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class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Legal value</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Legal_value-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-History" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#History"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>History</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-History-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Tamil_copper-plate_inscriptions" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Tamil_copper-plate_inscriptions"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Tamil copper-plate inscriptions</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Tamil_copper-plate_inscriptions-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Copper_plates_of_Kerala" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Copper_plates_of_Kerala"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Copper plates of Kerala</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Copper_plates_of_Kerala-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Grants" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Grants"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>Grants</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Grants-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 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mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inscripciones_indias_en_planchas_de_cobre" title="Inscripciones indias en planchas de cobre – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Inscripciones indias en planchas de cobre" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eu mw-list-item"><a href="https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobrezko_xafla_zigilatu_(India)" title="Kobrezko xafla zigilatu (India) – Basque" lang="eu" hreflang="eu" data-title="Kobrezko xafla zigilatu (India)" data-language-autonym="Euskara" data-language-local-name="Basque" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Euskara</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-gom mw-list-item"><a href="https://gom.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%9F%E0%A5%8B" title="तांब्यापटो – Goan Konkani" lang="gom" hreflang="gom" 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searchaux" style="display:none">Historical legal records of the Indian subcontinent</div> <p><b>Indian copper plate inscriptions</b> are legal records <a href="/wiki/Intaglio_(printmaking)" title="Intaglio (printmaking)">engraved on copper plates</a>. The practice was widespread and long-running in the <a href="/wiki/Indian_subcontinent" title="Indian subcontinent">Indian subcontinent</a>; it may date back to as early as the <a href="/wiki/3rd_millennium_BCE" class="mw-redirect" title="3rd millennium BCE">3rd millennium BCE</a>, however the vast majority of recovered plates were produced in the <a href="/wiki/1st_millennium_CE" class="mw-redirect" title="1st millennium CE">1st millennium CE</a>. <sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The plates were <a href="/wiki/Legal_documents" class="mw-redirect" title="Legal documents">legal documents</a> which registered and recorded an act of <a href="/wiki/Financial_endowment" title="Financial endowment">endowment</a>, i.e. a <a href="/wiki/Grant_(money)" title="Grant (money)">grant</a> or donation, typically of land or <a href="/wiki/Concession_(contract)" title="Concession (contract)">concessions</a>. The plate contained <a href="/wiki/Bureaucratic" class="mw-redirect" title="Bureaucratic">bureaucratic</a> information on <a href="/wiki/Land_tenure" title="Land tenure">land tenure</a> and <a href="/wiki/Taxation" class="mw-redirect" title="Taxation">taxation</a> essential to the operation of the <a href="/wiki/State_(polity)" title="State (polity)">state</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The copper plates can survive intact indefinitely: <a href="/wiki/Copper" title="Copper">copper</a>, being a <a href="/wiki/Non-ferrous_metal" title="Non-ferrous metal">non-ferrous metal</a>, does not <a href="/wiki/Rust" title="Rust">rust</a> or otherwise <a href="/wiki/Corrosion" title="Corrosion">deteriorate</a> when <a href="/wiki/Redox" title="Redox">exposed to oxygen</a> the way <a href="/wiki/Iron" title="Iron">iron</a> does, but rather develops a protective <a href="/wiki/Patina" title="Patina">patina</a>. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Historical_significance">Historical significance</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Indian_copper_plate_inscriptions&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Historical significance"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>As <a href="/wiki/Primary_documents" class="mw-redirect" title="Primary documents">primary historical documents</a> and <a href="/wiki/Artifact_(archaeology)" title="Artifact (archaeology)">archaeological artifacts</a>, the copper plates are invaluable tools for scholarly research in the general <a href="/wiki/History_of_India" title="History of India">history</a> and society of the Indian subcontinent in the 1st millennium CE, and in particular to the early history of <a href="/wiki/Christianity_in_Asia" title="Christianity in Asia">Christianity in Asia</a> and the subcontinent. For instance, between the 8th and 10th centuries CE, authorities on the <a href="/wiki/Malabar_Coast" title="Malabar Coast">Malabar Coast</a> granted special rights and concessions to the community known as <i>Nasrani</i> (<a href="/wiki/Saint_Thomas_Christians" title="Saint Thomas Christians">Saint Thomas Christians</a>) which were recorded on copper plates referred to as <i>Cheppeds</i> or <i>Sasanam</i> ("Royal Grants").