Maharaja Jayanatha

Karitalai is village in Madhya Pradesh. Karitalai Stone inscription is the earliest official record of Kalachuris of Tripuri. Northern Kalachuris ruled in central India with its base at the ancient city of Tripuri (Tewar); it originated in the 8th century, expanded significantly in the 11th century, and declined in the 12th–13th centuries.

Karitalai Copper-plate Inscription of the Maharaja Jayanatha (493-494 CE)

• Ôm! Hail! From (the city or hill of) Uchchakalpa; — (There was) the Mahârâja Ôghadêva. His son, who meditated on his feet, (was) the Mahârâja Kumâradêva, begotten on the Mahâdêvi Kumâradêvi. His son, who meditated on his feet, (was) the Maârâja Jayasvâmin, begotten on the Mahâdêvi Jayasvâmini. His son, who meditated on his feet, (was) the Mahârâja Vyâghra, begotten on the Mahâdêvi Râmadêvi.

• (Line 4.)— His son, who meditates on his feet, the Mahârâja Jayanâtha,— begotten on the Mahâdêvi Ajjhitadêvi, — being in good health, issues a command to the cultivators, beginning with the Brâhmans, and to the artisans, at (the village of) Chhandâpallikâ in the Nâgadêya santaka: —

• (L. 6.)— "Be it known to you that, for the purpose of increasing my own religious merit, this village is granted by me,— with the udranga and the uparikara, (and with the privilege that it is) not to be entered by the irregular or the regular troops, (but) with the exception of (the right to fines imposed on) thieves,— to the Brâhman Mitrasvâmin, of the Kânva gôtra and the Vâjasanêya-Mâdhyamdina (shâkhâ).

• (L. 9.)— "You yourselves shall render to him the offering of the tribute of the customary royalties and taxes, and shall be obedient to (his) commands.

• (L. 10.)— "And those kings who shall be born in Our lineage,— by them this grant should not be confiscated, (but) should be assented to; (and) the tribute of the taxes which by custom should not belong to the king, should not be taken.

• (L. 12.)— "And whosoever may confiscate this grant,— he shall become invested with (the guilt of) the five great sins and the minor sins."

• (L. 13.)— And it has been said in the Mahâbhârata by the venerable Vyâsa,— "O Yudhishthira, best of kings, carefully preserve land that has been given, whether by thyself or by another; (verily) the preservation (of a grant) (is) more meritorious than making a grant! The earth has been enjoyed by many kings, commencing with Sagara; whosoever at any time possesses the earth, to him belongs, at that time, the reward (of this grant that is now made, if he continue it)! As a rule, indeed, no inauspicious condition is experienced by kings; but they are purified for ever, when they bestow land! The giver of land enjoys happiness in heaven for sixty thousand years; (but) the confiscator (of a grant), and he who assents (to an act of confiscation), shall dwell for the same number of years in hell! Fathers (in the world of the dead) clap their hands upon their arms, (and) grandfathers leap (from joy), (saying)— ‘A giver of land has been born in our family; he shall become our deliverer’! He who confiscates land, rich in all (kinds of) grains, (that has been granted),— he becomes a worm in the ordure of a dog, and sinks (into hell), together with (his) ancestors!"

• (L. 21.)— In a century of years, together with the seventy-fourth (year), on the fourteenth day of the month Âshâdha,— on this (lunar day), (specified) as above by the day (&c.),— (this charter) has been written by me, the Bhôgika Guñjakirtti, the grandson of the Bhôgika, the Amâtya Râjyila, and the son of the Bhôgika Dhruvadatta. The Dûtaka (is) the Uparika, Dîkshita, householder, and chief of architects, Sharvadatta.

• (L. 24.) — The year 100 (and) 70 (and) 4; (the month) Âshâdha; the day 10 (and) 4.

• From: Fleet, John F. Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum: Inscriptions of the Early Guptas. Vol. III. Calcutta: Government of India, Central Publications Branch, 1888, 119-120.

