Originally discovered in Nandui, Thane district, Maharashtra, it is currently housed in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly Prince of Wales Museum). This trap-slab stone inscription documents a religious endowment by the North Konkan Śilāhāra king Aparāditya II. Composed in Sanskrit prose using Nāgarī characters, the record is dated to Thursday, 6th November, 1197 CE. The stone is topped with symbolic sculptures of the sun, moon, and a seated ascetic, while the base features the customary "ass-curse" to protect the grant from violation.
The record mentions the donation of the village of Sātulī (modern Sativali) to a priest named Vedāṅgaraśika on the 10th tithi of the dark fortnight of Kārttika, Tuesday, Śaka 1113. The grant, made with the ritual pouring of water, transferred full rights to the village's resources, including grass, wood, and water, to the ascetic. The charter was issued under the authority of bureaucracy, specifically mentioning a prime minister, a chief of Secretariat, and four distinct treasury officers. The recipient was associated with the shrine of Someśvara and belonged to the Pāśupata sect of Śaivism.
Editor's Comment:1. siddham | svasti | jayaścābhyudayaśca | śakanṛpakālātītasaṃvatsareṣu navatyadhike-
2. ṣvekādaśaśateṣu yatrāṅkatopi śakasaṃvat 1119 pravarttamāneṣu kārttika vadi 10 gurau
3. asyāṃ saṃvatsaramāsapakṣadivasapūrvvāyāṃ tithau adyeha samadhigatapañcamahāśadamahā-
4. sāmantādhipatitagarapuraparameśvara śrīselahāranarendrajīmūtavāhanānvaya prasūtasuvarṇṇagaruḍa-
5. dhvajābhimānamahodadhityāgajagajjhañpajhañpaḍācāryaniḥśaṅkalaṅkeśvara …mahājibhūmimārtaṃ-
6. ḍa ……… paścimasamudrādhipatiśaraṇāgatavajjrapañjaretyādisama-
7. starājāvalivirājitamahārajādhirājakoṅkaṇacakravartti śrīmadaparādityadevakalyāṇa-
8. vijayarājye | tathaitatprasādāvāptasamastarājamaṇḍalacitābhāraṃ samudvahati | mahāmātyaśrī-
9. amuka nāyakaśrīkaraṇasāhāmalla prathamachepāṭī dvitīyachepāṭī tṛtīya-
10. chepāṭī caturthachepāṭī ityādiśrīkaraṇe satyetasmin kāle pravarttamāne sātu-
11. līgrāmaśāsanaṃ samabhilikhyate yathā śrījoghunāyakaprabhu brāmānāyaka śrī-
12. …………nāyaka ……… satṛṇakāṣṭhodakopetaṃ pūrvadattadevadā-
13. yavivarjitaṃ kṣetraṃ ……… śrīsomeśvaradevapādābhiyājakaśrīvedāṅgarāśikā-
14. ya udakātisargeṇa pradattam | bahubhirvvasudhā bhuvatā rājabhiḥ sagarādibhiḥ | yasya ya-
15. sya yadā bhūmistasya tasya tadā phalam || lupyati lopāyati vā | tasya mātaraṃ garddabho
16. ja ………… | yadatra ūnākṣaramadhikākṣaraṃ vā tatsarvaṃ pramāṇamiti | maṅgalaṃ mahāśrīḥ || cha cha ||
१। सिद्धम् । स्वस्ति । जयश्चाभ्युदयश्च । शकनृपकालातीतसंवत्सरेषु नवत्यधिके-
२। ष्वेकादशशतेषु यत्राङ्कतोपि शकसंवत् १११९ प्रवर्त्तमानेषु कार्त्तिक वदि १० गुरौ
३। अस्यां संवत्सरमासपक्षदिवसपूर्व्वायां तिथौ अद्येह समधिगतपञ्चमहाशदमहा-
४। सामन्ताधिपतितगरपुरपरमेश्वर श्रीसेलहारनरेन्द्रजीमूतवाहनान्वय प्रसूतसुवर्ण्णगरुड-
५। ध्वजाभिमानमहोदधित्यागजगज्झञ्पझञ्पडाचार्यनिःशङ्कलङ्केश्वर …महाजिभूमिमार्तं-
६। ड ……… पश्चिमसमुद्राधिपतिशरणागतवज्ज्रपञ्जरेत्यादिसम-
७। स्तराजावलिविराजितमहारजाधिराजकोङ्कणचक्रवर्त्ति श्रीमदपरादित्यदेवकल्याण-