<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Legal_value">Legal value</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Indian_copper_plate_inscriptions&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Legal value"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>As legal documents, historians liken Indian copper plate engravings to a modern-day <a href="/wiki/License" title="License">license</a> or property <a href="/wiki/Deed" title="Deed">deed</a>, and suggest that the party claiming ownership of or rights to donated resources would be obligated to show their plates to the state authorities if challenged. As an additional indicator of the legitimacy of the endowment, it was not uncommon for donors to clasp the plates together with a ring bearing the donor's <a href="/wiki/Seal_(emblem)" title="Seal (emblem)">personal seal</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> As instruments of state expansion, the durability and easy retrievability of the copper plates was crucial to consolidating newly settled lands.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Indian_copper_plate_inscriptions&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Soghaura_inscription.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Soghaura_inscription.jpg/220px-Soghaura_inscription.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Soghaura_inscription.jpg/330px-Soghaura_inscription.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Soghaura_inscription.jpg/440px-Soghaura_inscription.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1080" data-file-height="810" /></a><figcaption>The <a href="/wiki/Sohgaura_copper_plate_inscription" title="Sohgaura copper plate inscription">Sohgaura copper plate inscription</a>, the earliest known of its kind, 3rd century BCE</figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:TaxilaCopperPlate.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/TaxilaCopperPlate.JPG/220px-TaxilaCopperPlate.JPG" decoding="async" width="220" height="47" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/TaxilaCopperPlate.JPG/330px-TaxilaCopperPlate.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/TaxilaCopperPlate.JPG/440px-TaxilaCopperPlate.JPG 2x" data-file-width="2821" data-file-height="604" /></a><figcaption>The <a href="/wiki/Taxila_copper_plate" title="Taxila copper plate">Taxila copper plate</a>, 1st century BCE (<a href="/wiki/British_Museum" title="British Museum">British Museum</a>).</figcaption></figure> <p>Indian <a href="/wiki/Intaglio_printing" class="mw-redirect" title="Intaglio printing">copper plate</a> inscriptions (<i>tamarashasana</i>), usually record grants of land or lists of royal lineages carrying the royal seal, a profusion of which have been found in South India. Originally, texts were recorded on palm leaves, but when the records were legal documents such as title-deeds they were etched on a cave or temple wall, or more commonly, on copper plates which were then secreted in a safe place such as within the walls or foundation of a temple, or hidden in stone caches in fields. Plates could be used more than once, as when a canceled grant was overstruck with a new inscription. These records were probably in use from the first millennium. </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Copper_plates_with_Indus_script.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Copper_plates_with_Indus_script.jpg/220px-Copper_plates_with_Indus_script.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="234" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Copper_plates_with_Indus_script.jpg/330px-Copper_plates_with_Indus_script.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Copper_plates_with_Indus_script.jpg/440px-Copper_plates_with_Indus_script.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1361" data-file-height="1447" /></a><figcaption>Copper plates. Mature Harappan period, 2600–1900 BC (Shinde, 2014)</figcaption></figure> <p>A group of nine inscribed copper plates has been identified by Shinde in 2014 as the oldest such objects in the Indian subcontinent. They date to the <a href="/wiki/Mature_Harappan" class="mw-redirect" title="Mature Harappan">Mature Harappan</a> era, and contain inscriptions up to 34 characters long. Their place of origin unknown. They are thought to have been used for copper plate printing.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The Sohgaura copper-plate inscription, inscribed in the <a href="/wiki/Brahmi_script" title="Brahmi script">Brahmi script</a>, may date to the 3rd century BCE <a href="/wiki/Maurya_Empire" title="Maurya Empire">Maurya Empire</a> and is likely a precursor to the later copper-plate inscriptions.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It is written on a small plaque of <a href="/wiki/Bronze" title="Bronze">bronze</a> (a copper alloy).<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTED._C._Sircar199679_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTED._C._Sircar199679-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Taxila_copper_plate" title="Taxila copper plate">Taxila</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Kalawan" title="Kalawan">Kalawan</a> copper-plate inscriptions (c. 1st century CE or earlier) are among the earliest known instances of true copper plates being used for writing in the Indian subcontinent. These plates are not proper <a href="/wiki/Charter" title="Charter">charters</a>, unlike later copper-plate inscriptions.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTED._C._Sircar1996107_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTED._C._Sircar1996107-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The oldest known copper-plate charter from the Indian subcontinent is the Patagandigudem inscription of the 3rd century CE <a href="/wiki/Andhra_Ikshvaku" title="Andhra Ikshvaku">Andhra Ikshvaku</a> king Ehuvala Chamtamula. The oldest known copper-plate charter from northern India is probably the Kalachala grant of Ishvararata, dated to the late fourth century on palaeographic basis.