Pipardala Copper-plate Inscription of King Narendra
By Dineshchandra Sircar, L. P. Pandeya Sharma
Summary
This study publishes and analyses a copper‑plate charter from Pipardala issued by Maharaja Narendra, son of Sarabha, in the third year of his reign at Sarabhapura. The charter consists of two copper plates bound by a ring and sealed with an image of Gajalakṣmī. The plates record that Rihudeva, son of Vikata, confirmed an earlier grant of land to a learned Brahmana named Dhanadatta. The document, written in Sanskrit prose with a few verses, specifies that the land was free from taxes and that the donee and his descendants were to enjoy it in perpetuity. It describes the boundaries of the village, lists witnesses and ends with imprecatory verses discouraging future kings from revoking the grant. The author notes that the charter’s script resembles that of other mid‑first‑millennium inscriptions from central India and dates it to around the sixth century. He discusses the historical context of Sarabhapura, a small principality whose kings are otherwise known only from coin legends, and argues that the Pipardala charter confirms Narendra’s existence and provides evidence of administrative procedures, landholding and royal piety. The article includes transliteration and translation of the inscription and compares it with other charters to show similarities in formulae and land‑grant conditions.
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Conclusion
The Pipardala copper‑plate charter is significant because it provides direct evidence of King Narendra of Sarabhapura and sheds light on mid‑first‑millennium land grants. Its seal, script and language link it to other central Indian inscriptions, while the details of the grant illustrate contemporary administrative practices and royal religiosity.