Sripura (Archaeological Survey)
by Bikash Chandra Pradhan | 2011 | 37,938 words
This study examines the Archaeological remains of Sripura from the period A.D. 650-800, revealing all varieties of archaeological materials, viz., art and architecture, coins, copper plate and stone epigraphic records and seals etc. highlighting the history and cultural heritage of Shripura. This ancient city was the capital of South Koshala under ...
The Corpus of Inscriptions (Introduction)
A vast corpus of both copper plate and lithic inscriptions have been discovered from Sripura during the last half of the previous century and the first decade of the present century. Of the copper plate inscriptions four[1] belonged to the time of the Sarabhapuriya dynasty (cir. A.D. 650-700). No addition has been made to these four in the excavations carried out during 1999 till date. While eleven[2] have already existed, thirteen[3] have been added during the excavations between 1999 and 2009 to the already existing stock of eleven of the Panduvamsi (Somavamsi) dynasty which ruled from Sripura, after the Sarabhapuriyas during cir. 700-800 A.D. Thus the total number of inscriptions of the Panduvamsis became twenty four. The three charters of Tivaradeva, the founder of the Panduvamsi rule, from Bonda, Rajim and Baloda have been found in the previous century. One has come to light at Sripura during the current excavations in 2008. Tivaradeva’s successor Nannadeva has been assigned only one copper plate charter, i.e. the Adhabhar plates discovered from Adhabhar. The rest nineteen belonged to the time of Mahasivagupta Balarjuna. Of nineteen sets, nine sets came to light at Sripura and one set at Jubani (Mallar) in the last two decades of previous century.
In 2008 three sets were again discovered at Sripura during excavations. Thus the grand total of copper plate inscriptions of both Sarabhapuriya and Panduvamsis (Somavamsis) have became twenty-nine.
The total number of stone inscriptions found in Sripura count sixteen. None of them belonged to the time of the Sarabhapuriya. All of them have been ascribed to the time of Mahasivagupta Balarjuna. Twelve[4] of them have been traced in the last part of the previous century. Five[5] have come to light during the excavations of the first decade of the present century. Besides a number of single letters (Ka, Kha, Va, a, pa, ta etc.) are seen on the stone of the plinth of the so-called Sasai Mahavihara excavated in 1999 (SRP 1). Four[6] fragments of inscriptions on clay seals have been retrieved from the newly excavated monastery called Tivaradeva Vihara (SRP 5). Two of the Surang Tila inscriptions contain one proper name each, another contains seven lines and the fourth one is of fifty five lines. The latter two inscriptions have been damaged over the greater part of the text so as to make themselves unintelligible.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
i) The Thakurdiya plates of Pravararaja, R.Y. 3 Hiralal–ICPB errata, p. 1; EI, XXII, 15-23; ISPS, II, pp. 53-55. ii) The Mallar plates of Pravararaja, R.Y. 3; EI, XXXIV, pp. 51 52; ISPS, II, pp. 53-58. iii) The Dhamatari plates of Sudevaraja, R.Y.3 JESI, V, 93-97; ISPS, II, pp. 32-34. iv) The Kauvatal plates of Sudevaraja, R.Y. 7, IHQ, XXI, 294-95; Ibid, XXII, 62, 63; EI, XXXIV, 45-50; ISPS, Pt. II, pp. 62-69.
[2]:
i) The Bonda plates of Tivaradeva (R.Y.5) ARIE, 1950-60, 15, APP. A- 56; EI, XXXIV, 111-16; Rajguru, S.N.–Inscriptions of Orissa, IV, Bhubaneswar, 1966, pp. 18-23 (hereinafter called IO), ISPS, II, III:II, pp. 102-104; ii) The Rajim plates of Tivaradeva (R.Y.7) A. Cunningham, ASR, XVII, 17; ICPB, 97, No. 172; CII, III, 291-99; EI, XXIII, p. 116; ISPS, II, III:III, pp. 107-110; iii) The Baloda plates of Tivaradeva (R.Y.9) EI, VII, 102-7; ICPB, 96- 97, No. 171; ISPS, Part-II, III:IV, pp. 112-114; iv) The Adhabhara plates of Nannaraja, EI, XXXI, 219-22 and plates facing pp, 220 and 221; Catalogue of the Antiquities in the M.G.M. Museum, Raipur, VI, 176-78; ISPS, II, III: V, pp. 116- 117; v) The Bardula plates of Sivagupta (R.Y.9) EI, XXVII, 60-78; ISPS, II, III:VI, III:VI, pp. 119-121; vi) The Bonda plates of Balarjuna (R.Y.22) EI, XXXV, 60-65; ARIE, 1959-60, 43, Appendix-I, No. 57; ISPS, II, III:VII, pp. 124-126; vii) The Lodhia plates of Sivagupta Balarjuna (R.Y.57) EI, XXVII, 319-25 and plates facing pp. 324 and 325; IO, IV 86-90; ISPS, II, III:VII, pp. 128-131; JKHRS, II, 121-24; viii) The Mallar plates of Balarjuna (undated) EI, XXIII, 113-22 and plates opposite pp. 120 and 121; IO, IV, 60-64; ISPS, II, III:IX, pp. 134-36; ix) The Mallar plates of Balarjuna (undated) B.C. Jain, Pracya Pratibha, V (i), 48-53 and plates between pp. 50 and 51; ISPS, II, III:X, pp. 139-140; x) The Mallar (Junvani) plates of Balarjuna (R.Y. 57) Art of Chhattisgarh, Puratan, Vol. 9, pp. 146-147; ISPS, II, Addenda, pp. 380-81; xi) A stray plate of Sivagupta (R.Y. 57) ISPS, II, Appendix-II, pp. 162-164.
[3]:
(i-ix) A hoard of 9 copper plate charters of Balarjuna, ISPS, II, Addenda, pp. 375-379; (x-xii) 3 sets of copper plate charters (R.Y. 6, 11 & 19) of Mahasivgupta Balarjuna, Puramanthan, V, pp. 16-24, Delhi, 2009. (xiii) 1 set of Tivaradeva (R.Y. 7), ibid, pp. 10-15.
[4]:
Utkirna Lekh, pp, 196-217, Raipur, 2005. i) The Sirpur Laksmana Temple Inscription of the time of Mahasivagupta, EI, XI, pp. 184-201 ff; IO, IV, pp. 69-80; ISPS, P. II, 141-147; ii-vii) 6 Nos. of Gandhesvara Temple Inscriptions, ICPB, pp. 98-99 ff, ASIR, XVII, pld. XIX-C, ASI (1881-82), XVII, pl. xxe; IHQ, XXXIII, No. 1, pp. 129-134 ff; ASR, VII, 169, IA, XVII, 179; ISPS, Pt. II, pp. 152-153; viii) The Senakpat stone slab inscriptions of the Sivagupta Balarjuna, EI, XXXI, 31-36; IO, IV, 47-54; ISPS, II, pp. 154-159; ix) The Sirpur stone inscription of the time of Sivagupta Balarjuna, EI, XXXI, 197-198; ISPS, II, III:XII, 148-149; x) Buddhghosa’s Inscription of the time of Sivagupta, Utkirna Lekh, p. 156. xi) Surang Tila Inscription of Sripura, ASR, XVII, p. 27; xii) Sirpur stone Inscription of Sivagupta Balarjuna, IO, IV, No. 15, pp. 91-94; ISPB, pp. 150-151.
[5]:
Special Report No. 1, Excavations at Sirpur, Chhattisgarh, pp. 19, 20, 39-45.
[6]:
ibid, p. 26.