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Some of the earliest authenticated copper plates were issued by the <a href="/wiki/Pallava" class="mw-redirect" title="Pallava">Pallava</a> dynasty kings in the 4th century, and are in <a href="/wiki/Prakrit" title="Prakrit">Prakrit</a> and <a href="/wiki/Sanskrit" title="Sanskrit">Sanskrit</a>. An example of early Sanskrit inscription in which <a href="/wiki/Kannada" title="Kannada">Kannada</a> words are used to describe land boundaries, are the Tumbula inscriptions of <a href="/wiki/Western_Ganga_Dynasty" class="mw-redirect" title="Western Ganga Dynasty">Western Ganga Dynasty</a>, which have been dated to 444 according to a 2004 Indian newspaper report.<sup id="cite_ref-Tumbula_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Tumbula-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Rare copper plates from the <a href="/wiki/Gupta_Empire" title="Gupta Empire">Gupta</a> period have been found in North India. The use of copper plate inscriptions increased and for several centuries they remained the primary source of legal records.<sup id="cite_ref-keay_10-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-keay-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Most copper plate inscriptions record title-deeds of land-grants made to <a href="/wiki/Charan" title="Charan">Charanas</a> and <a href="/wiki/Brahmin" title="Brahmin">Brahmanas</a>, individually or collectively. The inscriptions followed a standard formula of identifying the royal donor and his lineage, followed by lengthy honorifics of his history, heroic deeds, and his extraordinary personal traits. After this would follow the details of the grant, including the occasion, the recipient, and the penalties involved if the provisions were disregarded or violated. Although the profusion of complimentary language can be misleading, the discovery of copper plate inscriptions have provided a wealth of material for historians.<sup id="cite_ref-keay_10-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-keay-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p><a href="/wiki/Tirumala_Venkateswara_Temple" class="mw-redirect" title="Tirumala Venkateswara Temple">Tirumala Venkateswara Temple</a> have a unique collection of about 3000 copper plates on which the <a href="/wiki/Telugu_language" title="Telugu language">Telugu</a> <a href="/wiki/Sankirtan" class="mw-redirect" title="Sankirtan">Sankirtans</a> of <a href="/wiki/Tallapaka_Annamacharya" class="mw-redirect" title="Tallapaka Annamacharya">Tallapaka Annamacharya</a> and his descendants are inscribed.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Tamil_copper-plate_inscriptions">Tamil copper-plate inscriptions</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Indian_copper_plate_inscriptions&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Tamil copper-plate inscriptions"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Tamil_copper-plate_inscriptions" title="Tamil copper-plate inscriptions">Tamil copper-plate inscriptions</a></div> <p><b>Tamil copper-plate inscriptions</b> are <a href="/wiki/Engraving" title="Engraving">engraved</a> copper-plate records of <a href="/wiki/Land_grant" title="Land grant">grants</a> of villages, plots of cultivable lands or other privileges to private individuals or public institutions by the members of the various South Indian royal dynasties.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The study of these inscriptions has been especially important in reconstructing the history of <a href="/wiki/Tamil_Nadu" title="Tamil Nadu">Tamil Nadu</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-tamil_16-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-tamil-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The grants range in date from the 10th century C.E. to the mid 19th century C.E. A large number of them belong to the <a href="/wiki/Chalukyas" class="mw-redirect" title="Chalukyas">Chalukyas</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Cholas" class="mw-redirect" title="Cholas">Cholas</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Vijayanagara_Empire" title="Vijayanagara Empire">Vijayanagar</a> kings. These plates are valuable <a href="/wiki/Epigraphy" title="Epigraphy">epigraphically</a> as they give us an insight into the social conditions of medieval South India; they also help us fill chronological gaps in the connected history of the ruling dynasties. For example, the Leyden grant (so called as they are preserved in the Museum of <a href="/wiki/Leyden" class="mw-redirect" title="Leyden">Leyden</a> in <a href="/wiki/Holland" title="Holland">Holland</a>) of Parantaka Chola and those of <a href="/wiki/Uttama_Chola" class="mw-redirect" title="Uttama Chola">Parakesari Uttama Chola</a> are among the most important, although the most useful part, i.e., the genealogical section, of the latter's plates seems to have been lost. </p> <ul class="gallery mw-gallery-packed center"> <li class="gallerycaption"><a href="/wiki/Vijayanagara_Empire" title="Vijayanagara Empire">Vijaynagar</a> Tamil Copper Plate Inscriptions at the Dharmeshwara Temple, Kondarahalli, <a href="/wiki/Hoskote" title="Hoskote">Hoskote</a></li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 256.66666666667px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 254.66666666667px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Dharmeshwara_Temple_Plates.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Plate 1 and Back"><img alt="Plate 1 and Back" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Dharmeshwara_Temple_Plates.jpg/382px-Dharmeshwara_Temple_Plates.jpg" decoding="async" width="255" height="200" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Dharmeshwara_Temple_Plates.jpg/573px-Dharmeshwara_Temple_Plates.