Damaged Sripur Plates
Summary
In April 1929 archaeologists discovered three copper plates with a seal at Sirpur (ancient Sripur), the capital of Mahakosala. Alongside inscribed images of Buddha and Siva, these plates were examined and found to belong to the Sarabhapura dynasty. The seal bears the Gajalakṣmī motif and an inscription praising Mahā‑Jayārāja. The text on the plates closely follows other Sarabhapura charters, differing only in names of donors and villages. Although part of the first plate is damaged, the charter indicates it was issued from Sarabhapura and that the engraver was the same artisan who produced the Raipur and Khariyar plates. Later discoveries, including a charter from Thakurdih, allow the author to reconstruct a genealogy of the Sarabhapura kings: Prasannamitra, Manamitra, Jayarāja, Mahā‑Sudevarāja and others. The paper highlights the importance of these plates in filling gaps in the political history of Mahakosala and demonstrates the continuity of administrative formulae across charters.
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Conclusion
The study concludes that the Sirpur plates, though fragmentary, provide valuable data on the Sarabhapura dynasty. They confirm genealogies and illustrate the consistent administrative style of early medieval central Indian kingdoms.