Research Article

রতিবতি the Echo

A journal of Humanities & Social Science
Published by: Dept. of Bengali
Karimganj College, Karimganj, Assam, India
Website: www.thecho.in
Nidhanpur Copper Plate Inscription
A Study of the earliest Epigraphic Evidence of Syhlet-Cachar
Kalpana Sen
Ph. D Scholar, Dept. of History Assam University, Silchar

The epigraphic data on land in ancient Srihatta is extremely meager. The

earliest known Copper Plate discovered in the valley is that of Maharaja
Bhaskara Varman. From this inscription we come to know that a part of the
valley was known as Chandrapuri Vishaya in late 5th or early 6th century C.E
and it has been under the rule of the successive Bhauma-Naraka rulers from
BhutiVarman to Bhaskar Varman. The present paper is a study of the
Nidhanpur copperplate Inscription which is the first indisputable material
evidence of the socio-political Aryanisation of the Surma Barak Valley and it
attempts to show what was the socio-political and religious scenario of the
Surma-Barak Valley during 7th century C.E. The present paper has been
written on the basis of content analysis of Secondary Sources.

The Nidhanpur CopperPlate donated land called ‘mayurasalama’

Inscription is the first indisputable was in the Chandrapuri Vishaya of
material evidence of the socio- Panchakhanda Pargana of Srihatta
political Aryanisation of the Surma- Mandala. The deed actually had
Barak Valley. This Inscription seven Copperplates but only six of
describes the renewal of a perpetual them could be recovered. The
revenue free landgrant by the inscription was discovered in
Kshatriya king Maharaja Bhaskar Nidhanpur village in Panchakhanda
Varmma of the original grant made Pargana of Syhlet district in 1912 and
by his great-great-great grandfather Pandit Vidyavinod deciphered the
Maharaja Mahabhutti Varmma who inscription.
ruled towards the close of the 5th and From this inscription we come to
the beginning of 6th century CE. The know that a part of the valley was

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known as Chandrapuri vishaya in late covered portions of Syhlet,

5th or 6th century CE and it has been Karimganj and Cachar districts of
under the rule of the successive Barak/Surma Valley and the
Bhauma-Naraka rulers from Kailasahar-Dharmanagar areas of
BhutiVarman to BhaskaraVarman. Tripura. The Srihattamandala perhaps
With the decipherment of Nidhanpur included portions of Commilla and
Copper Plate Inscription there arose a Mymensingh districts.
lot of controversy regarding the Bhaskara Varman was
original location of the Chandrapuri unquestionably one of the most
Vishaya. Scholars like Padmanath remarkable men and rulers of his
Bhattacharjee Vidyavinod and time, a worthy contemporary of
Kanaklal Barua presumed that Harsha Vardhana and Hiuen Tsang.
Chandrapuri Vishaya to which the Apart from Nidhanpur Copperplate
donated land belonged must have Inscription, we get a good deal of
been located somewhere outside information about him from Dubi
Syhlet. On the other hand, scholars Copper Plate grant, Harsha Charita
like J.C Ghosh, N.K Bhattashali and and from notices of him left by
R.G Bhandarkar insisted that Chinese Buddhist Scholar and
Chandrapuri Vishaya must have been Pilgrim Hiuen Tsang and from other
located in the Syhlet region. Whereas Chinese Sources. The renewal of the
some scholars wanted to identify land grant i.e. Nidhanpur Copper
Kaushika with Kosi in Bihar Plate of Maharaja Bhaskara Varma
according to others Kaushika and was issued from Karna Suvarna and
Kushiara were identical. However, not from his capital. It is a historical
the controversy came to an end with fact that Karna Suvarna was the
the discovery of the Paschimbagh capital of the illustrious Raja
Copper Plate Inscription of Maharaj Sasanka, the mighty king of Gauda
Srichandra of East Bengal which also (roughly West and North Bengal).
mentions Chandrapuri Vishaya with Maharaja Harsha Vardhana with the
the same river boundary and other help of his ally Maharaja Bhaskara
geographical details as that of the Varmma defeated king Sasanka and
Chandrapuri Vishaya of the later occupied his capital Karna
Nidhanpur Copper Plate Inscription. Suvarna. Uptil now many copper-
The Paschimbagh Copper Plate plates of Kamarupa-kings have been
Inscription mentions of Chandrapura discovered. But Nidhanpur set of
as a vishaya in Srihatta Mandala copper-plates of Maharaja Bhaskara
within the Paundravardhan Bhukti. It Varmma is perhaps the oldest of such
also mentions three vishayas within discovered plates and the grantor
the Srihattamandala namely namely king Bhaskara, is probably
Chandrapura, Garala and Pagora. the most renowned amongst the
Here, ‘bhukti’ meant a province, sovereigns of Kamarupa who issued
‘mandala’ a division and ‘vishaya’ a such copper-plate charters
district. Chandrapura was a very large The major portion of the
district in the heart of undivided document is covered by the narration
Barak Valley. The extent of the three of the genealogy of the king, from
donated vishayas suggests that they Naraka who claimed descent from the

