhakto maha:ra: ja sri-Ra: jyavarddhanah1[d*] tasya puttrasta[tpa: ]-

27 From the original seal.28 Expressed by a symbol.

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L.3. da:nudhya:tah1 sri-Apsarodevya:m=utpannah1 parama:dityabhaktomaha:ra: ja srimad=A9 ditya-

L.4. varddhanah1 [d*] Tasyaputtrastatpa:da:nudhya:tah1 sri-Maha:senagupt[a: ]devya:mu[tpa]nnah1 catuhsamu-

L.5. dra:tikkra:ntakı:rtti[h1 ] prata:panura:gopanata:nyara: jo varn1n1a: srama-vyavastha:panapravr1t[ta]-

L.6. cakkra ekacakkraratha iva praja:na:marttiharah1 parama:dityabhaktah1paramabhat1t1a:raka-

L.7. maha:ra: ja:dhira: jasri-Prabha:karavarddhanah1 [d*] Tasyaputtrastatpa:da:nudhya:tah1 atisyi[ta]-

L.8. pu:rvvara: jacarito devya:mamalayasomatya:m sri-Yasomatya:m=utpannah1 paramasaugata[h1 [ su[ga]-

L.9. ta iva parahita:nuratah1 paramabhat1t1a:raka maha:ra: ja:dhira: ja sri-Ra: jyavarddhana[h1 ] [d*] [ta]-

L.10. [sya: ]nujastatpa:da:nudhya:tah1 paramabhat1t1a:rika:maha:devı: sri-Yasomatı:-L.11. [devy]a:mevotpannah1 paramama:hesvarah1 mahesvara iva sarvvasa-L.12. [tva:nu]kampakah1 paramabhat1t1a:rakamaha:ra: ja:dhira: ja sri-Har[s1ah1 d*]29

29 The text of the seal is exactly the same as that of the Sonipat seal of Hars1a. For itstranslation see J. F. Fleet, Corpus inscriptionum Indicarum, , 232; and Jagannath Agrawal,Inscriptions, 93.