Kalakuri Copper‑plate Inscription of the Gupta Year 120 (A.D. 439)
Summary
As early as 1935, Rajanimohan Sanyal of Naogong in the Rajshahi district purchased an inscribed copper plate from a villager of Kalaikuri in the Bogra district and sent it to the Varendra Research Society for decipherment and publication. When the Society could not secure an epigraphist, Sanyal gave the author estampages of the plate, enabling a detailed study. The record consists of a single copper plate about 9½ by 5½ inches, written on both sides with 34 lines of text—16 on the obverse and 18 on the reverse—and originally attached to a seal about three inches in diameter. The date of the inscription is the first day of the month of Vaiśākha in Gupta year 120 (A.D. 439), roughly during the reign of Kumāragupta I. Palaeographically, the script resembles fifth- and sixth-century inscriptions from the Bogra–Rajshahi–Dinajpur region. The letters are engraved in clear strokes and show features typical of early Gupta script: the vowel ā is attached to the right lower part of consonants like kh, gh and ś; the consonant mo resembles na; and initial vowels a, ā, i, u and e occur in the record. Numerical symbols for 1, 2, 5, 20 and 100 appear in the text. The language of the inscription is Sanskrit but exhibits irregular grammar and occasional Prakrit influences, including frequent sandhi violations and avagrahas omitted before vowels. The core of the record is a notification issued from Pūrṇnakauśikā in the Śrṅgavera vithi (subdivision) by the Ayuktaka (subdivisional officer) Acyutadasa and the adhikaraṇa (administrative board). It informs the inhabitants of several villages—Hastīśīrṣavibhītikī, Gulmagandhikā, Dhānyapaṭalikā and Saṃgohālī—that a group of local functionaries wished to buy non‑compensatory fallow land. The petitioners included the kulika (artisan) Bhīma, kayastha scribes such as Prabhucandra and Rudradaśa, and pustapālas (keepers of accounts) like Siṃhanandin and Yaśodāman. Supported by vithi elders and householders, they asked permission to purchase nine kulyavāpas of apratiara land at two dīnāras per kulyavāpa and to donate this land as an akṣayanīvī (permanent endowment) to three Vedic Brahmanas—Devabhatta, Amaradatta and Mahāsenadatta of the Vājasaneyī school—so that the five great sacrifices (pañca‑mahāyajña) could be performed perpetually. The donation comprised eight kulyavāpas in various villages and one near Dhānyapaṭalikā; the distribution of half and three‑quarter kulyavāpa parcels is described in detail. The record concludes with imprecatory verses requesting future administrators—visayapatis, ayuktakas, kutumbins and members of the board—to protect the grant. This inscription illuminates the administrative framework of the Gupta empire, distinguishing units such as bhukti (province), viṣaya (district) and vithi (subdivision) and illustrating the role of local boards in verifying land sales and permanent endowments. It also highlights socioeconomic practices in early Gupta Bengal, where individuals purchased state land to gain religious merit, and underscores the evolution of surnames ending in –datta and –bhatta that later spread beyond Brahmanical circles.
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Conclusion
This study interprets the Kalaikuri copper‑plate as a significant example of Gupta administration and religious patronage. It shows how a local board and its officers authorised the sale of state land to private individuals, who then endowed it to Brahmanas for the perpetual performance of Vedic rituals. The record reveals the interplay between fiscal policy, social hierarchy and religious duty in fifth‑century Bengal and highlights the detailed documentation of land units, prices and administrative responsibilities. By analysing the inscription’s language and palaeography, the article also contributes to our understanding of Gupta‑era epigraphy and the diffusion of Sanskrit culture in regional contexts.