A Note on the Bhaturiya Inscription of Rajyapala
Summary
This note critiques Mr. Siva Prasanna Lahiry’s edition of the Bhaturiya inscription of Rajyapala, which was published in the journal IHQ, September 1955. The author argues that Lahiry failed to read several passages correctly and made translation errors, even when deciphering the verses accurately. The author points out that Lahiry confused Yasoddsa, the minister of Rajyapala, with his father Sanghadasa. The article lists specific errors in Lahiry’s reading and interpretation. For instance, the author corrects Lahiry’s reading of Attamilam instead of Ati[a]malam, and the geographical names Attamila and Brhaddhatta instead of Aa- and Bribaddhattd. The author also corrects the name of Sanghadasa’s wife to Sarasvati, who is compared to Umā, the daughter of Mena and Himavat. The author disputes Lahiry’s translation of verse 7, which led to unwarranted speculation about Yasoddsa being the chief of the Cāsi Kaivarta community of the Vaiya class. The author provides a corrected translation, stating that Yasoddsa was made the Tantr-adhikārin by Rajyapala, who was aspiring for the status of the lord of the gods by making presents of elephants, horses, men, land, and gold to the gods and Brahmanas. The author argues that the names Disa and Kunda are cognomens among various non-Brahmana communities of Bengal, including the Vaidya and Kāyastha, and even Brahmanas bore these names in early times, citing the Nidhanpur plates of Bhaskaravarman. The author also corrects Lahiry’s reading of Gurjjara-Krita-Chinai instead of Gurjjara-Krita-capai, and the reading of setu instead of adrama-sata-matha in verse 10. In verse 12, the author disagrees with Lahiry’s correction of the word to rent-free, arguing that it violates the metre. The author interprets the passage as the king dedicating the village of Madhusrava after fixing the nikara at one hundred Puranas, explaining that nikara is used in the sense of a suitable gift or an amount legitimately payable. Finally, the author suggests that the engraver mentioned in the last stanza was Srinidhana, not Nidhana as supposed by Lahiry, citing references to Sircar and other works.
AI-generated summary, automatically checked against the article text.
Conclusion
This note corrects significant misreadings and misinterpretations in Mr. S.P. Lahiry’s edition of the Bhaturiya inscription of Rajyapala. The author demonstrates that Lahiry erroneously identified the minister Yasodasa with his father Sanghadasa, misread geographical names like Attamila and Brhaddhatta, and misinterpreted a verse describing Yasodasa’s appointment as a Tantr-adhikari. The text clarifies that the verse refers to Rajyapala’s military victories and his subsequent pious donations, rather than to Yasodasa’s caste or community. Furthermore, the author reinterprets a complex passage concerning a land grant, arguing it records a *kara-sasana*—a rent-free village—rather than a rent-free village, thereby upholding the inscription’s grammatical and metrical integrity. These corrections are vital for accurately understanding the historical context of Rajyapala’s reign and the administrative practices of early medieval Bengal.