Manor Plates of Rastrakuta Dantidurga: Saka Year 671
Summary
The article introduces a previously unpublished set of copper plates discovered in the village of Manor, Thana District, in the Bombay State. These two plates are inscribed on their inner sides with Sanskrit prose in the western variety of the southern script. By analysing peculiar letter forms and orthographic features, the author dates the record to Saka 671 during the reign of Prithivivallabha Dantidurga of the Later Rastrakuta dynasty. The inscription recounts that representatives of the Traividya Mahajana corporation of Sripura donated the village Tambasihika to the temple of Bideśvara, constructed by Badadi Bhogika, to fund repairs. Names of donors, witnesses and officials such as the goldsmith Candahari and scribe Devaka Tribhogika are given, and an imprecation warns against violating the gift. The article places Dantidurga in the Rastrakuta genealogy and notes that the grant reflects the involvement of corporations in religious endowments and local administration in Konkan. By providing transliteration and translation, it enriches the corpus of inscriptions and offers insights into the political and religious history of western India.
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Conclusion
The copper‑plate grant from Manor is an important addition to Rastrakuta epigraphy. It confirms that in Saka 671 the Traividya corporation of Sripura donated Tambasihika village to a temple during Dantidurga’s reign, documenting officials, donors and legal formulae. The record illuminates corporate patronage and temple economy in Konkan, and its palaeographical traits help date the inscription. By publishing and translating this grant, the author contributes valuable evidence for reconstructing the history of the Later Rastrakuta dynasty and the socio‑religious landscape of western India.