A Copper-plate grant of Rana Arisimha to Ahilyabai Holkar
Summary
This note transcribes and analyses an inscribed copper‑plate recently transferred to the Indore Museum. Measuring about 11¼ × 7 inches, the plate contains sixteen lines in Devanagari Mewadi‑Sanskrit and records that Maharana Arisiṃha of Udaipur granted three villages – Vinota, Keli and Tātarmāl – to Ahilyabai Holkar on the ninth day of the bright half of Caitra in V.S. 1817 (A.D. 1760‑61). The grant is framed as a brotherly gift, reflecting the Maharana’s kinship with Ahilyabai, and commands descendants to uphold the donation. The article provides historical context, noting Arisiṃha’s reign from V.S. 1817 to 1829 and discussing how the grant may have been motivated by gratitude for Ahilyabai’s support during conflicts with rival claimants. A transcription of the Sanskrit text is included, and the author comments on its authenticity because Ahilyabai’s name lacks honorifics and the villages are absent from later records.
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Conclusion
The copper‑plate grant offers insight into late eighteenth‑century Maratha‑Mewari diplomacy. It shows how land grants were used to cement personal and political alliances and illuminates the relationship between Udaipur and Indore.