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Dharmeshwara_Temple_Plates.jpg/764px-Dharmeshwara_Temple_Plates.jpg 2x" data-file-width="841" data-file-height="661" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext">Plate 1 and Back</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 139.33333333333px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 137.33333333333px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Dharmeshwara_Temple_Plates_HT-34.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Plate 2[17]"><img alt="Plate 2[17]" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/Dharmeshwara_Temple_Plates_HT-34.jpg/206px-Dharmeshwara_Temple_Plates_HT-34.jpg" decoding="async" width="138" height="200" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/Dharmeshwara_Temple_Plates_HT-34.jpg/309px-Dharmeshwara_Temple_Plates_HT-34.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/Dharmeshwara_Temple_Plates_HT-34.jpg/412px-Dharmeshwara_Temple_Plates_HT-34.jpg 2x" data-file-width="536" data-file-height="780" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext">Plate 2<sup id="cite_ref-RiceIX_17-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-RiceIX-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></div> </li> </ul> <p>Unlike the neighbouring states where early inscriptions were written in Sanskrit and Prakrit, the early inscriptions in Tamil Nadu used Tamil <sup id="cite_ref-caldwell1_18-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-caldwell1-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> along with some Prakrit. Tamil has the extant literature amongst the <a href="/wiki/Dravidian_languages" title="Dravidian languages">Dravidian languages</a>, but dating the language and the literature precisely is difficult. Literary works in India were preserved either in <a href="/wiki/Palm_leaf_manuscript" class="mw-redirect" title="Palm leaf manuscript">palm leaf manuscripts</a> (implying repeated copying and recopying) or through oral transmission, making direct dating impossible.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> External chronological records and internal linguistic evidence, however, indicate that extant works were probably compiled sometime between the 4th century BCE and the 3rd<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="margin-left:0.1em; white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify" title="Wikipedia:Please clarify"><span title="Should this be 3rd or something else? (July 2013)">clarification needed</span></a></i>]</sup> century CE.<sup id="cite_ref-hart1974_20-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-hart1974-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-zvelebil1955_21-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-zvelebil1955-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-sastry1955_22-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-sastry1955-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Epigraphic attestation of Tamil begins with rock inscriptions from the 3rd century BCE, written in <a href="/wiki/Tamil-Brahmi" title="Tamil-Brahmi">Tamil-Brahmi</a>, an adapted form of the <a href="/wiki/Brahmi_script" title="Brahmi script">Brahmi script</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-ucla200bc_23-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ucla200bc-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The earliest extant literary text is the <a href="/wiki/Tolk%C4%81ppiyam" title="Tolkāppiyam">Tolkāppiyam</a>, a work on poetics and grammar which describes the language of the classical period, <a href="/wiki/Date_of_the_Tolkappiyam" class="mw-redirect" title="Date of the Tolkappiyam">dated variously</a> between the 5th century BCE and the 2nd century CE. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Copper_plates_of_Kerala">Copper plates of Kerala</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Indian_copper_plate_inscriptions&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Copper plates of Kerala"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Between the eighth and tenth centuries, rulers on the <a href="/wiki/Malabar_Coast" title="Malabar Coast">Malabar Coast</a> awarded various rights and privileges to Nazranies (<a href="/wiki/Saint_Thomas_Christians" title="Saint Thomas Christians">Saint Thomas Christians</a>) on copper plates, known as Cheppeds, or Royal Grants or Sasanam.<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <ul class="gallery mw-gallery-packed"> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 160.66666666667px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 158.66666666667px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Quilon_Syrian_copper_plates_(849_CE)_plates_1_and_4.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Tharisapalli plates of 849 CE"><img alt="Tharisapalli plates of 849 CE" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Quilon_Syrian_copper_plates_%28849_CE%29_plates_1_and_4.jpg/238px-Quilon_Syrian_copper_plates_%28849_CE%29_plates_1_and_4.jpg" decoding="async" width="159" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Quilon_Syrian_copper_plates_%28849_CE%29_plates_1_and_4.jpg/357px-Quilon_Syrian_copper_plates_%28849_CE%29_plates_1_and_4.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Quilon_Syrian_copper_plates_%28849_CE%29_plates_1_and_4.jpg/475px-Quilon_Syrian_copper_plates_%28849_CE%29_plates_1_and_4.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2888" data-file-height="2188" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"> <a href="/wiki/Tharisapalli_plates" class="mw-redirect" title="Tharisapalli plates">Tharisapalli plates</a> of 849 CE</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 117.33333333333px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 115.33333333333px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Jewish_copper_plate_(c._1000_CE).png" class="mw-file-description" title="The inscription from the Sasanam"><img alt="The inscription from the Sasanam" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Jewish_copper_plate_%28c._1000_CE%29.png/173px-Jewish_copper_plate_%28c._1000_CE%29.png" decoding="async" width="116" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Jewish_copper_plate_%28c._1000_CE%29.png/260px-Jewish_copper_plate_%28c._1000_CE%29.