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Varaha-Avatara, then Bhagadatta of donees, including their gotra and

Kurukshetra fame and many others veda -sakha and the number of
together with the names of their shares are clearly mentioned in the
consort, enumeration of the names of text. As one of the seven plates could
the Brahmanas mainly the not be recovered, the total number of
descendants of the original donees as donees and shares could not be
many as two hundred and five and ascertained. The available plates
their different gotras and different contain list of two hundred and five
Vedasakhas and their shares singly or donees and they are given 159 11/16
in groups of the members of the same shares. In the renewal of the
family in the land of Nidhanpur Copper Plates there is no
Mayurasalmalagraharakshetra. mention of the motive of the land
Following is the Geneology of the grants. Some such indications could
Kamarupa Kings as given in the have been obtained from the original
Nidhanpur Copper Plate Inscription. charter issued by Maharaja
Naraka Mahabhuti Varmma about a century
Bhagadatta earlier than its renewal. But
Vajradatta unfortunately the original document
Unnamed Kings of the dynasty who destroyed by fire is lost forever. In
ruled in Kamarupa for three the present document the north-east,
thousand years east and the South-east boundaries of
Pushya Varmma the donated Mayurasalmakshetra are
Samudra Varmma- dattadevi given by the dry bed of the Kosika or
Bala Varmma-Ratnavati Kausika river. The South-West and
Kalyana Varmma-Gandharvavati the north-West boundaries of the said
Ganapati Varmma-Yajnavati field are given by ganginika. The
Mahendra Varmma-Suvrata north-West portion of the ganginika
Narayana Varmma-Devavati is described as bent eastwards. The
Mahabhuti Varmma alias Bhuti South-East boundary sector i.e the
Varmma-Vijnanavati dry bed of Kosika or Kausika, the
Chandramukha varmma- south boundary and the south-West
Bhogavati boundary sector i.e the ganginika
Sthita Varmma-Nayanadevi were marked in some particular
Susthita Varmma alias Mriganka- places by pieces of hewn fig tree.
Syamadevi In addition to these, seven shares
Supratishthita Varmma were allotted for the Bali-Charu-Satra
Bhaskara Varmma of Ananta Narayana. Literally, Bali
The available six Copperplate means ‘worship’. Charu means
Inscription of Nidhanpur gives us ‘oblation’ and Satra means
information that the land was granted ‘hospitality’. From the six copper
to about two hundred and five Plate Inscriptions it can be inferred
Brahmans for settlement in the that among the Brahmins who were
donated land called mayurasalmala in granted land maximum were the
the Chandrapuri Vishaya. The total Vaishnavas. This perhaps shows the
area of the donated land is not evolution of Pre-Chaitanya Cult in
known, but the names of Brahman Syhlet-Cachar region. Among the

