DDK HistoryF.p65 - CSIR

322 TRANSFER OF STATE RIGHTS 19.5
there resident :
“ But it known unto you all! Having ascertained that this village was enjoyed by
the brahmin Vfimarathya on the strength of a forged charter, I have therefore broken that
(copper-plate) charter and taken (the village) away from him. And for the increase of
spiritual merit (of my parents and elder brother, all deceased) have bestowed it as a
donation^ according to the bhunu-chidra (waste-land) usage, to serve as an agrahara to
(the brahmins) bhatta Sivasvamin and bhatta Vatasvamin... This donation extends to its
proper boundaries, and (is conferred) along with the udranga (tax), together with all
income that might be claimed by the royal family, but exempt from all obligations. (It is
to be regarded) as a piece taken out of the district. (It is given) in the succession of
sons and sons’ sons, for as long as the moon, sun, and earth shall endure.
“Knowing this, you should assent to this (grant), and the resident citizens should, in
obedience to my orders, make over only to these two (hereafter) the precise measure of
the (sixth) share of the produce, the land-title tax (bhoga-kara), cash taxes and other
dues. And render unto them the service (claimed by the state)... The dutaka for this (deed)
is the mahapramatara maha-samanta sri-Skandagupta; and by order of the high
officer in chaarge of the records (aksapafala), the samanta maharaja Isvaragupta.”
(EL 7.155-60).
The feudal officers are themselves ‘great kings, neighbouring kings’,
for the first time. Nevertheless, none of them had the power to make such
a grant on his own initiative, nor was their consent necessary. In fact, it is
usual to find the royal signature on charters that give nothing more
than a small field. The court travelled with the camp, secretariat and
all. The grant is made to brahmins by a Buddhist emperor who
proclaims himself only a devout follower of Siva. Finally, such grants had
become lucrative enough to forge. Forgeries have actually been found
among the copper-plates hitherto brought to light. Enterprising brahmins
could and sometimes did employ their knowledge of Sanskrit profitably
for direct falsification of a charter. Other known forgeries are a charter
of “Samudra-gupta” (EL 15), of Taralasvamin (C/7. IV. 16P-65 of A.
D. 594-5), the Kaira plates of Vijayaraja (after about A. D. 650 ; ibid. 165-
73) &c. This was quicker than the invention of a royal genealogy, or
the falsification of some purana, and discovery seems to have