Khoh Copper-plate Inscription of Maharaja Jayanatha (496-497 CE)

• Hail! From Uchchakalpa;— (There was) the Mahârâja Ôghadêva. His son, who meditated on his feet, (was) the Mahârâja Kumâradêva, begotten on the Mahâdêvi Kumâradêvi. His son, who meditated on his feet, (was) the Mahârâja Jayasvâmin, begotten on the Mahâdêvi Jayasvâmini. His son, who meditated on his feet, (was) the Mahârâja Vyâghra, begotten on the Mahâdêvi Râmadêvi.

• (Line 4.)— His son, who meditates on his feet, the Mahârâja Jayanâtha, — begotten on the Mahâdêvi Ajjhitadêvi,— being in good health, issues a command to the cultivators, beginning with the Brâhmans, and to the artisans, at (the village of) Dhavashandikâ:—

• (L. 6.)— "Be it known to you that, for the purpose of increasing my own religious merit, (and) for the benefit of the feet of the Divine One, this village is granted by me, as an agrahâra of the god, to continue for the same time with the moon and the sun, to the Divira Sarvavâdha, of the Shâsâtanêya (gôtya) (?), and his son the Bhâgavata Ganga, and his sons Rankabôta and Ajagaradâsa. And the increase of their own religious merit should be effected by the succession of (their) sons, [sons' sons], sons of sons' sons, sons of the latter, &c., by repairing whatever may become broken or torn, and by attending to the maintenance of the bali, charu, sattra, and other (such rites), of the feet of the Divine One, established here by these persons.

• (L. 11) — "You yourselves shall render to these persons the offering of the tribute of the customary duties, royalties, taxes, gold, &c., and shall be obedient to (their) commands.

• (L. 12.)— "And those kings who shall be born in Our lineage,— by them this grant should not be confiscated, (but) should be assented to; (and), with the exception of fines imposed on thieves, the tribute of the taxes which by custom should not belong to the king, should not be taken; and (this grant) should be preserved from time to time.

• (L. 14.)— "And whosoever may confiscate this grant,— he shall become invested with (the guilt of) the five great sins and the minor sins."

• (L. 15.)— And it has been said in the Mahâbhârata by the venerable Vyâsa, the arranger of the Vêdas,— "O Yudhishthira, best of kings, carefully preserve land that has been given, whether by thyself or by another; (verily) the preservation (of a grant) (is) more meritorious than making a grant! As a rule, indeed, no inauspicious condition is experienced by kings; but they are purified for ever, when they bestow land! The giver of land enjoys happiness in heaven for sixty thousand years; (but) the confiscator (of a grant), and he who assents (to an act of confiscation), shall dwell for the same number of years in hell! The earth has been enjoyed by many kings, commencing with Sagara; whosoever at any time possesses the earth, to him belongs, at that time, the reward (of this grant that is now made, if he continue it)! He who confiscates land, rich in all (kinds of) grains, (that has been granted),— he becomes a worm in ordure, and sinks (into hell), together with his ancestors!"

• (L. 21.)— In a century of years, increased by seventy-seven, on the twenty-second day of the month Chaitra, (this charter) has been written by the Sâmdhivigrahika Gallu, the grandson of the Bhôgika, the Amâtya Phalgudatta, (and) the son of the Bhôgika Varâhadinna. The Dûtaka (is) the Uparika, Dîkshita, householder, and chief of architects, Sharvadatta.

• (L. 23.)— The boundaries in this matter (are),—in the direction of Dhânyavâhika, a boundary-trench and a bridge; — in the direction of Durgamandala, a bridge; — in the direction of Suvarnakakshaka, (partly) the place where the reeds grow by the cattle-path, and partly a bridge; — in the direction of Âmuka, a boundary-trench;— in the direction of Dâramandala, a bridge;— (and) in the direction of the district at the entrance of Vakravana, a bridge;— (then the boundaries) enter the village (again) at the well.

• From: Fleet, John F. Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum: Inscriptions of the Early Guptas. Vol. III. Calcutta: Government of India, Central Publications Branch, 1888, 123-125.

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