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Jewish_copper_plate_%28c._1000_CE%29.png/347px-Jewish_copper_plate_%28c._1000_CE%29.png 2x" data-file-width="529" data-file-height="549" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"> The inscription from the <a href="/wiki/Jewish_Copper_Plate" class="mw-redirect" title="Jewish Copper Plate">Sasanam</a></div> </li> </ul> <ul><li>Iravikorthan Sassanam, awarded by Shri Veera Raghava Perumal (in <abbr title="circa">c.</abbr><span style="white-space:nowrap;"> 774 CE</span>)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Thomas_of_Cana_copper_plates" title="Thomas of Cana copper plates">Thomas of Cana copper plates</a>, a lost set of copper plates awarded to Knai Thoma and his followers (<a href="/wiki/Knanaya" title="Knanaya">Knanaya</a>) sometime between the 4th and 9th century.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tharisapalli_plates" class="mw-redirect" title="Tharisapalli plates">Tharissapalli Chepped</a>, awarded in 849 CE by the King of <a href="/wiki/Venad" class="mw-redirect" title="Venad">Venadu (Quilon)</a>, Ayyan Atikal Tiruvatikal, to <a href="/wiki/Mar_Sabor_and_Mar_Proth" title="Mar Sabor and Mar Proth">Sapir Isho</a>, the leader of <a href="/wiki/Saint_Thomas_Christians" title="Saint Thomas Christians">Syrian Christians</a> in <a href="/wiki/Malabar_Coast" title="Malabar Coast">Malabar Coast</a> in the 5th regnal year of the <a href="/wiki/Chera_dynasty" title="Chera dynasty">Chera</a> ruler <a href="/wiki/Sthanu_Ravi_Varma" title="Sthanu Ravi Varma">Sthanu Ravi Varma</a>. It is the first important inscription of <a href="/wiki/Kerala" title="Kerala">Kerala</a>, the date of which has been determined with accuracy.<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-27" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It is engraved on copper plates in <a href="/wiki/Vatteluttu" title="Vatteluttu">vatteluttu</a> and signed by 25 witnesses. Names of fifteen of them are in <a href="/wiki/Kufic" title="Kufic">Kufic</a>, ten in <a href="/wiki/Pahlavi_scripts" title="Pahlavi scripts">Pahlavi</a>, and four in <a href="/wiki/Hebrew" class="mw-redirect" title="Hebrew">Hebrew</a>.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jewish_Copper_Plate" class="mw-redirect" title="Jewish Copper Plate">Jewish Copper Plate</a>, awarded by Bhaskara Ravi Varman I Perumal (962-1019 A.D.), is a Sasanam outlining the grant of rights of the <a href="/wiki/Anjuvannam" title="Anjuvannam">Anjuvannam</a> and 72 other properietary rights to <a href="/wiki/Cochin_Jews" title="Cochin Jews">local Jewish</a> Chief <a href="/wiki/Joseph_Rabban" title="Joseph Rabban">Ousepp Irabban</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Grants">Grants</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Indian_copper_plate_inscriptions&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Grants"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Siyak_harsola1005ga.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Siyak_harsola1005ga.jpg/220px-Siyak_harsola1005ga.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="304" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Siyak_harsola1005ga.jpg/330px-Siyak_harsola1005ga.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Siyak_harsola1005ga.jpg/440px-Siyak_harsola1005ga.jpg 2x" data-file-width="697" data-file-height="964" /></a><figcaption>Paramara ruler <a href="/wiki/Siyaka" title="Siyaka">Siyaka</a>'s <a href="/wiki/Harsola_copperplate" class="mw-redirect" title="Harsola copperplate">Harsola copperplate</a> copper plate of 949 CE</figcaption></figure> <p>One of the most important sources of history in the <a href="/wiki/Indian_subcontinent" title="Indian subcontinent">Indian subcontinent</a> are the royal records of grants engraved on copper-plates (<i>tamra-shasan</i> or <i>tamra-patra</i>; <i>tamra</i> means copper in <a href="/wiki/Sanskrit" title="Sanskrit">Sanskrit</a> and several other Indian languages). Because copper does not rust or decay, they can survive virtually indefinitely. </p><p>Collections of archaeological texts from the copper-plates and rock-inscriptions have been compiled and published by the <a href="/wiki/Archaeological_Survey_of_India" title="Archaeological Survey of India">Archaeological Survey of India</a> during the past century. </p><p>The copper plate is approximately 9<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1154941027">.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);clip-path:polygon(0px 0px,0px 0px,0px 0px);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}</style><span class="frac"><span class="num">3</span>⁄<span class="den">4</span></span> inches long × 3<link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1154941027"><span class="frac"><span class="num">1</span>⁄<span class="den">4</span></span> inches high × 1/10 (to 1/16) inches thick. </p><p>The Sohgaura copper-plate is a <a href="/wiki/Maurya" class="mw-redirect" title="Maurya">Maurya</a> (322–185 BCE) record which refers to a <a href="/wiki/Famine" title="Famine">famine</a>. It is one of the very few pre-<a href="/wiki/Ashoka" title="Ashoka">Ashoka</a> <a href="/wiki/Br%C4%81hm%C4%AB_script" class="mw-redirect" title="Brāhmī script">Brahmi</a> inscriptions in India.<sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Indian_copper_plate_inscriptions&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Early_Indian_epigraphy" title="Early Indian epigraphy">Early Indian epigraphy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Laguna_Copperplate_Inscription" title="Laguna Copperplate Inscription">Laguna Copperplate Inscription</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jewish_copper_plates_of_Cochin" title="Jewish copper plates of Cochin">Jewish copper plates of Cochin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Quilon_Syrian_copper_plates" title="Quilon Syrian copper plates">Quilon Syrian copper plates</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Thiruvalla_copper_plates" title="Thiruvalla copper plates">Thiruvalla copper plates</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_metallurgy_in_the_Indian_subcontinent" title="History of metallurgy in the Indian subcontinent">History of metallurgy in the Indian subcontinent</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/South_Indian_Inscriptions" title="South Indian Inscriptions">South Indian Inscriptions</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Stambha" title="Stambha">Stambha</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/L%C5%8Dm%C4%81f%C4%81nu" title="Lōmāfānu">Lōmāfānu</a></i></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Indian_copper_plate_inscriptions&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-:0-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Thapar, Romila<i>, The Penguin History of Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300.</i> Penguin Books, 2002. 295-96 and 339.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">SG Pothen. <i>Syrian Christians of Kerala</i> (1970). p. 32-33.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Thapar, Romila<i>, The Penguin History of Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300.</i> Penguin Books, 2002. 409.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFShindeWillis2014" class="citation journal cs1">Shinde, Vasant; Willis, Rick J. (8 October 2014). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180721193358/https://www.ancient-asia-journal.com/jms/article/download/aa.12317/100">"A New Type of Inscribed Copper Plate from Indus Valley (Harappan) Civilisation"</a>. <i>Ancient Asia</i>. <b>5</b>. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.5334%2Faa.12317">10.5334/aa.12317</a></span>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ancient-asia-journal.com/jms/article/download/aa.12317/100">the original</a> on 21 July 2018<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">5 September</span> 2019</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Ancient+Asia&rft.atitle=A+New+Type+of+Inscribed+Copper+Plate+from+Indus+Valley+%28Harappan%29+Civilisation&rft.volume=5&rft.date=2014-10-08&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.5334%2Faa.12317&rft.aulast=Shinde&rft.aufirst=Vasant&rft.au=Willis%2C+Rick+J.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancient-asia-journal.com%2Fjms%2Farticle%2Fdownload%2Faa.12317%2F100&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AIndian+copper+plate+inscriptions" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFF._R._AllchinGeorge_Erdosy1995" class="citation book cs1">F. R. 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C. Sircar 1996</a>, p. 79.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTED._C._Sircar1996107-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTED._C._Sircar1996107_7-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFD._C._Sircar1996">D. C. Sircar 1996</a>, p. 107.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFEmmanuel_Francis2018" class="citation book cs1">Emmanuel Francis (2018). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=yctNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA389">"Indian Copper-Plate Grants: Inscriptions or Documents?"</a>. In Alessandro Bausi; Christian Brockmann; Michael Friedrich; Sabine Kienitz (eds.). <i>Manuscripts and Archives: Comparative Views on Record-Keeping</i>. 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Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ciil-ebooks.net/html/iie/six.htm">the original</a> on 2007-09-28<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2007-03-16</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Nature+and+Importance+of+Indian+Epigraphy&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ciil-ebooks.net%2Fhtml%2Fiie%2Fsix.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AIndian+copper+plate+inscriptions" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTrikha2020" class="citation book cs1">Trikha, Madhav Hada Translated by Pradeep (2020-12-07). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=QgsNEAAAQBAJ"><i>Meera Vs Meera</i></a>. Vani Prakashan. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-93-89915-90-7" title="Special:BookSources/978-93-89915-90-7"><bdi>978-93-89915-90-7</bdi></a>. <q>...medieval period in Mewar, about twelve percent of the land went into the hands of Brahmins and Charans. Their villages were now regarded as the tamba-patra (the State order issued on the copper plate) villages and were exempted from revenue...</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Meera+Vs+Meera&rft.pub=Vani+Prakashan&rft.date=2020-12-07&rft.isbn=978-93-89915-90-7&rft.aulast=Trikha&rft.aufirst=Madhav+Hada+Translated+by+Pradeep&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DQgsNEAAAQBAJ&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AIndian+copper+plate+inscriptions" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFKumar1991" class="citation book cs1">Kumar, Vijay (1991). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ImpuAAAAMAAJ"><i>British Paramountcy in Rajputana: A Case Study of Relation of the Sirohi State with the British, 1823-1905 A.D.</i></a> Books Treasure. <q>The 'Sasan' lands were granted to temples and members of certain castes such as Brahmans ,Charans...They were for all practical purposes in perpetuity and were held rent free. Usually the ancient practice of issuing a copper plate, on which the conditions of grant, the names of the grantor and grantee were engraved was given to the grantee.