८। विजयराज्ये । तथैतत्प्रसादावाप्तसमस्तराजमण्डलचिताभारं समुद्वहति । महामात्यश्री-
९। अमुक नायकश्रीकरणसाहामल्ल प्रथमछेपाटी द्वितीयछेपाटी तृतीय-
१०। छेपाटी चतुर्थछेपाटी इत्यादिश्रीकरणे सत्येतस्मिन् काले प्रवर्त्तमाने सातु-
११। लीग्रामशासनं समभिलिख्यते यथा श्रीजोघुनायकप्रभु ब्रामानायक श्री-
१२। …………नायक ……… सतृणकाष्ठोदकोपेतं पूर्वदत्तदेवदा-
१३। यविवर्जितं क्षेत्रं ……… श्रीसोमेश्वरदेवपादाभियाजकश्रीवेदाङ्गराशिका-
१४। य उदकातिसर्गेण प्रदत्तम् । बहुभिर्व्वसुधा भुवता राजभिः सगरादिभिः । यस्य य-
१५। स्य यदा भूमिस्तस्य तस्य तदा फलम् ॥ लुप्यति लोपायति वा । तस्य मातरं गर्द्दभो
१६। ज ………… । यदत्र ऊनाक्षरमधिकाक्षरं वा तत्सर्वं प्रमाणमिति । मङ्गलं महाश्रीः ॥ छ छ ॥
Prose section
siddham | svasti | jayaścābhyudayaśca | śakanṛpakālātītasaṃvatsareṣu navatyadhikeṣvekādaśaśateṣu yatrāṃkatopi śakasaṃvat 1119 pravarttamāneṣu kārttika vadi 10 gurau asyāṃ saṃvatsaramāsapakṣadivasapūrvvāyāṃ tithau adyeha samadhigatapaṃcamahāśadamahāsāmaṃtādhipatitagarapuraparameśvara śrīselahāranareṃdrajīmūtavāhanānvaya prasūtasuvarṇṇagaruḍadhvajābhimānamahodadhityāgajagajjhaṃpa- jhaṃpaḍācāryaniḥśaṃkalaṃkeśvara …mahājibhūmimārtaṃḍa ……… paścimasamudrādhipatiśaraṇāgatavajjrapaṃjaretyādisamastarājāvalivirājitamahārajādhirājakoṃkaṇacakravartti śrīmadaparādityadevakalyāṇavijayarājye |
tathaitatprasādāvāptasamastarājamaṃḍalacitābhāraṃ samudvahati | mahāmātyaśrīamuka nāyakaśrīkaraṇasāhāmalla prathamachepāṭī dvitīyachepāṭī tṛtīyachepāṭī caturthachepāṭī ityādiśrīkaraṇe satyetasmin kāle pravarttamāne sātulīgrāmaśāsanaṃ samabhilikhyate yathā śrījoghunāyakaprabhu brāmānāyaka śrī…………nāyaka ……… satṛṇakāṣṭhodakopetaṃ pūrvadattadevadāyavivarjitaṃ kṣetraṃ ……… śrīsomeśvaradevapādābhiyājakaśrīvedāṃgarāśikāya udakātisargeṇa pradattam |
bahubhirvvasudhā bhuvatā
rājabhiḥ sagarādibhiḥ |
yasya yasya yadā bhūmiḥ
tasya tasya tadā phalam || 1 || (anuṣṭubh)
Prose section
lupyati lopāyati vā | tasya mātaraṃ garddabhoja ………… | yadatra ūnākṣaramadhikākṣaraṃ vā tatsarvaṃ pramāṇamiti | maṃgalaṃ mahāśrīḥ || cha cha ||
गद्यभागः
सिद्धम् । स्वस्ति । जयश्चाभ्युदयश्च । शकनृपकालातीतसंवत्सरेषु नवत्यधिकेष्वेकादशशतेषु यत्रांकतोपि शकसंवत् १११९ प्रवर्त्तमानेषु कार्त्तिक वदि १० गुरौ अस्यां संवत्सरमासपक्षदिवसपूर्व्वायां तिथौ अद्येह समधिगतपंचमहाशदमहासामंताधिपतितगरपुरपरमेश्वर श्रीसेलहारनरेंद्रजीमूतवाहनान्वय प्रसूतसुवर्ण्णगरुडध्वजाभिमानमहोदधित्यागजगज्झंप- झंपडाचार्यनिःशंकलंकेश्वर …महाजिभूमिमार्तंड ……… पश्चिमसमुद्राधिपतिशरणागतवज्ज्रपंजरेत्यादिसमस्तराजावलिविराजितमहारजाधिराजक्ॐकणचक्रवर्त्ति श्रीमदपरादित्यदेवकल्याणविजयराज्ये ।
तथैतत्प्रसादावाप्तसमस्तराजमंडलचिताभारं समुद्वहति । महामात्यश्रीअमुक नायकश्रीकरणसाहामल्ल प्रथमछेपाटी द्वितीयछेपाटी तृतीयछेपाटी चतुर्थछेपाटी इत्यादिश्रीकरणे सत्येतस्मिन् काले प्रवर्त्तमाने सातुलीग्रामशासनं समभिलिख्यते यथा श्रीजोघुनायकप्रभु ब्रामानायक श्री…………नायक ……… सतृणकाष्ठोदकोपेतं पूर्वदत्तदेवदायविवर्जितं क्षेत्रं ……… श्रीसोमेश्वरदेवपादाभियाजकश्रीवेदांगराशिकाय उदकातिसर्गेण प्रदत्तम् ।
बहुभिर्व्वसुधा भुवता
राजभिः सगरादिभिः ।
यस्य यस्य यदा भूमिः
तस्य तस्य तदा फलम् ॥ १ ॥ (अनुष्टुभ्)
प्रोसे सेच्तिओन्