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names of the Brahmins bearing cases, jointly. According to the

Vaishnava influence mention may be Kalapur Copper Plate Inscription ,
made of Manorath Swami, Vishnu Samanta Marundanatha by a copper
Ghosh Swami, Nandadev Swami, plate charter donated a plot of land in
Sankarshan Swami, Narayan Swami, the forest region (atabibhukhande)
Vishnu Swami, Sudarshan Swami, comprising an area of one pataka and
Gopendra Swami, Madhusen Swami, two dronas for the purpose of the
Dhruvashome Swami, Vishnushome balicharusatra of god Anantanarayana
swami, Chakradev swami, gifted in the name of the deity of the
Narayankundu Swami, Golapnandi temple and the Brahmanas
Swami, Vishnubhuti Swami, (mathadevadvijebhyah). It is thus
Vishnudatta Swami, Krishna Swami, interesting to note that Loknatha by
Janardhandev swami, Vishnushome his Tipperah Copper Plate grant
swami, Madhumitra swami, Madhu gifted land in the forest region for the
Swami, Sanatan Swami, Pradyumna construction of the temple of
Swami, Nandeshwar Swami, Anantanarayana, the balicharusatra of
Govardhan swami, Sudarshan swami, the deity, for the settlement of the
Narayanbridhi Swami, Gopal swami, Brahmanas well versed in four
Janardhan Swami, Nandabhuti Vedas, while Marundanatha by his
swami, Keshava Swami etc. Some of Kalapur copper plate also gifted in
the names which are repeated here the same forest region land for the
are repeated in the Inscription also. construction of a matha i.e.
Among the two hundred and five balicharusatra of Anantanarayana and
Brahmins thirty two names bear for the settlement of the Brahmanas
Vaishnava influence. Land-Grants for well versed in three Vedas. It can,
Bali-Charu-Satra of a particular perhaps, therefore be conjectured that
temple deity are also noticed in the on the land donated by Loknatha in
Tipperah Copper-Plate of Lokanatha the forest region, the temple of
and Kalapur Copper Plate of Anantanarayana was constructed and
Marundanatha. In the Tipperah the Brahmans versed in four Vedas
Copper Plate of Loknatha it is were settled, while Marundanatha of
reffered that Mahasamanta Pradosha the same family donated an additional
Sarman, an orthodox Brahmana who plot of land in the same region for the
held a high office in the state, purpose of the balicharusatra of the
approached Loknatha through the deity and the Brahmanas versed in
latter’s son Laksminatha as dutaka, three Vedas were settled. The names
for a plot of land in the forest region of the Brahmanas in both cases ended
(atavibhukhande) called Suvvunga with Svami. The Kalapur copper
vishaya whereupon he wanted to plate was discovered in Chautali
erect a temple of the deity pargana. This being a hilly area was
Anantanarayana and to settle more certainly a forest region in the past .
than a hundred Brahmanas versed in A deposit of large quantities of
four Vedas in that locality. The broken pieces of earthen vessels in
prayer was granted and by this the very find spot of the copper plate
charter land was donated to those and an old brick wall and a brick-
Brahmanas individually and, in some built well at a short distance have

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been discovered. A statue of Vishnu prevalent in Iran or Middle Asia.