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=British+Paramountcy+in+Rajputana%3A+A+Case+Study+of+Relation+of+the+Sirohi+State+with+the+British%2C+1823-1905+A.D.&rft.pub=Books+Treasure&rft.date=1991&rft.aulast=Kumar&rft.aufirst=Vijay&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DImpuAAAAMAAJ&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AIndian+copper+plate+inscriptions" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.tirumala.org/sapthagiri/122002/epic.htm">Epigraphical lore of Tirupati published in Saptagiri magazine.</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030216164212/http://www.tirumala.org/sapthagiri/122002/epic.htm">Archived</a> 2003-02-16 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070928092929/http://www.ciil-ebooks.net/html/iie/six.htm">"Nature and Importance of Indian Epigraphy - Chapter IV"</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ciil-ebooks.net/html/iie/six.htm">the original</a> on 2007-09-28<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2007-03-14</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Nature+and+Importance+of+Indian+Epigraphy+-+Chapter+IV&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ciil-ebooks.net%2Fhtml%2Fiie%2Fsix.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AIndian+copper+plate+inscriptions" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-tamil-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-tamil_16-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.vedamsbooks.com/no48436.htm">"History and Culture of Tamil Nadu : As Gleaned from the Sanskrit Inscriptions"</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2007-03-14</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=History+and+Culture+of+Tamil+Nadu+%3A+As+Gleaned+from+the+Sanskrit+Inscriptions&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vedamsbooks.com%2Fno48436.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AIndian+copper+plate+inscriptions" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-RiceIX-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-RiceIX_17-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFRice1894" class="citation book cs1">Rice, Benjamin Lewis (1894). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/epigraphiacarnat09myso"><i>Epigraphia Carnatica: Volume IX: Inscriptions in the Bangalore District</i></a>. Mysore State, British India: Mysore Department of Archaeology<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">5 August</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Epigraphia+Carnatica%3A+Volume+IX%3A+Inscriptions+in+the+Bangalore+District&rft.place=Mysore+State%2C+British+India&rft.pub=Mysore+Department+of+Archaeology&rft.date=1894&rft.aulast=Rice&rft.aufirst=Benjamin+Lewis&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fepigraphiacarnat09myso&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AIndian+copper+plate+inscriptions" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-caldwell1-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-caldwell1_18-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFCaldwell1875" class="citation book cs1">Caldwell, Robert (1875). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.459581"><i>A comparative grammar of the Dravidian or South-Indian family of languages</i></a>. Trübner & co. pp. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.459581/page/n129">88</a>. <q>In southern states, every inscription of an early date and majority even of modern-day inscriptions were written in Sanskrit...In the Tamil country, on the contrary, all the inscriptions belonging to an early period are written in Tamil with some Prakrit</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=A+comparative+grammar+of+the+Dravidian+or+South-Indian+family+of+languages&rft.pages=88&rft.pub=Tr%C3%BCbner+%26+co&rft.date=1875&rft.aulast=Caldwell&rft.aufirst=Robert&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fin.ernet.dli.2015.459581&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AIndian+copper+plate+inscriptions" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-19">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dating of Indian literature is largely based on relative dating relying on internal evidences with a few anchors. I. Mahadevan’s dating of Pukalur inscription proves some of the Sangam verses. See George L. Hart, "Poems of Ancient Tamil, University of Berkeley Press, 1975, p.7-8</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-hart1974-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-hart1974_20-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">George Hart, "Some Related Literary Conventions in Tamil and Indo-Aryan and Their Significance" <i>Journal of the American Oriental Society</i>, 94:2 (Apr-Jun 1974), pp. 157-167.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-zvelebil1955-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-zvelebil1955_21-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Kamil Veith Zvelebil, <i>Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature</i>, pp12</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-sastry1955-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-sastry1955_22-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (1955). A History of South India, OUP, New Delhi (Reprinted 2002)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-ucla200bc-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-ucla200bc_23-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20071011215831/http://lmp.ucla.edu/Profile.aspx?LangID=99&menu=004">"Tamil"</a>. <i>The Language Materials Project</i>. UCLA International Institute, <a href="/wiki/UCLA" class="mw-redirect" title="UCLA">UCLA</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.lmp.ucla.edu/Profile.aspx?LangID=99&menu=004">the original</a> on 2007-10-11<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2007-03-25</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Language+Materials+Project&rft.atitle=Tamil&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lmp.ucla.edu%2FProfile.aspx%3FLangID%3D99%26menu%3D004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AIndian+copper+plate+inscriptions" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-24">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Iravatham Mahadevan (2003). Early Tamil Epigraphy from the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. Cambridge, Harvard University Press.