लुप्यति लोपायति वा । तस्य मातरं गर्द्दभोज ………… । यदत्र ऊनाक्षरमधिकाक्षरं वा तत्सर्वं प्रमाणमिति । मंगलं महाश्रीः ॥ छ छ ॥
Line 1-3
Success! Hail! May there be victory and prosperity!
In the years eleven hundred increased by nineteen which have passed by the era of the śaka king—in figures, the Śaka year 1119—on Thursday, the 10th tithi of the dark fortnight of Kārttika—on this tithi of the year, month, fortnight, and week-day as stated before, today, here—
Line 3-10
During the beneficial and victorious reign of the mahārājādhirāja, Koṅkaṇa-cakravartī, illustrious Aparāditya II, who is adorned with all royal titles such as ‘he who has acquired the right to the five mahāśabdas,’ the mahāsāmantādhipati, ‘the lord of the city of Tagara,’ ‘the illustrious Śilāhāra King,’ ‘he who is born in the race of Jīmūtavāhana,’ ‘he who has the Golden Eagle as his ensign,’ ‘he who is the great ocean of pride,’ the jhampaḍācārya, ‘he who has surpassed the whole world by his charity,’ ‘the undaunted Lord of Laṅkā, ‘the Sun on the great battle-field’ …… ‘the Lord of the Western Ocean,’ ‘the adamantine cage for those who seek his protection’ and so forth—and while his mahāmātya, the illustrious Amukanāyaka, the illustrious Sāhāmalla of the Secretariat, the First Chepāṭī, the Second Chepāṭī, the Third Chepāṭī and the Fourth Chepāṭī are bearing the burden of the cares of administering the whole kingdom obtained by his grace-
Line 10-14
The royal charter is being recorded in respect of the village Sātuli as follows –
The aforementioned village, inclusive of its grass, wood and water, but exclusive of the previously made grants to gods, has been donated with the pouring out of water to the holy Vedāṅgarāśika, the priest of the feet of the god Someśvara, in the presence of the illustrious Joghunāyaka, Brāmānāyaka, ………nāyaka…………
(Here follow a benedictory verse and then the usual ass-curse in respect of those who would violate the grant or would cause it to be violated.)
Line 16
Whatever is recorded here in deficient or redundant letters—all that is authoritative.
May there be happiness and great prosperity!
Bibliography & Research
- Altekar, A. S. (1936). The Śilāhāras of Western India. In: Bhandakar (Ed.). Indian Culture, 2, pp 393-434, here pp 416.
- Konow, S. (1916). Talegaon Plates of Krishna Raja I Saka 690. Epigraphia Indica, XIII, 275-282, here p 277.
- Mirashi, V. V. (Ed.). (1977). Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. VI: Inscriptions of the Śilāhāras. Archaeological Survey of India, pp xix-xx and 156-158.
| Dynasty: | Śilāhāra |
| Source: | |
| Ruler: | Aparāditya II |
| Date: | 6th November 1197 CE (Kārttika kṛṣṇa 10, Thursday, Śaka 1119) |
| Place: | Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum, Mumbai |
| Donee: | Vedāṅgarāśika, priest of Someśvara |
| Language: | Sanskrit |
| Nature of grant: | Land donation |
| Purpose: | To record the gift of village Sātuli to Pāśupata ascetic |
| Provenance of inscription: | Nandui, later shifted |
| Type of Inscription: | Stone inscription, Gadhegal or Ass curse Inscription |