was also discovered in the same From the ancient statues or images of
locality. We also get some the god it is revealed that they have
information about the prevalence of boots worn in their feet’s up to their
Vaishnavism from the Bhatera knees which is completely absent or
Copper Plate Inscription of Ishana unknown in case of the features of
Deva. The CopperPlate Inscription of other Aryan Gods. In the Brihata
Ishana Deva opens with a salutation Samhita of VarahaMihira we get
to Narayana (Vishnu). According to reference that the feets and legs of the
this inscription, Isana Deva was then God should be enclosed or covered
the reigning monarch, who erected a up to the knees. This also supports
lofty temple for Lord Vishnu and by the theory of importation of the Cult
the advice of his minister, Banamali from outside.
Kar, a Vaidya by caste, and with the Comparitively, the Shiv-Sakti
concurrence of his commander-in- worshippers were less in number
chief, Bira Datta, presented two although we get ample evidences of
ploughs of land for its support. Kings ruling in East Bengal who
Then comes in prominence the were Saiva by faith like Vainya
Surya worshippers and the names of Gupta, Samachardeva, Loknatha and
the Brahmins bearing its influence are jivdharanrata. The names bearing
Bashu Swami, Sanyascharbhuti Saiva Sakta influence are
swami, Shombashu Swami, Arka Shaktikundu Swami, Ganga Swami,
Swami, Bhanu Swami, Mitra Palit sarpini Swami, Haraprabha Swami,
Swami, Bashusri Swami, Shomsen GauriSwami, KaliSwami, Shivgan
Swami, Bhaskarmitra Swami, Swami, Rudrabhatti swami,
DinkarSwami, Prabhakarkirti swami, Bhavadev Swami, Sarpadev swami,
Harshaprabha swami, Khanda Tageshwar Swami, Bisheshwar
Swami, Dibakar Swami, Karkadatta Swami, Ganeshwar Swami,
Swami, Surya swami, Savitradev Budeshwar Swami, Jangeshwar
swami, Arkadev swami, Basudatta Swami, RudraGhosh Swami and
swami, Gayatripal Swami, Basusri Ugradutta Swami. We also get some
Swami, Brihaspati Swami and information of the prevalence of
Bhaskarmitra Swami. From this Saivism from the Bhatera Copper
twenty eight names, it can be inferred Plate Inscription of Govinda Kesava
that along with the follower of Deva. The inscription of Govinda
Vaishnava religion there was Kesava Deva opens with a salutation
prominence of Surya worshippers. to Lord Shiva. The inscription says
This sounds a little strange because that he granted lands to the extent of
we do not find much evidence of 375 plough measures, 296 houses,
followers of Surya Worshippers in and a great number of slaves for the
ancient Bengal as compared to the adoration of the lingam (Siva) of the
other religions. It is worth mentioning name Vatesvara. One of the epithets
that Surya devata or Sun God is a used for Siva is Srihattesvara or the
well recognized Aryan God but in Lord of Srihatta or Syhlet.
ancient India the god was worshipped Thus from Nidhanpur Copper
in such a way which seems to be Plate Inscription it can be inferred

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that during the first part of sixth Shudras. In ancient Bengal there was
Century C.E a group of Brahmanas twofold division of the Society i.e the
settled in Chandrapuri Vishaya. Brahmanas and the Shudras instead
Kamalakanta Gupta Choudhury has of the four fold division of the
tried to show the location of Society i.e Brahmanas, Khatriyas,
Chandrapura Vishaya in the southern Vaishyas and Shudras. There was
part of pre-partitioned Syhlet district. again stratification among the
The motive behind the grant was Shudras as Uttam Shudras, Madhyam
perhaps to bring the uninhabited land Shudras and Adham Shudras It can
within plough cultivation. The be further said that Nidhanpur Copper
migrated Brahmanas were well Plate Inscription is undoubtedly one
versed in the four Vedas. Among the of the most important material
two hundred and five grantees evidence which throws light on the
maximum were Vaishnavas, then socio-political and religious history
came in prominence the Surya of Syhlet-Cachar region during 7th
worshippers and then the Shiv-Sakti century C.E. This inscription not
worshippers. The group of only gives us information about the
Brahmanas probably migrated from Aryanization of Syhlet-Cachar region
the Gujarat region. It is worth through the grant of land to two
mentioning here that a large part of hundred and five Brahmins but also
the indigenous people of this region about the prevalence of different
like the Austric speaking Khasis and religious sects like Vaisnavism,
other tribes were accumulated within Saivism and Saktism in Syhlet-
the last strata of Caste Society i.e Cachar region from 7th Century C.E.

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