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-25">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">SG Pothen. <i>Syrian Christians of Kerala</i> (1970). p. 32-33.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-26">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">A. Sreedhara Menon. <i>Kerala History</i> (1999). p.54.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-27">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">N.M. Mathew <i>History of the Marthoma Church</i> (Malayalam), Volume I. p. 105-109.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-28">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Cheriyan, Dr. C.V. <i>Orthodox Christianity in India</i>. p. 85, 126, 127, 444-447.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-29">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Thapar, Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas,2014, pp. 10</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Bibliography">Bibliography</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Indian_copper_plate_inscriptions&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Bibliography"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239549316">.mw-parser-output .refbegin{margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul{margin-left:0}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul>li{margin-left:0;padding-left:3.2em;text-indent:-3.2em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents ul,.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents ul li{list-style:none}@media(max-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul>li{padding-left:1.6em;text-indent:-1.6em}}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-columns ul{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .refbegin{font-size:90%}}</style><div class="refbegin" style=""> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFD._C._Sircar1996" class="citation book cs1">D. C. Sircar (1996). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=hXMB3649biQC&pg=PA471"><i>Indian Epigraphy</i></a>. Motilal Banarsidass. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-81-208-1166-9" title="Special:BookSources/978-81-208-1166-9"><bdi>978-81-208-1166-9</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Indian+Epigraphy&rft.pub=Motilal+Banarsidass&rft.date=1996&rft.isbn=978-81-208-1166-9&rft.au=D.+C.+Sircar&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DhXMB3649biQC%26pg%3DPA471&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AIndian+copper+plate+inscriptions" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> </div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Indian_copper_plate_inscriptions&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=7F367F5357B8DDB9608BA8D65FB7B3EA.tomcat1?fromPage=online&aid=174109">A new copper-plate grant of Harsavardhana from the Punjab, year 8</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/features/02-07/features575.htm">Vaisnavism in Upper Mahanadi Valley</a></li></ul>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indian_copper_plate_inscriptions&oldid=1250352963">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indian_copper_plate_inscriptions&oldid=1250352963</a>"</div></div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category">Categories</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Indian_inscriptions" title="Category:Indian inscriptions">Indian inscriptions</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Archaeological_artefact_types" title="Category:Archaeological artefact types">Archaeological artefact types</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Copper_objects" title="Category:Copper objects">Copper objects</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Archaeology_of_India" title="Category:Archaeology of India">Archaeology of India</a></li></ul></div><div id="mw-hidden-catlinks" class="mw-hidden-catlinks mw-hidden-cats-hidden">Hidden categories: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Webarchive_template_wayback_links" title="Category:Webarchive template wayback links">Webarchive template wayback links</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_with_short_description" title="Category:Articles with short description">Articles with short description</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Short_description_is_different_from_Wikidata" title="Category:Short description is different from Wikidata">Short description is different from Wikidata</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_articles_needing_clarification_from_July_2013" title="Category:Wikipedia articles needing clarification from July 2013">Wikipedia articles needing clarification from July 2013</a></li></ul></div></div> </div> </main> </div> <div class="mw-footer-container"> <footer id="footer" class="mw-footer" > <ul id="footer-info"> <li id="footer-info-lastmod"> This page was last edited on 9 October 2024, at 22:41<span class="anonymous-show"> (UTC)</span>.</li> <li id="footer-info-copyright">Text is available under the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_4.0_International_License" title="Wikipedia:Text of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License</a>; additional terms may apply. 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